Archive for the ‘Campaign Planning & Management’ Category
How Full Is Your Glass?
Posted by JBA in Campaign Planning & Management, Donor Cultivation, Fundraising in a Recession on September 15th, 2009
In today’s challenging fundraising environment, I am continually reminded of the old saying “is your glass half full or half empty?” Viewing your challenges as opportunities for positive change classifies you as a “glass half full” person. We should all be striving for a “full glass of opportunities” if we are to be successful at our jobs in today’s world.
I don’t know about you, but I have very little room in my life these days for the glass half empty person. They steal my energy and passion for my work. They create a sense of negativity in meetings and planning sessions when they say we cannot raise money now and maybe should not even be trying! I cannot imagine encouraging our clients to stop fundraising because times are tough – we just need to think of new opportunities that will boost our efforts right now and into the future.
So, given that I am definitely that “glass full to the top” person, what are some of the opportunities where we can focus our energies with the ultimate goals of stabilizing our resources and raising more money?
Here is what fills my glass these days: (Click to Read)
Are You Ready to Renew, Refresh & Recover?
Posted by JBA in Campaign Planning & Management, Fundraising in a Recession on September 3rd, 2009
What should I be doing during a recession to grow my fundraising? When is the right time to begin a capital or major gifts campaign? Am I thriving or just surviving? Sound familiar?
At Jeffrey Byrne & Associates we’ve heard many of these same questions from clients and our friends in philanthropy.
We also asked if it was a good time for a capital campaign workshop and here is what we heard:
“We’ve never experienced an economy like this. What should we do?”
Parts of the fundraising process are changing daily as we experience conditions not seen in 40 years. But many best-practices in fundraising are valid and working well for nonprofits across the nation. Regardless of your capital project timeline, now is the perfect time to focus on the plan, adapt to the conditions and improve your likelihood of conducting a successful campaign.
“A capital campaign isn’t on our radar right now.”
Many nonprofits have deferred their campaign for now. But many others have needs that can’t be deferred and must be met now. A capital campaign workshop that addresses effective planning both long and short term will help any organization be more focused and better prepared for success.
Now is the perfect time to renew, refresh and recover. Join us for an upcoming workshop in Kansas City and later this fall in other cities we serve. Read more about the workshop series and curriculum.
Broadening Your Prospect Base
Posted by Terri Turner in Campaign Planning & Management, Donor Cultivation on July 14th, 2009
In the July 13th Chronicle of Philanthropy news update, professional fundraisers declare “major changes are necessary in how campaigns are conducted to meet the challenges of the future.” Because experts expect to see a decline in the number of lead gifts ($1,000,000 or more) to campaigns, organizations will need to broaden their prospect base to include larger numbers of Major Gift and Community Gift donors.
While this new strategy may take more time and effort to cultivate donors, in the long-term this may be a “cup half full” strategy for many nonprofits. Organizations that employ creative donor cultivation and stewardship practices may turn one-time capital campaign donors into long-term annual supporters. Do you agree? Could a shift in resource allocation from pursuing a few megagift donors for a campaign to spending more time cultivating a larger base of mid-range gift donors be more prudent for long-term sustainability?