Money Magnet Idea No. 7: Push Donors to Give Online
Many charities have realized that online gifts are larger than the ones they get in the mail, but few are taking creative steps to persuade their traditional donors to move to the Internet. The Salvation Army Kentucky and Tennessee Division, however, is testing an effort to turn its mail donors…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Money Magnet Idea No. 6: Pitch Sponsorships to Family Funds
Like many institutions, the Tulsa Symphony has been hard pressed to find corporate donors since 2008 when the financial crisis hit. “It’s become increasingly difficult to tap corporate contributions, even when asking for educational music programs serving low-income students,” says Martha Mattes,…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Money Magnet Idea No. 5: Offer Special Perks
When people join the Delaware Museum of Natural History, in Wilmington, they get a lot more than free admission to its collections. Because the museum belongs to the Association of Science-Technology Centers, any donor who contributes at least $45 can also make free visits to more than 250 museums…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Money Magnet Idea No. 2: Make Endowments ‘Sexy’
While many donors have focused on immediate needs, rather than supporting endowments, building projects, and other capital projects during the economic downturn, some are now ready to focus on long-term concerns, says Dyan Sublett, chief fund raiser at the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles. As hard…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Money Magnet Idea No. 4: Ask Corporations for Money and More
Habitat For Humanity has held onto multimillion-dollar corporate donors, even while other charities have lost them to the recession. Mark Crozet, the charity’s senior vice president for development, chalks up that accomplishment to “deep relationships”
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Money Magnet Idea No. 3: Get Donors Behind the Scenes
When charities hold house parties, dinners, and other intimate gatherings for small groups of potential donors, they usually just ask board and staff members to invite people they know, says Armando Zumaya, chief development officer at the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit investigative…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Money Magnet Idea No. 1: Energize Matching Gifts
The Nature Conservancy successfully “rebooted” a matching-gift offer by its trustees to donate 50 cents on the dollar for every gift of $100,000 or more to overseas conservation projects, says Angela Sosdian, acting chief philanthropy officer. During the last three months of 2009, as part of its…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
11 Promising Fund-Raising Tactics to Help Charities Thrive in 2011
Charities are deploying a range of tactics designed to meet the needs of donors in tighter circumstances—and hold the line on fund-raising expenses.
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Can Declining Gifts Be a Sign of Economic Recovery?
Nonprofits that serve the neediest Americans say donations are getting tougher to find even as demands for aid increase. It could be compassion fatigue, but it could also be a sign that the economy is on the mend.
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Lessons From a Citywide Fund-Raising Campaign
When World Vision wallpapered Spokane, Wash., with fund-raising appeals, it learned how much it takes to recruit new donors.
By Holly Hall
Contributor