Top tips & how tos
The focus in this section is on practical ‘how to’ lists. Here the world's leading fundraisers share the distilled wisdom of their experience in digestible bite-sized nuggets that you can use immediately.
LEGGE HEADS ARMS BODY: top ten secrets of headlines that pull
by Ken Burnett
If you are raising funds in any public medium your responses will directly relate to the effectiveness of your headline. A good headline can easily double or triple your response, and a great one can do even better – up to 17 times better, some say.
Read moreNine tips for effective e-mails
by Nick Allen
E-mail may seem boring, what with Google Earth, Web 2.0, Twitter, widgets, and badges, but it’s still the workhorse of online fundraising and communications.
Read moreIs your newsletter great donor relationship-building, or an unwise self-indulgence?
by Tom Ahern & Sean Triner
Almost all nonprofits produce a newsletter and send it out with their warm appeals. But should they?
Read moreTen tips to spur the creative grant proposal-writing process
by Pamela Grow
Pamela says: ‘Your final step should be a gracious letter to the foundation, thanking them for their time and their thorough review of your proposal. You’d be surprised at how few organisations take the time to thank the foundation.’
Read moreIn-memoriam donation thank-you letter samples
by Lisa Sargent
These letters are part of Lisa Sargent’s thank-you letter clinic: How to write lively memorial donation thank-you letters.
Read moreDo it yourself fundraising
by Marc Pitman
Start-up nonprofits often ask me, ‘How do we raise money?’. The panic of making budget seems to make raising money impossible without knowing someone rich and famous like Bill Gates or Warren Buffet.
Read moreCreating a supportive workplace for fundraisers
by Norma Cameron
You’ve heard of the donor bill of rights; hopefully you have one pinned above your desk. Now, if you click here you’ll find a bill with a difference just for you: a bill of rights for fundraisers. If you’d like to add anything, please let us know.
Read moreLessons from young charities - part 2
by James Read
You can read principles three, four and five here
Read moreLessons from young charities - part 1
by James Read
In this article, creative director and copy chief of marketing and fundraising agency Grizzard, James Read, looks at some of the newest and relatively small charities that have succeeded in raising enviable amounts of awareness and money. He shares the five principles he believes characterise today’s most innovative nonprofits and how you can apply them to your organisation.
Read moreTom 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.
Read moreTen 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?
Read moreFinding 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.
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