Posts Tagged ‘Fundraising’
Giving USA 2014 Report: The State of Religious Giving
By Rick Dunham The state of philanthropy is improving, but not for religious giving. For the past five decades, Giving USA has given the philanthropic community critical longitudinal data on the trends, benchmarks and drivers to giving across the US. Throughout my career I’ve relied on it to help me understand the overall fundraising environment…
Read MoreThe Generosity Boom
By Kn Moy When it comes to giving generously, not a lot has changed in the past century. For example, according to John and Sylvia Ronsvalle in The State of Church Giving through 2011 (23rd edition, 2013) in 1921, for every $100 earned, the typical Christian in the U.S. gave away $2.90. In 2011, for every $100…
Read MoreCEOs and Fundraising
By R. Mark Dillon, Ph.D. Yes, it is your job! It was my initial interview with the relatively new CEO of a highly respected nonprofit organization. The discussion was going well. Then he asked the question: “What’s your perspective on the president’s role in fundraising?” I thought about the “politic” answer, but, throwing caution to the…
Read MoreWhat’s Driving Your Donors? By Larry Johnston
In seminars I do at conferences, I’ll frequently ask, “What is the primary purpose of development?” Answers vary, but they cluster in several areas, like raising funds, building relationships, advancing the organization’s mission, and teaching stewardship. There’s truth in all these, but I’m doubtful about “teaching” stewardship. That’s a role of some excellent ministries, and…
Read MoreTaking Care of Your Donors By Rick Dunham
According to a Nielsen, 92 percent of people trust recommendations from family and friends above any form of advertising. Yet when most organizations think of how to grow their support or advance their cause, the first thing they run to is marketing or some sort of public relations effort. Make no mistake, those efforts are…
Read MoreRaising Up Stewards By Dr. Gary G. Hoag
Most people think that the job of development professionals is to “raise money” for the ministries they serve. Others go a step further and express that they “build relationships with people” who already support or may be interested in supporting God’s work there. Both of these comments are byproducts or results that may flow from…
Read More9 God-honoring Principles of a Fundraising Ministry By Wesley K. Willmer
How people use their possessions is a testimony to others—a trademark that shows people who a person is and what they believe. There’s an eternal link between our possessions and soul—and we must help people realize that connection. We can embrace fundraising as a ministry only as we understand the relationship between spiritual growth and…
Read More3 Tips for Sowing Generously from Solomon By Gary G. Hoag
Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening, let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. ~ Ecclesiastes 11:6 From this verse, we can glean three tips about sowing from Solomon that are relevant for leaders and the…
Read More7 Tips for Improving Donor Stewardship By Andrew Olsen
When I think about the word stewardship, I think of the responsibility of taking care of something that belongs to someone else. The responsibility of taking care of something that belongs to someone else. Think about that for a minute. How does this definition impact the way you think about donors’ gifts? Will it change how…
Read MoreRule 22: Think of a River Not a Well By Douglas K. Shaw
There is no well to run dry; only a river will pass you by. You’ve heard it; I know certainly I have, more times than I can count. It usually pops out of somebody’s mouth when the topic of the appropriate number of times to mail fundraising appeals is on the table. It usually slips through…
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