Tom Ahern’s nine-step communications self-audit

by Tom Ahern

Why pay thousands to have an expert tell you what you’re doing wrong? Audit your donor communications yourself, using these criteria.

Ten things you should remember when writing to trusts and foundations

by Jo Habib

As with all fundraising, you really need to think about what you are doing from the foundations’ – the donors’ – perspectives. If you were them, what would you want? How would you want to be approached? What would you want to know?

Finding the perfect fundraising database in an imperfect world

by Robert Weiner

Searching for a donor database for your organisation can be a daunting task. It can be difficult to know where to start, what functions and features you're really going to need, and where to look for affordable options.

If you think education is expensive, try fundraising for it

by Lyndi Smith

How to lose £9,000 without even asking

by Anthony Clay

Why timing is everything. And when it pays to ask for more.

Five acquisition tests: you choose the winner

by Willis Turner

Sometimes when we test packages we’re actually testing theories.

Demographic trends: ten reasons why we’re not the way we were

by Dr Judith E. Nichols

Here are ten jaw-dropping demographic trends, according to Cheryl Russell, editorial director of New Strategist Publications, in American Consumers Newsletter, 8 January 2008, that make us different from the way we used to be – and what they tell us about our future. While the statistics may be based on Americans, the trends are fairly universal in developed societies.

Eight easy steps to calculate profitability, donor-by-donor

by John Sauvé-Rodd

Five lessons learned from higher education fundraising

by David Hazeltine

My agency, Yellowfin Direct Marketing, works mainly with fundraising professionals in development, alumni relations, and marketing. Though classed together as a single group, the differences between these institutions – from small, private colleges to large, public universities – can be vast. This, along with the differences between the various constituents of these institutions – alumni versus parents versus faculty and staff versus community – creates many challenges and opportunities for which we have provided and tested solutions.

NSPCC – a new approach to legacy training

by Adrian Salmon

Innovative angles on the fundraiser’s ‘pot of gold’, byJacqueline Gunn, NSPCC legacy marketing fundraiser and Victoria Stephenson, NSPCC development manager.

Get positive: you know you want to

by Frances Hurst

In her instructive and practical article, Frances Hurst, shares her lessons in how to create a positive attitude and how to find more reasons to make you happy.

In lieu of flowers: how to write lively memorial donation thank-you letters

by Lisa Sargent

Are your in-memoriam donation thank-you letters destined for donor oblivion?

This copywriting clinic looks to help you rescue them from a fate worse than, well… death.