Your mom told you that "First impressions count." In the digital age, mom's advice matters more than ever. With today's technology - email, instant messaging, Twitter, mobile phones, texts, and more, word travels fast, and first impressions matter. In fact - and this is what I want you to remember - when it comes to fundraising and donor development, the way you first connect with a TV viewer, radio listener, supporter, or donor is the way they'll expect you to connect from that point on. In other words - reach them through email first, and they'll expect that to continue. Reach them through direct mail, the expectations are the same. So give a lot of thought to how you want to start the conversation with potential donors, because they get used to it. ... read more

I asked a distinguished panel of donor development and fundraising experts about the advice they would give churches and ministries during this financial crisis. The panel included Mary Hutchinson, Mark Dreistadt, Dale Berkey, and David Holland. I asked them to send me a couple of suggestions that could help a church or ministry get through this tough financial time. Here's their suggestions: ... read more

When it comes to your ministry or non-profit organization, like it or not, an important aspect of successful fundraising is that it needs an enemy: Sometimes that enemy is hunger... Sometimes another need such as drugs, alcoholism, child abuse... Even spiritual darkness.. It shouldn't be individuals, but it can be a group such as drug dealers, human traffickers, child predators, etc.... The question you need to think about is: ... read more

Reading the newspaper or listening to the TV news makes it hard not to wonder about the economy. Some say it's getting stronger, while others protest it's in a serious crisis. It takes up the majority of the presidential candidates speech time, and it's pretty much 24/7 on the cable news channels. Whatever is going on, it's important that non-profits understand the connections between the economy and giving. There's little empirical data out there on the issue, but experience is a good teacher, and you need some tools to work with as your consider your strategy for the coming months. Here are my thoughts on the current economic situation and how it could impact your organization. I would encourage you to meet with your team and make sure they understand these important principles: ... read more

What if your favorite charity or ministry earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? GoodSearch is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, ... read more