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Nonprofit Adviser

A weekly newsletter for Chronicle subscribers that features expert advice, tools, case studies, and trends to help nonprofit professionals raise money, communicate, and lead. Delivered every Monday. (Subscribers only.)

March 29, 2021
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From: Emily Haynes

Subject: How to Get Over the Anxiety of Asking for Donations

100 dollar banknote in human hands
Getty Images

In a new Chronicle column, communications consultant Andy Brommel explores the ways nonprofit professionals demonstrate an uneasiness about asking for money. If we can’t share the good news and invite friends to join us, Brommel asks, what does that say about our missions? Every nonprofit should have an air-tight case for support, he advises. “When staff have confidence in the value of their mission, they’ll be better equipped to make a stronger appeal for donations,” Brommel says.

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100 dollar banknote in human hands
Getty Images

In a new Chronicle column, communications consultant Andy Brommel explores the ways nonprofit professionals demonstrate an uneasiness about asking for money. If we can’t share the good news and invite friends to join us, Brommel asks, what does that say about our missions? Every nonprofit should have an air-tight case for support, he advises. “When staff have confidence in the value of their mission, they’ll be better equipped to make a stronger appeal for donations,” Brommel says.

Nonprofits should integrate fundraising into every staff member’s job, he advises. Trustees, in particular, should lead by example, he says. “If your board doesn’t believe you offer unique value and meaning to those who give — and doesn’t reflect that conviction through trustees’ own giving and fundraising — you can go only so far,” Brommel says. For more tips, check out “How to Get Past the Discomfort of Fundraising.”

Plus, new findings from the IUPUI Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy show that more than six in 10 married or cohabitating couples make charitable-giving decisions jointly. What’s more, when one partner makes giving decisions for the household, women are slightly more likely to do so — 15.3 percent — than men — 12.1 percent.

The study’s findings are significant for development professionals, says Jacqueline Ackerman, associate director of research at the Women’s Philanthropy Institute. “We know anecdotally that even in 2021, fundraisers are still making the assumption that the man in the household is the one in charge of giving decisions,” she says. “Fundraising can’t be one size fits all.” For more findings and analysis, read the full story. And for more advice, visit philanthropy.com.

Take care,
Emily Haynes
Staff Writer

New Resources

  • l to r: Mike O'Neill; Rachael Rosselli; Sarah Fonder-Kristy.
    Ask an Expert

    How to Connect With Prospective Major-Gift Donors Now

    By Maria Di Mento March 16, 2021
    Three veteran fundraisers offer advice about how to build relationships at a time when meeting face-to-face is still tricky.
  • Raj and Anna Asava, Texas philanthropists from India who work to encourage giving by other Indian Americans.
    Diversifying Fundraising

    How to Create a Culture of Inclusive Fundraising

    By Lisa Schohl March 10, 2021
    Many big-gift fundraisers still overlook donors from a variety of demographic groups, even though about 14 percent of U.S. millionaires are from minority groups. That number will likely grow.
  • 100 dollar banknote in human hands
    Making the Case

    How to Get Past the Discomfort of Fundraising

    By Andy Brommel March 23, 2021
    We love and celebrate philanthropy, yet we can’t seem to shake the feeling that there’s something grubby about fundraising. Our discomfort with asking for money betrays a lack of confidence in the value of our work. Here are some ways to change that.
  • Group Unity and diversity partnership as hands in a group of diverse people connected together shaped as two teams in support circles as a symbol of connected teamwork and togetherness.
    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    To Achieve Racial Justice in Philanthropy, We Must Invest in Fundraising and Make It Inclusive

    By Armando Enrique Zumaya March 11, 2021
    Foundations only represent a small segment of philanthropy, but many fundraisers assign an outsize amount of clout to grant makers.
  • Participants in a Global Citizen Year fellowship harvest a crop in Brazil. The nonprofit trains young leaders internationally.
    A Leader's Perspective

    Covid-19 Has Reshaped Big-Gift Fundraising: Let’s Hope It Lasts

    By Abby Falik February 16, 2021
    A nonprofit head shares insights into how Covid-19 altered major-gift fundraising in some very positive ways.
  • Garth Hodgson, founder of the Legacy Cellar Foundation. (Cat Won, Journal B Photography)
    Wine Philanthropy

    New Nonprofit Helps Turn Fine Wines Into Charitable Donations

    By Eden Stiffman February 17, 2021
    Garth Hodgdon, a former sommelier, started the Legacy Cellar Foundation to help wine lovers make a difference.
  • Though the 2020 Tri-Valley Relay for Life was canceled due to COVID-19, organizers hope the luminaria displays will continue, either on supporters’ porches or virtually.
    Individual Fundraising

    Events in Which Donors Raise Money From Friends Saw Steep Revenue Declines in 2020

    By Emily Haynes March 3, 2021
    With social gatherings banned or curtailed for much of last year, just four of the top 30 athletic and other large-scale fundraising campaigns managed to outpace their 2019 revenue.

Tip of the Week

To make the most of a virtual fundraising event, choose your streaming platform — and design — wisely. The streaming platform is the new hotel ballroom, experts say. You should choose your technology with as much care as you would a physical venue. Think about how attendees will view the online event, says Samantha Swaim, a fundraising event consultant. Now that smart TVs — which enable users to stream videos — are ubiquitous, she says, YouTube is an especially appealing platform for these gatherings. Get more advice in 7 Tips for Hosting Better Virtual Fundraising Events, and don’t forget you can find more than 1,150 how-to articles and tools online.

New Grant Opportunities

Your Chronicle subscription includes free access to GrantStation’s database of grant opportunities. Among the latest listings:

  • Youth Sports. Nike’s N7 Fund provides grants for programs that create early positive experiences in sports and physical activity for Native American and Indigenous youths 18 or younger in the United States and Canada. The application deadline is April 16.
  • Older adult safety. The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Older Adult Home Modification Program supports programs that make safety and functional home modifications and limited repairs to meet the needs of low-income elderly homeowners. The goal of the program is to enable low-income elderly people to remain in their homes through low-cost, low-barrier, high-impact home modifications to reduce their risk of falling, improve general safety, increase accessibility, and improve their functional abilities in their home. The application deadline is May 4.
Emily Haynes
Emily Haynes is a senior reporter at the Chronicle of Philanthropy, where she covers nonprofit fundraising.
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