Ann Green's Nonprofit
AUGUST 5, 2025
Wow, it’s already August. And it won’t be too long until September rolls around. I know it’s hard to think about fall when it’s been sweltering for most of the summer. Even so, September will be here before you know it, and we’ll be seeing all things pumpkin spice. If you’re doing a year-end fundraising campaign, you’ll want to start planning it now, hopefully in an air-conditioned space.
Blue Avocado
AUGUST 5, 2025
How one nonprofit transformed its board into an active, mission-driven force — and how you can do the same. An engaged board is the heartbeat of a thriving nonprofit. Yet, too often, board engagement stalls at attending meetings and reviewing reports. To truly support an organization’s mission, board members must shift from passive participants to proactive leaders — championing fundraising, strategic planning, and governance.
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Clairification
AUGUST 4, 2025
Before you write a single word of your annual fundraising appeal, pause. Take a deep breath. And think about the person who will open your letter or email. They’re not just a “donor.” They’re a person with hopes, fears, dreams and values. Someone who cares. Someone who wants to make a difference. Someone who, in a world full of distractions, is about to give you their attention—and maybe even their trust.
The Fundraising Coach
AUGUST 5, 2025
Fundraising effectively requires communicating clearly. And we can learn from all sorts of different sectors to communicate clearly. Today I was listening to a podcast on local civic engagement. And a note on communicating clearly struck me as helpful for fundraising too. The host, Katy Smith summed up the conversation with this: The biggest thing is that you are engaging in a form of strategic communication.
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This prompt guide for ChatGPT contains 20+ tested ChatGPT prompts, along with tips on how to use this tool the best way. Nonprofits can engage with ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas, refine project plans, and craft compelling narratives for grant proposals.
Wild Apricot
AUGUST 7, 2025
Most nonprofits collect donor data, but few actually use it to shape strategy. That’s where donor personas come in. A donor persona is a simple profile that represents a specific type of supporter. Besides just demographics, it’s about motivations, behavior and how someone prefers to connect with your cause. This article will show you how to build donor personas from real data.
Grants & Fundraising Brief brings together the best content for grants & fundraising professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
CauseVox
AUGUST 8, 2025
If you’ve ever hoped a donor would magically become a major contributor after a single gala or email appeal, you’re not alone. It’s tempting to think a generous check will come out of nowhere, but in reality, major gifts rarely work that way. The truth is, you don’t land major gifts by luck. These transformative contributions are almost always the result of a thoughtfully built relationship over time.
DonorSnap
AUGUST 7, 2025
Guest Post from Double the Donation In today’s hyper-connected world, data is the fuel that drives smart decisions, and employment data is one of the most underutilized resources in nonprofit fundraising. While many organizations focus on donor demographics, giving history, or volunteer engagement, few are fully leveraging employment data to uncover untapped corporate giving opportunities.
Blackbaud
AUGUST 6, 2025
Each year, the Blackbaud donorCentrics ® Sustainer Summit brings together some of the nation’s leading fundraising organizations that are focused on growing their recurring giving programs. Participants compare fundraising strategies, share results, and explore sustainer growth and donor retention trends. This analysis spans FY20 through FY24 (July to June fiscal years) and includes data from 19.4 million donors and $3.4 billion in charitable giving from a variety of nonprofit sectors.
Just Write Grants
AUGUST 4, 2025
As the fall grant season ramps up, now is the time to ensure your nonprofit programs are truly fundable. In this post, we’ll walk you through what makes a program grant-ready—from defining need and outcomes to building a budget and sustainability plan—so you can stand out in a crowded field and secure 2026 funding with confidence.
Candid
AUGUST 4, 2025
How much do individuals, foundations, and corporations give to nonprofits “primarily dedicated to serving communities of color”? Based on 2012-22 IRS data, the Communities of Color Index 2025 report from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy’s Equitable Giving Lab highlights trends in, sources of, and gaps in philanthropic support for organizations serving Native American/American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI), Black/African-American, and H
GrantNews
AUGUST 5, 2025
Capital funding grants can help turn blueprints into buildings! From animal shelters and youth centers to facilities serving underserved communities, these grants help fund construction, expansion, and renovation projects across the country. If you’re laying the foundation for a new project or upgrading existing infrastructure, there’s a wide variety of capital grants available to support your goals and strengthen your community.
Blackbaud
AUGUST 4, 2025
In digital fundraising, the shortest distance between you and your next loyal donor just might be a friend. That’s the power of peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising. It doesn’t just expand your reach—it also amplifies your message. But for many nonprofits, launching or growing a P2P program can feel overwhelming. Where do you start? How do you build momentum?
Gail Perry Group
AUGUST 6, 2025
[link] When a Donor Disappears in Major Gift Fundraising You’ve been building a great relationship with a donor. You’ve met for coffee. They’ve been warm, responsive, and engaged in your mission. And then - poof. Silence. No returned calls. No reply to your emails. It feels like they’ve vanished into thin air. If you’ve been in major gift fundraising for more than a few months, you’ve likely faced this.
Grant Professionals Association
AUGUST 8, 2025
As someone who has exhibited at conferences across the country – from GPA’s GrantSummit to state nonprofit associations and beyond – I can tell you firsthand that exhibit halls aren't just about swag and sales pitches. They're where genuine connections spark, partnerships bloom, and the grant community comes alive. After years of exhibiting at conferences nationwide, I've discovered that both attendees and exhibitors miss out if they don't fully embrace what these spaces offer.
Grant Writing Made Easy
AUGUST 5, 2025
August is an ideal time to conduct a full audit of your grant program before the busiest funding season. For many nonprofit professionals and solo grant writers, becoming audit-ready under pressure creates unnecessary stress and chaos. By getting some systems organized now, you can save hours of scrambling when it’s go-time. Dedicating time to preparation also greatly reduces the risk of errors and burnout.
Blackbaud
AUGUST 5, 2025
The numbers from GivingTuesday 2024 tell a remarkable story: $3.6 billion donated in the United States alone—a 16% increase from 2023—with 36.1 million people participating in this global day of generosity. But behind these record-breaking totals lies a more complex reality for individual nonprofits: with inboxes overflowing and social feeds saturated, standing out on GivingTuesday is a huge challenge.
Soapbox Exchange
AUGUST 4, 2025
Issue 262 Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! It’s August, and before we know it, it’ll be time to dive into year-end fundraising prep. It’s true that nearly a third of all giving occurs in the final month of the year, which can feel like a lot of pressure. Here’s helpful blog post that’s all about building a successful year-end fundraising campaign. Hopefully staying ahead in your planning will alleviate some of that pressure!
Bonterra
AUGUST 5, 2025
On average, nonprofit organizations raise 17-33% of their annual fundraising revenue in December and Giving Tuesday drives billions in donations. If your nonprofit is looking to take advantage of this profitable year-end fundraising season, you need a strategic communication plan that reflects your purpose and inspires donors to give generously. In this guide, we’ll provide tips for creating a comprehensive year-end fundraising communication plan to engage donors, achieve fundraising goals, and
NonProfit PRO
AUGUST 5, 2025
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Capital Campaign Pro
AUGUST 4, 2025
Season 5, Episode 1 In this episode, Andrea Kihlstedt sits down with Graeme Watt, co-owner of Anthem Creative, to explore how nonprofit leaders can sharpen their storytelling to strengthen donor engagement and drive campaign results. Whether you’re deep into a campaign or just starting to explore how storytelling fits into your fundraising strategy, this episode […] The post Podcast: Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins: Graeme Watt on Strategic Storytelling for Fundraising Success appe
GrantNews
AUGUST 8, 2025
Pet Shelter Grants provide funding for nonprofit organizations offering support to animals and pet owners. They play vital roles in our communities. To illustrate, these organizations cultivate refuges for abandoned, lost, and surrendered animals through medical care, food, and the chance to be adopted into loving homes. Furthermore, these groups provide therapy and emotional support programs, helping folks cope with loneliness, illness, and trauma.
Bonterra
AUGUST 5, 2025
Everything you need to plan, launch, and optimize a high-impact GivingTuesday without the stress. GivingTuesday is one of the most powerful days of the year for nonprofit fundraising. But to get the most out of it, you need more than just an email blast. This comprehensive checklist walks you through every phase of your GivingTuesday campaign, from pre-launch planning to post-campaign follow-up so you can: Build a compelling campaign with a unifying theme Engage donors and volunteers across ever
Gail Perry Group
AUGUST 7, 2025
[link] Kathryn opened with a story every major gift officer can relate to. Years ago, she was out to lunch with a high-potential donor and a veteran board member. She and her volunteer were excited and prepared with a strong ask. At the beginning of lunch, the donor leaned in and asked, “What do you all want?” Talk about jumping the gun!! They were so excited, thinking that the donor was opening a door, that they leapt into the ask.
Millionaire Grant Lady
AUGUST 7, 2025
If your grant process feels like a mad dash every time, you’re not alone. But there’s a better way… and it starts with a calendar. Picture this: a grant deadline pops up. You scramble to pull budgets, rework your boilerplate, and chase down that missing impact stat from last year. Sound familiar? For too many nonprofit teams, grant writing is a fire drill.
Blackbaud
AUGUST 7, 2025
As the CFO—or the brave soul otherwise responsible for the spreadsheet sorcery at your nonprofit—you’re constantly wrestling with the tension between ambition and sustainability. Everyone has big plans: more programs, bigger outreach, and flashier impact reports. But here’s the twist that makes many in the finance department flinch: real growth starts with boundaries.
CauseVox
AUGUST 4, 2025
“Wait… did we ever send that thank-you email to Sarah?” I remember freezing mid-sip of my coffee when our team realized we might have forgotten to acknowledge a major donor. We all dove into our donor spreadsheets (a tangled mess of notes, tags, and to-dos) trying to piece together the last interaction. It wasn’t just embarrassing, it was a wake-up call.
Greater Giving
AUGUST 6, 2025
After years of uncertainty and disconnection, Immaculate Conception Regional School found itself at a crossroads. This is the story of how one determined school reignited its community’s passion and created an event full of purpose, pride, and over 300 smiling supporters. Key Takeaways: How Greater Giving Helped ICRS Maximize Their Fundraising Impact Streamlined operations and centralized information using a strong donor data strategy Saved hours of manual work through automation Rebuilt t
Clairification
AUGUST 7, 2025
Let’s say you’ve done everything thus far suggested in this fundraising appeal checklist. You’ve done the groundwork. You’ve focused your message. You’ve made it about the donor—not your organization. Now it’s time to bring it home. Because no matter how clear or well-structured your appeal is, it won’t inspire action unless it moves the reader. Emotion—not logic—is what compels people to give.
Tech Soup
AUGUST 8, 2025
Securing grant funding has always been a competitive challenge for nonprofits. But in today’s landscape, where government funding is shrinking and private funding is increasingly competitive, having a smarter, more efficient grant strategy is essential.
Blackbaud
AUGUST 4, 2025
Imagine running a marathon without knowing how far you’ve gone or where the next water station is—it would be nearly impossible to pace yourself effectively. Similarly, nonprofits need accurate financial data to guide decision-making, sustain programs, and ensure long-term mission impact. In this post, we’ll break down the key financial metrics every nonprofit should monitor, explain why they matter, and provide actionable guidance on how to use them.
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