Donations are the lifeblood of your nonprofit organization. Your organization’s development office is responsible for securing those donations. In particular, if you’re a fundraising professional working in a development office, you likely spend much of your time strategizing ways to secure large contributions from major donors. A critical part of that strategizing is collecting and using donor data effectively. After…
By Jeffrey D. Byrne Co-Founder + CEO I recently solicited a prospective donor – over Zoom – for an eight-figure gift on behalf of one of our capital campaign clients. I have more than 30 years of fundraising experience under my belt, but I have NEVER asked a donor for such a substantial gift through a computer screen. But such…
Danielle Schaefer Grants Coordinator When you officially join the ranks of grant writers, you imagine yourself writing all day, sending in application after application and receiving checks from willing donors with whom you’ve created incredible connections through your work. Unfortunately, prospect research isn’t always thought of as an upfront and critical part of the grant writing process, especially for those…
How can you put your data to work? Utilize the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP). The Fundraising Effectiveness Project has developed a tool kit for nonprofits to harness their fundraising data. One of the largest philanthropic research projects in the world, the FEP was established in 2006 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at…
Jennifer Studebaker Coordinator of Administration + Consulting DonorPerfect Online (DPO) Vice President Jon Biedermann and Dr. Nathan Dietz, a published scholar and experienced practitioner of quantitative and qualitative social science research, recently led a webinar analyzing the results of 2.24 million transactions and 427,000 donors over a period of years. So what did these numbers reveal about fundraising behavior? Demographic…
JB+A is pleased to welcome guest contributor Marissa Todd, JD, MBA – a prospect development professional and current President of Apra Missouri-Kansas – as she shares her insights and experience on prospect research and development. Marissa Todd, JD, MBA JB+A Guest Contributor How many of us have heard the phrase “the art and science of fundraising”? Probably many of you…
Jeffrey D. Byrne, President + CEO We know to do our homework on prospective donors. You’ve heard me say time and again “Don’t commit fundraising malpractice!” (See my blog piece on the benefits of prospect research here.)That means do your research – because it reveals information about the wealth and capacity of prospects as well as information about philanthropic giving…
Editor’s Note: We are pleased to introduce Grant Gooding of Proof Positioning as a guest contributor. Grant cut his teeth in the mergers and acquisitions world which gave him an uncommon, macro understanding of the hard and soft components of businesses and market transition. He took his knowledge of analyzing hundreds of businesses to consult with entrepreneurs, mostly inventors, to…
Saber Hossinei, Coordinator of Administration + Consulting Have you seen those shirts with JUST DO IT across the front? It certainly makes for a catchy phrase, but the meaning behind it is so much more than that. It’s a message of action. Regardless of one’s condition, level of experience or ability, don’t forget what’s truly necessary: action. And with action, come results….
Follow the Money: that’s Jeffrey’s advice to nonprofit professionals in the latest “As I See It” column for the Kansas City Star. You can follow political giving to help predict philanthropic behavior, Jeffrey explains, and ultimately, strengthen philanthropy. Read Jeffrey’s featured column here.