Advice for small shops on raising money with 0 – 2 development staff

March 06, 2015 by Dianna Smiley in Strategy

If you can afford only one development professional, that person should probably have skills and experience in building an annual fund, focusing mostly on mass individual giving – building your donor base in terms of numbers and trying to move donors up in their giving.

Can Your Nonprofit Build a Major Gifts Program?

December 11, 2014 by Dianna Smiley in Strategy

Organization leaders often realize they need to build a major gifts program. Specifically, they need donors to give occasional special gifts to invest in the organization in ways that no one else can or will invest. They also need donors who believe in the organization’s mission fundamentally, and will give significant gifts to sustain annual operations. But what does it take?