Nonprofit Adviser

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For a recent article, Lisa Schohl talked to several major-gift fundraising leaders who shared valuable ways to deepen ties with donors. In all, Lisa shares 10 smart ways to strengthen your fundraising. For example, one of the experts Lisa spoke to says that early in the year is an excellent time to tap donors who have DAFs because they often make contributions to the accounts at the end of the year. “And so at the top of the year is when your DAFs are hopefully a little bit fuller, and that is the time to reach out to DAF holders,” says Tiffany Legington Graham, chief marketing and development officer at the National Civil Rights Museum.

Another expert emphasized the importance of maximizing one’s board. You should think of your trustees as your front line for helping you meet new potential donors, Jeffrey Shaw, vice president of institutional advancement at Harris-Stowe State University, told Lisa. “He treats board members almost as if they were donor prospects, he says, moving them from the acquisition stage to ongoing stewardship, including meeting with them one-on-one, inviting them to participate in campus activities and events, and trying to engage their companies, too,” Lisa writes.

Ryan Merkel, chief development officer at Arena Stage, a nonprofit theater in Washington, D.C., advises that it is important to be vulnerable, but not existential, in terms of organizational needs, and it works well to be a little personally vulnerable, too. For many more strategic and smart ideas, read 10 Ways to Boost Fundraising and Attract More Big Gifts This Year.

You may also find this related article helpful, Create a Smart Annual Outreach Plan to Keep Donors Close — and Boost Giving.

Have a great week,
Margie Fleming Glennon
Senior Director

Tip of the Week

Listen to and learn from donors. It’s important for fundraisers to “get to know their donors to learn more about what excites them and what interests them,” says Carla Willis, a managing principal at the fundraising consultancy Washburn & McGoldrick. “That will help provide a road map as to how to engage those donors further and in more meaningful ways.” To learn more, read How Letting a Super Supporter Take the Reins Helped a College Raise Money, Reach New Donors.

New Grant Opportunities

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Domestic Violence Shelters: The Mary Kay Ash Foundation’s Domestic Violence Shelter Grant Program awards grants to shelters across the country providing critical, life-saving services to women and children seeking safety from an abusive situation. Grants of $20,000 are awarded to at least one domestic violence shelter in every state. Application deadline is April 30.

Financial Planning: The Foundation for Financial Planning (FFP) provides annual grants to community-based and national nonprofit organizations for programs linking volunteer financial planners to people in need. Eligible programs must engage Certified Financial Planner™ professionals as volunteers, include one-on-one engagements between financial planner volunteers and pro bono clients, and help people in need of financial guidance or in a financial crisis who are underserved by the market and couldn’t ordinarily access quality, ethical advice. Application deadline is April 30.