Our Blog

By Amy Phipps We all know how much work goes into donor acquisition. It’s an investment of thought, time and resources. But after you do that work, it’s just as important to keep donors in the fold – what we call donor retention or donor loyalty. You...

By Joyce Penland,CFRE “You’re only as good as your data.” We in the fundraising profession have heard this statement repeatedly…whether at conferences or through newsletters and, frankly, we know it’s true.  We know that we can’t reach out to donors, former...

By Mike Bacon, CFRE Every year, studies show that one-third of all charitable giving happens in the last three months of the year. Are you ready? What should you be doing to secure end of year gifts? We’ve put together a checklist of activity for you. Let’s...

By Joyce Penland, CFRE The Christmas lights in my neighborhood were installed the day before Halloween, and the Christmas décor has been on display for months in my favorite craft stores. If you, too, are seeing snowflakes, sleigh bells, and Santa Claus...

By R. Michael Patterson, CFRE When I talk to development professionals at nonprofit organizations about how to encourage their constituents to make a planned gift, I’m always asked: “What kind of brochures do we need?” My answer: You don’t need any. There’s...

By Mike Bacon, CFRE You need to raise money for a new building/program expansion/endowment. Why take the time to ask your circle of donors and prospects for their opinions? Why not just go see them and ask for the gift? Do we have time for all that...

By Joyce Penland, CFRE A look at charitable giving for 2013 gives all of us involved in the nonprofit sector a reason for optimism. According to the 2014 Giving USA report from the Center for Philanthropy at Indiana University, charitable giving was up 4.4%...

By Mike Bacon, CFRE Isn’t it ironic that we all tend to learn more from our mistakes than from our successes?  Last month we took a look at five common fundraising mistakes and today we’ll examine five more that plague our profession.  We all can benefit...

By Mike Bacon, CFRE The summer months give us an opportunity to review our organization’s fundraising strategies and to consider ways to improve them.  As we’re measuring the successes of the last year against our goals for the future, it’s always helpful to...

By Marion T. Lee, CFRE “Who are these people and why are they on this board?” How many times have you asked yourself this question as you contemplate donating to an organization, volunteering to help with program service, or serving on a nonprofit board or a...

By Mike Bacon, CFRE Your most loyal donors are those who support your cause consistently, year after year.  If you haven’t already run a list of donors who have given to your nonprofit every year for the past five years, stop now and run that list.  Now...

By Priscilla Guajardo Cortez, J.D., M.Ed. Several years ago, while a development officer for a major state university, I was part of an innovative effort to identify and develop strategies to engage growing segments of our alumni and donor base.  Some of...

Last month we discussed how important it is to learn how committed your future boss is to leading the development effort for your nonprofit, and this month’s advise deals with the questions the wise job seeker will ask about office atmosphere and the...

By Karen Kegg Development officers have so much to accomplish!  The expectations that are placed on fundraisers and their departments are high in this very competitive market, and knowing what to focus on can be challenging when being pulled in so many...

By Amy Phipps Should I stay or should I go now? If I go there will be trouble And if I stay it will be double So come on and let me know Should I stay for should I Go? --The Clash The New Year is a great time  to stop and reflect on the opportunity to make...

By Joyce Penland, CFRE As nonprofits celebrate the holiday season and the close of 2013, many make an effort to include donors in the mix.  Some invite donors and prospects to make an additional end-of-year gift.  Others send special Christmas cards to...

“Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.” William Faulkner Honestly, the best part of our work is thanking. If anyone ever offered me the job of Chief Thanking Officer, I would...

By Joyce Penland, CFRE The bookshelf at the Bacon Lee & Associates office contains a variety of books by leaders in the nonprofit industry to help inspire our fundraising work, covering topics from how to make a successful solicitation visit to how to...

By Mike Bacon, CFRE Imagine showing up for a job interview.  You’re on time (even early) but you are kept waiting for 30 minutes.  The candidate who was just interviewed walks through the lobby, giving you “the eye” as she departs.  You enter a conference...

By Joyce Penland, CFRE Charitable giving was up 3.5% last year—to  $316.23 billion—but down from a peak of $344.48 million in 2007,  an indicator of the nation’s slow economic recovery, according to the 2013 Giving USA report from the Center for Philanthropy...