Part II of our Charitable Solicitations Registration Series When it comes to fundraising, what constitutes a charitable solicitation? In other words, when does the “ask” really become an “Ask” that requires a nonprofit to register with a particular state’s Division…
In the world of nonprofits, it’s all about fundraising. You can’t do much in the way of service delivery or mission fulfillment without money. For fundraising staff, it IS all about raising money and sometimes it can be a challenge.…
One of the things that you learn quickly when starting and operating a 501(c)(3) organization is that you have to handle money wisely. A nonprofit is no different than any other business in that you must make ends meet. Otherwise,…
Perfecting the habit of properly documenting the activities of your nonprofit is one of the most important disciplines any new social entrepreneur can master. There's a well-worn cliché that says, "If it's not in writing, it didn't happen". When it…
By Karl Zinmeister, The Philanthropy Roundtable This article is adapted from a talk delivered on January 29, 2016, at Hillsdale College's Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship in Washington, D.C. It is a long piece, but…
Well, that was fast. At least the IRS made the right decision on this. Just to update you, the IRS recently proposed allowing charities to (optionally) collect the Social Security numbers of donors and report the detailed donor/donation information to…
The IRS recently proposed new regulations that would allow charities to report the Social Security numbers of donors who give more than $250 to the nonprofit. This has caused an uproar of concern among those in the nonprofit community, including…
The IRS currently requires donors to a 501(c)(3) to have a receipt from the charity for any gift above $250 in order for that gift to be tax deductible. According to a post in Bloomberg BNA, the IRS is considering…
Guest Post by Fundraising Expert, Sandy Rees, CFRE You need new donors. New donors bring money and other kinds of support to the table. But the hard truth is this: If you don't bring in new donors, you'll eventually have…
So, you want new donors? You want to make sure that you keep getting funds from the donors you currently have? What are you doing to make sure that both of these things are happening? If you lack a strategy and purposeful intent to cultivate and maintain a donor base, you will certainly have money troubles. “Form it and they will give” doesn’t work well for many nonprofits. Here are three things to consider to cultivate and maintain an active donor base:
1) A Compelling Purpose.
You need a compelling purpose. Are you doing anything that a donor might want to support financially? Are you providing your community with services that are indeed needed? If a donor can relate to, or is interested in, the services your nonprofit provides, the donor is more likely to be happy giving to that cause. If there are many other nonprofits in your community that are providing the same services, you will have to try harder to differentiate your organization from the other nonprofits.
Maybe your purpose IS compelling…to you. You understand things about the need for your program that the public doesn’t easily grasp. For example, the need being met by a homeless shelter is pretty obvious. If, on the other hand, your organization’s purpose is to research treatments for dry-eye syndrome, you are going to be challenged trying to garner wide monetary support for your efforts. Those with the problem will jump on board, but your work is cut out for you with everyone else. You need to understand #3 below: communication. But don’t skip #2. It’s big.
