In the past couple of weeks I’ve discussed grants with several non profit leaders.  One person said that their most challenging issue was simply finding appropriate grants to apply for.  There are several databases available that will let you search by a variety of criteria such as subject or location.  These databases then produce a […]

Earlier this month I began serving as Board President for a local organization, Christian Women’s Job Corps. This is my second year on the board and before that I supported its fundraising efforts. Even though I’m surrounded by information about non profits and fundraising even I started looking for some advice. Here are some great […]

Today I’m starting a new weekly feature I’m calling “Resource Roundup.” I get a lot of great newsletters each week on a variety of topics, subscribe to blogs and often find some great web resources. I often think that they would be great to post here on Step by Step Fundraising. The Resource Roundup will […]

The Thank You letter often is created and sent without much thought. It may seem to be the last step in getting a gift from a donor and a routine task that warrants little merit. But it’s actually the first step in securing the next gift! Purposeful and well-thought out Thank You letters can help […]

Have you ever had something taken away from you only to realize how much you appreciated it after it was gone? I often ask this question when I start one of my talks or seminars on appreciation. As I pause and wait for people to respond, many hands go up. Most of us have taken […]

You have a great cause, so everyone should be beating down your door with donations, right? Oh, if only that were only the case! Fundraising can be a challenge for any group even those with the greatest mission and dedicated workers. You are there, working hard to support your group because you believe in the […]

Are you reactive or proactive when it comes to recruiting new Board members? Reactive recruiting can leave you with more problems than solutions. Unfortunately, reactive recruiting is the way that many Boards go about bringing new people in. They wait until it’s time to have new members in place and then hastily recruit friends and […]