Lightning Fast Grant Writing

MAY 12, 2025

Many prefer to fund shiny, specific programs with catchy titles and easy metrics. Skilled grant writers include metrics that show organizational efficiency, lean operations, and smart strategy. Because core operating supportthe golden goose of grant fundingis maddeningly hard to secure. Its not that funders dont know you need it.

Grant Writing

Blackbaud

APRIL 24, 2025

Mistake #6: Neglecting Data and Metrics Fail: Decisions are based on anecdotes rather than data-backed evidence. Track key metrics: Review donation retention rates, average gift size, cost per dollar raised, and lifetime donor value. We all make mistakes. Its a normal part of life, work, and fundraising.

Fundraising

Grant Professionals Association

MARCH 6, 2025

If you have other metrics you have used, please share! Early in my fundraising career, my then boss gave me a great piece of advice to celebrate wins. What she meant was to not only look at how much money you raised, but to evaluate the many other indicators of progress that can often be overlooked. What was last years conversion rate?

Grants

Candid

OCTOBER 16, 2024

They pick a goal, define strategies, and stay focused on the small handful of metrics that measure the execution of the strategy. Events, social media, and marketing are only small links in a much bigger chain of interactions with supporters. Marketing experts call this TMM: Too Many Messages, inundating the audience with too many choices.

Fundraising

Ann Green's Nonprofit

APRIL 21, 2025

We also have email, the internet, and social media, just to name a few. Its not only the volume of options, its also the content. And in our current climate of crisis and uncertainty, its information overload on steroids. How does your nonprofit organization compete with all this? But in this deluge of information, they might miss your messages.

Electronics

Blackbaud

MARCH 18, 2025

Making this shift includes moving beyond traditional metrics of success that prioritize short-term results over long-term sustainability and embracing approaches that are relational, equitable, and human-centered. And many funders are stepping up to address the well-being of those doing mission-driven work. Similarly, the John D.

Burnout

Greater Giving

NOVEMBER 18, 2024

What metrics will you track? How to Build a Year-End Giving Campaign (That Includes GivingTuesday) 1. Start With a Clear Goal What do you want to accomplish before the year ends? How much money do you need to raise? Are you focusing on new donors, recurring gifts, or funding a specific project? What milestones will show you’re on track?

Goals

Pamela Grow

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Testing and optimization: By defining clear objectives and success metrics, a direct response fundraising agency ensures data-driven decisions. The messages you send are more than fundraising appeals ; theyre opportunities to nurture relationships, share your story, and inspire action. Use short sentences, simple language, and contractions.

Fundraising

CauseVox

OCTOBER 10, 2024

Study Social Media Analytics Monitor Analytics Diligently This means tracking your website and social media metrics like page views, click-through rates, and the time spent on various sections of your website and social media platforms. These metrics can unveil which stories or content pieces resonate most with your audience.

Media

The Fundraiser Coach

MARCH 30, 2025

In unsettled times, it’s tempting to focus on metrics: number of meetings, dollars raised, goals hit. In today’s landscape, with economic uncertainty causing some donors to hesitate or take more time for considering larger major gifts, building connection isn’t simply a “warm fuzzy.” It happens in conversation.

Metrics

Ann Green's Nonprofit

JUNE 30, 2025

Look at metrics such as website visits and email open rates. And, if you never made a fundraising plan for this year, stop right there and put one together now and use it for the remainder of the year. Always have a plan. Take a look at what’s working and what’s not. It will be different for every organization. Are you one of them?

Goals

Grant Writer Team

JANUARY 2, 2025

Articulate clear interim and summative metrics to demonstrate the impact of your project. However, crafting a grant proposal that will get results presents a significant challenge. A strong proposal needs to be clear, concise, and tailored to a funder’s priorities. Seems simple, right? What Happens if You Don’t Get the Grant?

Proposal

Blackbaud

DECEMBER 30, 2024

To better understand the shortcomings of for-profit metrics as a true measure of nonprofit success, lets look at how return on investment (ROI) is calculated. How Did We Get Here? For years, weve used language from for-profit businesses to explain nonprofit organizational activity.

Metrics

Ann Green's Nonprofit

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Your website can be a great marketing tool, but it can also help your nonprofit raise funds. Learn how to encourage donations on your nonprofit website. However, one of its most important functions is as a tool for fundraising. If designed correctly, your website can be an unstoppable force in driving donations. Keep the form to one page.

Donation

Grant Professionals Association

APRIL 21, 2025

Go beyond surface-level metrics by illustrating how your project will directly improve lives to reinforce both the necessity and the impact of the funding. Another, rooted in lived experiences and shaped by the voices of those it serves, creates lasting change.

Grant Writing

Just Write Grants

JANUARY 2, 2025

DEI Metrics and Reporting Nonprofits will be required to report on DEI metrics , including: Workforce Diversity : Providing data on the diversity of staff and leadership. Program Impact : Demonstrating how programs address and advance equity and inclusion within communities served. Focus on Long-Term Sustainability 5.1

Grant Writing

Blackbaud

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

The good news, however, is that research indicates giving overall remains steady in an election year, despite the volatility of the election cycle, so your organization has an opportunity to keep donors engaged with your mission. Regardless of whether they donated before the election or in response to it, don’t treat rage donors as one-and-done.

CRM

Blackbaud

JUNE 6, 2025

This finding is particularly puzzling because the majority of those surveyed expressed confidence in their abilities, in the effectiveness of their fundraising materials, and in the fairness of their performance metrics. ’” Cohen said. Nowadays, there’s much more skepticism. Develop tailored messaging. Time your outreach strategically.

Fundraising

Blackbaud

JULY 11, 2025

This metric , which measures how much a nonprofit spends on administration (such as rent, salaries, software licensing, etc.) Beyond Financials: Defining Impact The IRS 990 is the only standardized metric for nonprofit reporting, but it does not capture an organization’s full scope and impact. Is it focused and specific?

Metrics

Planned Giving

JANUARY 25, 2025

Capture data points like donation history, event attendance, and engagement metrics (e.g., Key Insight Tweet Tracking and Evaluating Your Moves Management Process Key Metrics to Monitor Conversion rates between stages (e.g., What is Moves Management? After each move, you record outcomes and insights to inform the next step.

Management

Just Write Grants

JANUARY 9, 2025

Set Up Metrics for Success Funders want to know that their money will make an impact. Clearly outline the metrics you will use to evaluate the success of your project. Doing so demonstrates to funders that your organization is mission-driven, focused, and intentional about achieving measurable outcomes.

Proposal

Millionaire Grant Lady

JANUARY 24, 2025

While it is important that organizations identify the right potential funders , create a compelling needs section, write a persuasive program description , and incorporate the necessary metrics, there is another very important step that can often get overlooked. What attachments will we need? How do we prepare to apply? How do we get help?

Funding

Center for Major Gifts

JANUARY 25, 2025

Remove duplicates, verify contact details, and capture crucial data points like donation history, event attendance, and engagement metrics (e.g., A defined moves management framework makes your fundraising efforts more efficient and fosters genuine, long-term connections with donors. What is Moves Management? email opens).

Management

Blackbaud

MAY 23, 2025

Specifically, online giving refers to the process of donating money through digital platformsincluding nonprofit websites , crowdfunding campaigns, mobile apps, social media fundraisers, and more. Online giving is steadily growing , particularly with emerging nonprofits and schools, representing 13.4% of all giving to small organizations.

Donation

Blackbaud

OCTOBER 30, 2024

We’ve all received cringe-worthy fundraising messages that just don’t feel quite human. They’re vague, don’t explain the impact of the donation, and ask for an arbitrary amount of money. If an appeal feels like it was written by a robot, it likely was generated by AI.

AI

Allied Grant Writers

MARCH 17, 2025

Evaluation Plan: Outline the metrics and methods that will be used to assess the projects success. The Importance of Grants for Churches Diversifying Funding Streams Reliance solely on traditional funding sources can sometimes limit a churchs growth and impact.

Funding

Pamela Grow

FEBRUARY 11, 2025

By tracking key metrics, you can measure the duration and quality of your donor relationships and identify areas for improvement. Track these metrics using your nonprofit constituent relationship management system (CRM) and fundraising software. Thats why post-event follow-up is essential to your overall event strategy.

Metrics

Allied Grant Writers

DECEMBER 25, 2024

To be successful in securing grant funding, individuals must grasp the basic components involved in the grant application process, including eligibility criteria, application procedures, and evaluation metrics. A solid impact assessment includes the methods for evaluation and metrics to track progress.

Grant Writing

Just Write Grants

OCTOBER 29, 2024

Performance Metrics : Funders often require detailed reports on the program’s progress and impact. When it comes to securing funding, nonprofits often encounter various types of grants, each serving a different purpose. Special Projects : Grants for time-limited projects, such as a new educational initiative or a public awareness campaign.

Grants

CauseVox

FEBRUARY 11, 2025

Youd need to handle design, coding, payment processing, and securityall on your own. A free fundraising platform takes care of all that for you, so you can focus on what matters most: connecting with donors and raising funds. The right platform should give you flexibility while keeping as much of each donation in your hands as possible.

Donation

Future Fundraising Now

FEBRUARY 10, 2025

Focus more on improving the metrics that matter most, like net revenue and retention rate, and focus less on metrics like likes and awareness. Those vanity metrics that dont lead directly to revenue are a waste of time and money. Anything you want to succeed at needs a system with metrics. Build a donor pipeline.

Fundraising

Blackbaud

MARCH 31, 2025

Consider creating reporting dashboards that clearly display key metrics. Your relationship with your grantees is more than a transaction. But its difficult to drive impact when your grantees cant access their funds, arent sure when the funds are arriving, and dont have a clear understanding of their requirements for using the funds.

Grants

Just Write Grants

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

Calculate anticipated expenses and projected outcomes to create a “cost per outcome” metric (e.g., Highlight these metrics in your proposal to build funder confidence in your financial stewardship. cost per individual served). This demonstrates that your organization is capable of creating a lasting difference.

Proposal

Think and Ink Grants

OCTOBER 30, 2024

Are obsessed with defining metrics of success and tracking program outcomes. What are your goals?" " These questions begin to probe whether or not a nonprofit is high-performing, but many internal organizational changes must be made before true proof of its high performance emerges.

Grants

Community Boost

OCTOBER 30, 2024

Let’s dive into what Giving Tuesday is, its history, and how nonprofits can leverage this day to kickstart year-round fundraising efforts. What is Giving Tuesday? Giving Tuesday is a global movement that encourages people to give back to their communities in meaningful ways. The 2022 campaign was a record-breaker, with a staggering $3.1

Nonprofit

Center for Major Gifts

FEBRUARY 28, 2025

While emotion is a powerful tool, data-driven success metrics add credibility and transparency to the ask. Never make the mistake of forgetting that a non-profit still needs to generate revenue. Just because your organization is focused on charity doesn’t change the fact that it will have to run much like a for-profit enterprise.

Fundraising

Bonterra

JULY 30, 2025

Industry-leading metrics : Peer-to-peer and branded giving campaigns powered by DonorDrive routinely outpace industry benchmarks in participation, retention, and revenue. By blending powerful tools with an approachable interface, DonorDrive is designed to help nonprofits save time and accommodate shifting donor expectations effortlessly.

Fundraising