Top Tips from Gail Perry’s Blog

Fundraising can be a lonely business. You know it. And I know it. There we are – facing doubtful board members and CEO’s who think they know better than we do. And there we are — trying to convince decision makers to follow smart strategies that we know will pay off. And trying to get [...]

Are your donors choosing your organization as their favorite nonprofit? Wish they would, don’t you? I bet you are spending lots of time on planning those terrific solicitations to them. But I bet you are NOT spending enough time communicating with your donors in between your solicitations. Here’s our huge problem:  we are overemphasizing the Asking, [...]

Do you enjoy putting on your organization’s events? Better yet, do you think your guests like to attend them? Why don’t you focus a bit on the “experience” your guests are having. Because if they are enjoying themselves, wonderful things might happen for your cause. If your guests are NOT enjoying themselves, you just might [...]

If you are a board member, I bet you are excited and passionate about your favorite organization.  I’m willing to bet that you joined the board because you really, really believed in the cause. It meant a lot to you. But when you try to talk to your friends about your organization’s work, do you [...]

So many very smart people spoke last week at the AFP IHQ Conference in San Diego! I hated that I couldn’t attend EVERY session I wanted, but I clung to the twitter feed to find out what was going on. These tweets from the top #AFPeeps at the Conference share what I think are key [...]

  Fundraising is often a huge pain point with many nonprofit board members. And it’s a pain point for many fundraising staff members too.  Staffers all want to know “how to get their board members to help raise money.” But board members are coming from a completely different place: They don’t really understand how fundraising works. [...]

Major donors have changed a lot in what they want and expect from nonprofits. Ten years ago, you could raise good money with a “spray and pray”  appeal that was boring and generic. Now we have to work harder and smarter. The good news is that we can rely on plenty of research about major [...]

Want to find out what’s on your donor’s mind? And what’s in her heart? Then try asking a very simple question. “What are your impressions of . .?” I can’t tell you how much money I’ve raised by using this question! This open-ended question gets pretty amazing results. It’s an easy, gentle opening to find [...]

Major gifts programs can become a money-raising machine for your wonderful cause. Here are three secrets that will dramatically improve your results from your fundraising activities and events. 1. Narrow, narrow, narrow down your focus. Restrict yourself to fewer relationships rather than more. This is the most important thing I could ever share with you [...]

How can you find the pot of gold inside your donor database? You know where I think your pot of gold is? It may not be in sophisticated analytics (but I do like them!). It may not be in wealth management screening (which I also heartily endorse). Where do I think the pot of gold [...]

If your board meetings are regarded as an unpleasant obligation, it’s time to bring a fresh perspective: board meetings are an opportunity to exchange ideas, resolve issues and deepen commitment. Here are 12 great ways to rethink your approach and create meetings that bring out your board’s best. 1) Focus the agenda on results. Look [...]

Today’s donor has changed. Here’s how to reach her, connect with her and get her to respond to your appeal. We spend a lot of time in our profession trying to understand donors’ changing preferences and concerns. If you are sending out the same kind of appeals that you’ve been doing for the past 10 [...]

Here’s a facebook campaign that was charming, silly and actually brought in some money. And it uses fun and playfulness to capture the attention of supporters. You know how hard it is to get people’s attention!  Here’s how you do it in our media environment today – with surprise and delight. Can Facebook help raise [...]

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everybody in your organization agreed on what it takes for successful fundraising? There are a lot of myths out there about how fundraising really works. Your Leaders Need to Be on the Same Page About Fundraising That is, if you want to be successful in fund development. Everybody in your [...]

Could the greatest challenges to fundraising success be coming from INSIDE your organization? The nonprofit world has been abuzz recently about a disturbing report detailing many internal challenges facing many nonprofit fundraising programs. The report examined what we might call “pre-conditions” for fundraising success – what needs to be in place in order to achieve successful, [...]

Getting the financial support of your board doesn’t really need to be such a huge challenge. If you just take charge behind the scenes, you can really make it happen. It just might be easier than you think. (This article is published this month in the current winter issue of AFP’s Advancing Philanthropy. I’m reprinting [...]

It’s time to plan for 2013! Here’s a guide to help you plan strategically to get the highest return for your fundraising effort. And, as Donald Trump says, “If you’re going to be thinking, you might as well think big.” Here’s a calendar that will nudge you to keep you on your toes so you [...]

I’m planning to make 2013 my best year yet. I hope you are too! Here are some key ideas for you to adopt this year. Live by these rules and you’ll be more successful, be more positive and have more fun! 1.  I will think big and ignore people who tell me that I will [...]

It’s that time again – for turning over a new leaf, for refocusing on what’s really important, and for refreshing our commitment to good works. And what a great idea for your board:  adopt a set of new year’s resolutions! This list is a perennial favorite with my readers. Here it is newly updated for [...]

Top Blog Posts of 2012 It’s the end of the year, so I thought if might be fun to take a look at this year’s most popular posts. It’s interesting to see what YOU liked the best! Here they are:   Dump the Cliches: Words and Phrases Fundraisers Love to Hate! Here are YOUR most [...]

Wow, here you are – right at the end of the year. And you are hoping, hoping, that those online donations are starting to flood into your site. (I sure hope they do too!) Here’s a word of warning, though: A recent survey found that 47% of people who visit nonprofit donation pages actually DON’T [...]

Here’s a smart email strategy for the last week of the year that will absolutely bring in more gifts. Remember when you get repeated emails in your in-box reminding you about something? I don’t know about you but I absolutely need these reminders. I am moving so fast(way too fast most of the time!) And [...]

Holiday giving is almost here! And there’s good news:  Online gifts are going up and up. Gifts online the week of Thanksgiving surged 61% over last year. Hurray! You can track how online gifts this year stack up over last year here.  (Great job on this, Chronicle of Philanthropy!) Who knows how many billions will be coming [...]

It’s the week of Thanksgiving here in the U.S. and we are counting our blessings. As you consider what you are thankful for, perhaps you might remember your DONORS – the wonderful people who make the work of your organization possible. I think most of us fundraisers take our donors for granted. And I think [...]

There’s nothing more important this fall than your year-end fundraising effort. The next six weeks is the time when many nonprofits receive most of their contributions. And there is so much at stake right now. This year, more than ever, you’ve got to engage donors in your opportunity and ask them to join you – [...]

There is one step, and one step only, that can make the largest difference in your year-end fundraising results. And it’s not letters or email or fancy packaging or phone calls or any of that stuff. It’s simple. It’s straightforward. And it should be pretty easy. Here it is: Identify the top 10-15 largest donors [...]

Have you noticed big capital campaigns in your community that raise millions … even hundreds of millions? From the outside, it looks effortless. Like magic. They announce the goal and Presto! They’re celebrating success. How does it all happen? How can you pull off big-time results like these for your smaller organization? Just follow these [...]

I hope at this point, you are in the middle of an intense year-end fundraising campaign. But the stakes have never been higher. You need your community’s help now more than EVER before and you need to tell your donors why you need them. Here are my Top 10 Tactics that will help you get [...]

I am usually the voice of cheer and optimism. But today I have to share some pretty bad news with you. And I hope (expect!) that  it will be a serious wake up call to you, your staff and your board. AFP (the Association of Fundraising Professionals) has just published its biannual “Fundraising Effectiveness Survey.” [...]

Year-end is coming!  And we know for a fact that online gifts will spike up in December.  Is your web site ready to handle all this attention? Well, get ready! Most donors check out your web site before they make a gift.  And they do this whether they are giving online or through the mail. [...]