Fundraising Strategy

Gen Y . . . empathetic or pathetic?

Pollster John Zogby reports that that Gen Y is engaging like no other generation before it. They’re eager to change the system and protect people in developing nations from unfair economic systems that leave them in poverty.
But aren’t they just a generation of slackers?
Gen Y “discovered” Myspace, Facebook and Twitter. Their tunnel vision doesn’t extend [...]

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2010 fundraising outlook: lessons from the Haiti response.

I’m amazed by the generous outpouring by Americans in response to the Haiti earthquake last month.
What can nonprofits learn from the Haiti response that will translate into success for the rest of the year?
I’d like to take a minute to look at an article by Peter Schoewe about the fundraising outlook for 2010. By looking [...]

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Webinar: Top Fundraising Trends in 2010

Webinar: Top Fundraising Trends in 2010

Download Slides (PDF)

Presented by:

Steve Woodworth, President, Masterworks
Dave Raley, Director of New Media, Masterworks

Who should watch?

Those intrigued (or overwhelmed) by how fundraising continues to change.
Those interested in learning more about the latest trends.
Those in roles responsible for fundraising and marketing/communications, as well as in general positions of leadership.

It’s a new decade. [...]

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Red Cross gives a lesson in the appropriate use of video

Just in case you weren’t tired of disaster fundraising case studies, read this blog about the sophistication/integration of the Red Cross’ effort at http://www.theagitator.net/communications/a-living-case-study-on-dealing-with-disasters/.*
I’d like to call one thing out in particular – this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZf8MRYasss
There are a couple things I want to call out about this video:

The video was up within FIVE hours of the [...]

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Fundraising in an attention economy

“…in an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among [...]

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Mobile giving’s coming out party

As you’ve no doubt seen and heard, the American Red Cross has raised over $20 million in their mobile campaign in support of Haiti. This represents over 2 million $10 donations, a truly unprecedented feat in mobile fundraising.

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Breaking news – House approves bill allowing deductions in 2009 for Haiti relief

1/25/10 UPDATE: The Senate passed the bill as well, and President Obama has signed it into law – http://www.accountingweb.com/topic/tax/obama-signs-hr-4462-making-haiti-donations-deductible-2009-tax-returns.
Today, the House of Representatives unanimously a bill that allows individuals who make donations to victims of the earthquake in Haiti to claim an itemized charitable deduction on their 2009 tax return instead of having to wait [...]

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“We can’t give much, but we want to help.” — Gen Y

Generation Y . . . what are they all about?
Most people know they’re not like their older brother, Gen X, but beyond that Gen Y can be pretty elusive. The members of Gen Y are between 13 and 33 years old this year (1977-1997).  Here are a few of the things research is revealing about [...]

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Mashable’s 2010 tech predictions, two to watch out for

Mashable just posted 6 Tech Predictions That Helped Shape 2009 and 6 That Might Shape 2010. It’s a good post, and if you care about tech, please check it out.
But I’d like to call out two predictions in particular that nonprofit fundraisers should be on the lookout for:
Facebook Gets into…Payments
…Leveraging Facebook Connect, it’s conceivable that [...]

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“Refiner’s Fire” for 2010

Handel’s masterpiece, Messiah, features a particularly “moving” selection with a “Refiner’s Fire” theme.  As the four vocal parts move in and out against the full orchestra, there’s a feeling of shaking and staccato energy, reminding listeners that refining requires lots of movement, some heat and even passing dissonance.
For 2010, with the teasing glimpse of an [...]

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