Find Participants with Potential

Excerpt from Friends Asking Amy blogpost by Amy Braiterman. See full post here.

When you return from your break take a fresh look at all your numbers. Don’t just focus on the revenue, look for other program indicators. 

1. Look registrations: number of teams, number of participants, individual participants. How do those numbers compare to last year and to your goals for this year?  
2. Have all your top fundraising teams from last year have signed up again; if they have are they active? Meaning- are they a team of one or have multiple people signed up; if people have signed up are they fundraising?
3. Run a report and find your active fundraiser.  How do you tell if someone is active?  Check and see if they’ve updated their fundraising page, sent emails from their HQ, and number of gifts they’ve received. Once you’ve found these individuals, give them a call and encourage them to keep up the good work.
4. Run a report and find your participants with potential.  Who has potential?  My favorite way of identify potential fundraiser is to if they changed their fundraising goal.  Why… great question.  Here’s my theory…  let’s face it we ask a lot of information during the registration process, so if someone takes the time to read your entire form carefully and they make a thoughtful decision to change their fundraising from the preset amount they’re committed – they’re into you.  They took the time to think about fundraising and what was a good personal goal.

Show Donors Results!

Donors would give more if you showed them…

... Results.

This, according to a study written up in the Chronicle of Philanthropy yesterday.  The Cygnus Donor Survey found in a survey of 15,000 donors that just crying need won’t do it in 2012.  Fundraisers need to “do something wonderful” that will carry a message to donors that the charity is fulfilling its mission, says the study’s author, Penelope Burk.

I always look at surveys of donors with a dose of skepticism.  What people say they feel and do with respect to giving doesn’t necessarily reflect their true actions.  But these results ring true to me.  It’s not enough to say times are tough and you need money:

Middle-age donors are demanding results from nonprofits in exchange for their gifts, the study found. They want to be offered a clear idea of where the money is going, and they want to know that the charity is the best of all organizations working on that mission. Donors under age 35, while also concerned about results, are interested in building a community of like-minded givers: They want to get their friends and family to support a cause they believe in. They are also more apt to give to new causes.

The bottom line: The same thing I always say on this blog.  Saying you need money is not fundraising.  Fundraising recognizes that giving is a person, emotion and social act.  Tell people about the exact change they can effect—and how they can rally support for it.  That’s fundraising.

Among the other findings:

-Donors hate being asked for money over and over.  That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stop asking.  But be sure you’re thanking - and reporting on impact - at least twice as much.

-Young donors say they plan to give more this year. But you need to reach them digitally.  “They often don’t read fundraising mailings—because they’re the least likely of all adults to get mail. They also don’t get many telemarketing calls, because they use their cellphones rather than landline phones.”

-The number one source for checking out a charity?  The charity’s website.  This backs up the Money for Good research.  Make sure your website is fantastic.  It’s the single most important thing you do online.

-People plan their giving - but still give impulsively when something moves them.  That could mean you!

-Recurring giving gets dissed in the study, but I disagree.  The study said recurring givers are less likely to become major donors.  But is that because of the nature of recurring giving or because charities don’t do a good job heaping praise and reports on impact to those donors?  I’m a recurring giver to a great charity - but I don’t get thanked every month.

The full study is here.

Blog post by Katya Andresen

Do You Make These 4 Big Fundraising Mistakes?

By: Tri-Point Fundraising

Even intelligent, hardworking, well-intentioned fundraisers make mistakes from time to time.

We all do.

Here are four big ones to watch out for:

Mistake #1: Treating All Donors the Same

Do you wish that donors would treat your organization like the most important charity? If so, you should be treating them like your most important donor. That doesn’t mean sending generic form letters (either appeals or thank yous).

How can you treat your donors as individuals?

• Segment and personalize as much as possible. Have different letters for first time donors, for board members, for repeat donors, and for lapsed donors. Write personal notes whenever possible.
• Have a VIP, red-carpet plan for your best donors. Contact them (by email, phone, hand-written note, and in-person) with updates throughout the year. Invite them to your events and on tours.
• Find out why your best donors give to your organization. Try to understand their motivations for giving to your specific cause.

Mistake #2: Ignoring Lapsed Donors

Lapsed donors are former donors. They might have lapsed by one, two, or three years. It’s important to try to renew them as soon as possible. The longer they lapse, the more difficult it will be to get them to give again.

Once a donor lapses for a year or two, many organizations write them off. If you can, contact them to try to find out why they lapsed. If they moved out of the area or are no longer interested in your cause, you can take them off your list.

Often, reaching out to lapsed donors will result in another gift. Securing donations from lapsed donors is much easier than starting from scratch with non-donors. This is because lapsed donors have a history with your organization and already have a familiarity with your programs and services.

If you have a huge number of lapsed donors to deal with, select the ones who have lapsed for the least amount of time (two years or less), and/or those who have given several times in the past (not just one-time donors).

Mistake #3: Not Knowing Key Fundraising Stats

Specifically, this means not knowing your donor acquisition, donor attrition and donor retention rates.

Donor acquisition is the number of new donors you attract. Donor attrition measures the number of donors you lose each year (become lapsed). And donor retention is the number of donors you keep from year-to-year.

There are many fundraising statistics to keep track of. However, donor acquisition, attrition and retention are three of the most important stats. It’s crucial to know how many new donors you attract, how many donors you lost, and how many you kept on an annual basis. Without knowing these three things, you won’t know if your fundraising program is growing or shrinking.

So if you haven’t been tracking these things, today is a perfect day to start.

Mistake #4: Relying Too Heavily on Your Board

Do you rely on your board members to bring in most of your new donors?

You may wish for board members to constantly funnel names of wealthy, prospective donors your way, but too often it doesn’t happen that way. Don’t mope about it — instead, spend your time doing your part to attract new donors.

How do you attract new donors?

There are many simple things you personally can do to bring in new donors.

I (along with eleven other leading fundraising experts) was recently asked for several out-of-the-box ways you could get 100 new donors in just three months. All twelve of these recorded conversations have been combined with detailed action guides into a program called 100 Donors in 90 Days.

To give you an idea of how helpful thes simple strategies can be, Tom Ahern (one of the fundraising experts) presented a case study based on a letter written by a volunteer for a small town library. She was a novice fundraiser who had never written a direct mail appeal before in her life. But she had taken one of Tom’s workshops — one very similar to the first week’s session of 100 Donors in 90 Days.


She raised $56,000 in a matter of weeks with that one letter.


Tom’s teleseminar and action guide alone are worth the price of 100 Donors in 90 Days. Take a few minutes to check it out and see what it’s all about. I think you’ll be very impressed!

The five words that made women give 20% more

By: Katya Andresen

The philanthropic psychologist Jen Shang has a new fundraising study out with the public radio station WFIU in Bloomington, and it shows that five words tied to moral qualities prompt higher giving levels.

Here’s how the study worked.  During the station’s pledge drive, the people answering phones thanked people for calling and randomly picked two of five words associated with moral identity to describe the caller: caring, friendly, kind, compassionate and helpful.  For example: People said, “Thanks for calling and becoming a kind and caring WFIU donor” right before they asked the amount the caller wanted to give. Female donors gave significantly more—21% more—when they heard those adjectives.  Interestingly, with male donors, it made no difference.

I think most best practices are not gender specific, like telling a compelling story, making your cause relatable or appealing to emotion.  But moral identity is apparently another matter.

According to Shang, most charities find their donors are two-thirds female, so the implications are the technique could increasing the gift sizes of two-thirds of donors.  She is now testing this effect in direct mail, and she said in a Chronicle of Philanthropy interview that she believes she will obtain the same result.

The researchers also surveyed donors and found the more that women give, the smaller the gap between their ideal and actual moral identity.  In other words, donating money helps them achieve their moral ideals, said Shang.  Doing good feels good.

Shang believes the results of this study are reliable and transferable to other causes, so this may be worth testing in your nonprofit’s marketing and fundraising outreach.

Fundraising Incentives - What works?

Fundraising Incentive Programs – The Carrot and its Many Forms Throughout the years, I’ve watched organizations struggle repeatedly with the question of what incentives to offer their participants in order to get them to fundraise (or fundraise more). At this point, I feel like I’ve seen it all, from water bottles to jewelry to salad spinners to flat-screen TVs. And I’ve observed how participants respond (good and bad) to what was offered to them — through surveys, focus groups, and simply watching their reactions as they pick up their “rewards.” If the hats and toasters you’ve been offering to participants haven’t quite moved the fundraising needle as far as you would have liked, or if you haven’t offered incentives but know that it’s a good next step in your fundraising strategy, this is the blog post for you!  So, without further ado, here are three insights to help you determine which “carrot” is best to dangle in front of your participants: 1. Don’t underestimate the power of recognition.  The military uses a very effective incentive model that features the awarding of medals. And similarly, the Girl Scouts use patches. It’s not that the medals or patches have anymonetary value — but the recognition that comes along with it is perceived to be priceless. In the world of fundraising, we’ve seen this kind of incentive system work better than any other — hands down. For one client, we developed a recognition program that awards tiny 1” buttons to participants who reach certain fundraising milestones. We found participants were thrilled when they received their $3K button and were even more excited if they were able to claim a $5K or $10K pin (which have identical actualvalue as the $3K pins, but have an even higher perceived value). This recognition approach is attractive for a number of reasons. Compare it to giving away a high actual-value flat-screen TV (which we see offered a lot). The pin costs you close to nothing, it can be easily topped as further goals are achieved ($3K becomes $5K becomes $10K) and, most important, it’s a badge of honor that gives fundraisers a way to brag about their commitment to your mission. It is for this last reason that we’ve seen people literally wait in lines to get such a reward. So, before you jump into an expensive prize program know that recognition program methods work and are usually more cost-effective. 2. The more unique, the more desirable. If you’re already implementing a recognition program and/or your participants tend to be more motivated by “stuff,” there are several things you can do to pack the mostperceived value into the stuff you are offering. The following will increase the uniqueness of your incentive, thus making it more valuable and desirable: Brand it. Adding your logo to an item makes it unique. Just make sure it can’t be purchased at your event or online store. (If a participant has to fundraise $200 to get it, but they can buy it for $20, guess what they’ll do?) Make it commemorative. Making anything in limited quantities or for a limited time only increases the value. Adding the event year to the item instantly makes it a commemorative item and sends a message that says, “come back again and collect them all.” Offer special access/opportunity. Leverage your relationships with sponsors and board members to offer unique experiences that only you can offer! Does one of your board members own a restaurant where you could host a top fundraiser dinner? Could your media sponsor offer a behind-the-scenes tour of the studio? 3. Be sensitive to relevancy. This concept of relevancy is pretty straightforward. I think it’s fair to guess that iPods and flat-screen TVs, while cool, are most likely unrelated to your event activity, let alone your mission. Instead, think water bottles for endurance athletes, branded picture frames for team events, and fine-dining gift certificates for gala goers. It’s really up to your own creativity (and perhaps your relationships with prize donors and third-party incentive companies like Turnkey and Summit) to decide what might make the most sense. It’s important to keep in mind that while products can’t embody your mission, they can do damage by reflecting poorly upon your organization. For example, consider that giving away unhealthy food to runners raising money for a health-related issue might make you seem out of out touch. A fully-paid trip to an ultra-luxury resort when you’re raising money to combat poverty might be perceived as insensitive to the people your organization is trying to help. Giving away electronics that aren’t donated by a sponsor may upset participants when they realize that the organization is covering the cost. In the end, a little awareness and sensitivity goes a long way. Keep in mind that you can’t please, or motivate, everyone with incentives — no matter how big or flavorful the carrot. So, that said, be sure to always give participants the ability to opt-out of receiving an incentive. And, to help you deal with those participants who do want their incentive, tune in for part three of this series where we’ll discuss efficient reward distribution. (Part one examined what you should consider before implementing fundraising incentive programs.) Jill Stewart is a Fundraising Consultant at Event 360. With 12 years of event fundraising experience, she has developed, executed, and managed robust, award-winning fundraising and communications programs for major non-profit organizations across the country. Jill holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from Purdue University and a Certificate in Fundraising Management from The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

Turning a No into a Yes

Asking for Donations: When Does “No” Mean “No”?

March 29, 2012 by Tri Point Fundraising

You’ve prepared. You’ve practiced. You’ve overcome your fear of asking for a donation. So you make the ask and they say “no.” But how do you know when “no” really means “no”? I tell my kids “no” all the time. Yet, it doesn’t stop them from asking again, and again, and again. They do this for a variety of reasons, but mostly becasue they’ve learned that sometimes “no” turns into “yes” if they ask frequently and persistently enough. So how come as adults, we’re much more likely to take an initial no as a final no? Turning a “No” into a “Yes” In fundraising, some of the best development directors are those who can take a “no” and turn it into a “yes.” When you get a “no” for whatever reason, your job is to ask why? That’s the most important question you can ask. Get to the core reason, and explore if there’s a way to turn the “no” into “yes.” Before asking a prospective donor for a contribution, you’ll want to consider all of their possible responses, so you’re prepared to respond appropriately. In general, there are three types of response:       1. yes       2. no       3. maybe In fundraising, “yes” and “maybe” are great answers, but “no” can be good too. “No” is an opportunity to explore, build the relationship, ask more questions, and encourage engagement. It’s up to you to find out why the person is saying no, and how you can turn their no into a yes. 4 Reasons Why Prospective Donors Say “No” There are many reasons why people say no. Four of the most common include: 1. Wrong time. Money is tight at the moment for whatever reason. Six months or a year from now might be better. Or, they could need more information before making a decision. 2. Wrong project. They love your organization. They’re really interested in the after school program — but you asked for the preschool program. 3. Wrong amount. You asked for too much or too little. Once you ask some good follow-up questions, you may be delighted to receive a gift of another amount. 4. Wrong asker. This is often the most difficult issue to identify, but it’s possible that your donor just doesn’t click with the board member you brought along. Keep your intuition tuned for issues like this, because they will often go unspoken. I’ll be discussing how you can turn those no’s into yeses and a whole lot more in my upcoming session at the International Association of Fundraising Professionals’ conference. Going Further There are some great posts around the web pertaining to this topic. Here are two of my favorites: When a foundation declines to fund you, the story isn’t really over Overcoming the 9 Fundraising No’s

Do Your Volunteers Fundraise?

Stop the bus! Your volunteers don’t fundraise?

For those of you who know me, you understand that my passion is volunteerism. In brief: I’m in love with those who work selflessly. This group of people is tricky to navigate for some organizations and non-profits. Some common thoughts and questions that often come up when thinking about your passionate volunteers are:

Can we really ask them to do that (insert undesired job)? I tapped Mary for three things last month, is it too much to ask her for this? What else can I give this volunteer? I can’t ask my volunteers to fundraise, can I?

The question I’d like to answer for you today is the last one. 

Yes! You can (and you should) ask your volunteers to fundraise. Don’t you want your most passionate people pounding the pavement for you? Don’t you want the people who live and breathe your mission delivering it to new people everywhere they go? Your answer to these questions should be “yes.” Your best volunteers are your best fundraisers and your best spokespeople. They give back to you and your organization because they are passionate about your cause. They stick around because you have created an environment in which they want to be involved.

You, the volunteer coordinator or the volunteer manager, are an integral part of your volunteer’s presence. They come back to volunteer for you; they perform the best to satisfy you; and they will now fundraise because you told them they can. You believe in them.

Start by simply asking them to fundraise; teach them; arm them with tools and help them set a goal. Here are some things to consider:

• If you are fundraising for a specific event, understand that volunteers tend to start fundraising closer to the event than participants who have a mandatory goal. Segment your communications so you are speaking to your volunteers about fundraising later than you would to your participants. 

• If you have enough people to create two groups of volunteers, start a friendly competition with a prize (maybe a night out donated by your local pizza parlor). Remind the volunteers of each team’s status at different checkpoints. Encourage mini-competitions amongst your volunteers — it’s healthy fun and creates a friendly, goal-oriented environment.

• Be sure to help your volunteers with goal setting. They like to work toward numbers and milestones. For example, suggest that they each raise $200, the amount it costs to feed a family of four for a month. Or recommend a goal for the whole team, say, $20,000 to support a year’s worth of a researcher’s lab expenses to find a cure. Volunteers like knowing these hard facts and bottom line numbers; it gives meaning to their efforts by offering tangible outcomes, especially since they have behind-the-scenes access to your event and organization and are cost-conscious as a result. A reminder that if you use a goal like this, make it clear to volunteers that the money raised is, in fact, going to your organization, and not directly to the event site, etc. 

• Have a current, active fundraiser help you encourage volunteers to raise funds. Hearing directly from a dedicated fundraiser helps a volunteer understand the importance of the task while easing any possible reservations, creating that “ah ha” moment — “if they can do it, so can I.” 

Finally, remember that your volunteers work and perform with the hopes of pleasing you.  It’s true. Send them a personal email or text message once they’ve started fundraising to encourage them. We all know you are thinking about them, so don’t forget to send something to them. They will realize that they aren’t just another face to you; they are an important piece of your mission’s puzzle. 

Katie Sisum has spent the last 12 years in the volunteer world as either an organizer or volunteer, including two years of service with AmeriCorps. As Volunteer Programs Manager for Event 360, she helps create significant experiences for over 7,000 volunteers and crewmembers each year. A new member of Corporate Volunteerism Council Twin Cities, Katie lives in Minneapolis with her four-footed dog friend, is a glass blower and owns a stained glass studio in the city.

Life Before and After

Another great piece from Operation Smile.  The way this organization uses videos to get their mission across is so crucial in their line of work.  After all, not all of their donors will be able to attend one of their mission trips.  In order for Operation Smile to show their supporters all the great work they do, they have to craft pieces like this one.  I wish more organizations regardless if they are working in the US or abroad would put together little videos/powerpoints to share with their stakeholders.  This organization gets it.

The Power of Social Media

Over the past five years peer-to-peer fundraising (aka social fundraising, event fundraising or friendraising) revenue has more than doubled online – reaching close to the billion-dollar mark.

It’s been amazing to watch.

With the continued growth of Internet usage, the rise of social media, and the smart phone revolution it’s likely that social fundraising will continue to play a significant roll for non-profit organizations (or start to play a growing roll for those organizations who don’t already participate in this type of fundraising).

Check out the below social fundraising INFOGRAPHIC. You’ll learn a bit about the industry’s growth, what drives the fundraising success and the power of Friends Asking Friends.

Where and Why People Donate

Such great data to share with your fellow fundraisers!  I can't get enough of these infographics.  Thanks to YourCause for putting this one together on the Top 5 of Where and Why People Donate their Time and Money.

Happy Holidays from Operation Smile

Another one from Operation Smile...

Whoever works in their marketing department is a genius.  I don't know how you could not want to donate after watching this video.  I find it very impressive that they thought far enough in advance to have doctors, nurses, and volunteers say happy holidays on camera during various international missions.  It shows that they really do care about their donors and frankly, it shows that they are smart and know what they are doing.  It couldn't have cost too much to put this video together and I'm sure it will bring in a decent amount of money.  It's put together very professionally and is a perfect length of time.  Clearly, I'm impressed.  What do you think?

52x52

I like to draw attention to fundraisers that catch my eyes.

This time of year, the fundraising campaigns are out full force.  Rightfully so, December is the highest giving month of them all.

But what about the other 11 months of the year?

Check out this new campaign that strives to get donors to donate year round... not just at the end of the year.

http://52x52.org/

How to appeal to all 6 types of donors

This week, Hope Consulting and GuideStar released the second part of the Money for Good research.

In their research, they have identified six common types of donor motivation:

What do all of these have in common?  Two things: Emotion and impact. If nothing else, remember this: Speak to the heart and show how you make a difference.  You’ll appeal to just about everyone. Katya's Non-Profit Marketing Blog By: Katya Andresen

Event Registration Fees: To charge or not to charge?

And now for a great post on one of my most favorite debates to have in the nonprofit world - registration fees.  Coming from three different organizations who do not charge a registration fee, I am personally ALL for them.  I was apart of one organization who tested out using a registration fee of $15 - just $15!  And we saw substantial growth in net profits.  This day in age, I think people almost expect registration fees and it helps them understand that this event is indeed a fundraiser.  Too many individuals come to fundraisers and do not contribute towards the end goal - of raising money for the cause... meanwhile, they are stocking up on the free food, t-shirts, and give-a-ways.  I understand the possible downsides of charging a registration fee - less attendees and the possibility of people paying the registration fee and not fundraising a cent more... but I would rather have 100 individuals at my walk, who care about my cause and have demonstrated their commitment to my cause, than 500 individuals who don't fundraise or donate even a dollar.  I think it's a debate of quality vs. quantity.

It is one of the most popular and hotly debated questions in the world of walkathons and athletic event fundraising: to charge or not to charge.  While the classic answer – “it depends” – holds true, if your run, walk or ride does not currently have a registration fee, it's time to consider it--because people who pay to play also tend to show up to play.

Too many fundraising events tolerate a large percentage of non-performers. A successful fundraising event requires a strong fundraising culture. A registration fee helps set an expectation by requiring something of the participant up front. This will guarantee a certain level of income for the event by ‘weeding’ out the non-performers and raise the awareness and mindset that the cause is important, money is needed to take action to help the cause, and there is value to being part of the event. Positioned correctly, such a fee can have a positive effect on fundraising performance, while at the same time decreasing event support costs by reducing the number of non-performing participants. In fact, all of the clients we interviewed who charged a registration fee were positive the fee resulted in more committed fundraisers.

Another benefit of charging a registration fee is that participants who pay a fee tend to actually show up at the event. While our data set did not include actual attendance figures, we heard time and time again in the interviews that participants who pay a registration fee are more likely to physically show up at the event. If one of your goals is to make a public spectacle with lots of people, be cognizant of the effect a registration fee can have on physical attendance as well.

However, there are two caveats with registration fees. The first is that while events that do charge a registration fee see higher fundraising growth, they also see slower participation growth. If you do not charge a registration and your event is relatively mature or you are happy with the rate of participation growth, you should consider implementing a fee. Most organizations position the fee solely as a way to cover the costs of the event. However, if your event is very small, or it is more important to you to rapidly grow the participation, you may want to hold off on implementing a registration fee.

The second caveat is that participants who pay a registration fee do not necessarily fundraise, so don’t think that you can rely on this correlation to guarantee participants who also fundraise. In fact, it is common for as many as 60% to 70% of paid registrants do no fundraising. All participants should be encouraged to fundraise and provided the tools to be able to articulate “the ask” for your organization, regardless of registrations fees.

Ultimately, registration fees seem to be beneficial to events success, but be careful! Analyze the median and average funds raised per participant after each event to set the fee at an appropriate level that encourages participation. 

Findings

• The average amount raised is significantly higher for nonprofits that charge an event registration fee.
• Our data set included information on registration fees collected as a part of participating in the event.  We found that the majority of organizations charge a registration fee. In fact, for every organization that does not charge a registration fee for their events, there are three organizations that do.
• Registration fees are trending higher each year. The average registration fee in 2008 was $19, and has grown an average of 5% each year.
• The average amount raised is significantly higher for organizations that charge a registration fee.   
• The online registration numbers for events that do not charge a registration fee grow consistently year over year, whereas the registration numbers for events that charge a registration fee do not.

-Jeff Shuck, Event360 Blog

Adapted from Join the Race: A joint study by Convio and Event 360 with support from the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council, analyzing the best practices for increasing performance of nonprofit team fundraising events. Download the full white paper here.

Ways to Increase Charitable Giving

This is a great article that highlights four easy to implement ideas how to increase charitable giving at your organization.  Increasing donations, especially at a rough time economically, is such a daunting task, but after your read this article, it will seem a lot more feasible.

The Giving Pledge, the effort by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett to increase giving by the nation’s wealthiest people, missed a key opportunity, fund raisers say. Instead of simply reaching out to billionaires, they should have promised to match donations of people with a lot less money.

That’s one suggestion offered in a new report by Adrian Sargeant and Jen Shang, two scholars who study and teach fund raising at Indiana University.

The report is based on ideas to increase charitable giving that were offered by influential nonprofit leaders and other executives.

Besides suggesting that billionaires offer matching gifts, the report includes 31 other ideas for improving giving, which has been stuck at 2 percent of average household income after taxes for the past 40 years, according to “Giving USA.”

Other ideas from the report:

* Encourage charities to develop productive ways to handle complaints from donors, which would reduce negative word of mouth, build trust, and provide ideas to improve fund-raising operations. Charities could take a lesson from the business world, the authors write, where “complaining customers are the firm’s biggest asset.”

* Place more fund raisers on nonprofit boards so they can educate fellow trustees about the best ways to raise money.

* Persuade fund raisers to stop talking to donors about annual funds, capital campaigns, endowment drives, and other such insider approaches and instead urge them to focus on what their money will accomplish.

As an example, the reported noted that Harvesters, a Kansas City, Mo., food bank stopped asking its donors for annual gifts or capital donations. It now uses appeals that ask people to help it feed children, families, and the elderly and to promote healthy eating habits. “The new approach is immensely more powerful,” the authors write.

“No one supports a single nonprofit because they happen to have an annual fund or an endowment,” write Mr. Sargeant and Ms. Shang. “It is not the vehicle that matters to donors; it’s the difference they can make in society.”

Nonprofit Leaders Suggest Ways to Increase Charitable Giving
By: Holly Hall

33%

According to Network for Good’s Online Giving Study, 33% of all online donations occur in the month of December.

What do you have in store for your year-end fundraising campaign?