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Popular Articles For Nonprofits

Each of these articles has been featured in a past issue of ZimNotes, our free electronic monthly newsletter. ZimNotes features articles to help your nonprofit forge a better future. Sign up for a free subscription.

Capital Campaigns
Individual Donors
Strategic Fundraising Thinking
Board of Directors
Planning & Leader Issues
Grantwriting and Special Events
Policy Issues
Online Research

Capital Campaigns:

CAPITAL CAMPAIGNS: TEN STEPS FOR SUCCESS
Capital Campaigns often attract donors more easily than an annual fund campaign because donors easily understand 'bricks & mortar.' There are a variety of things to consider and here are suggestions to help you succeed.

THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FEASIBILITY STUDY: ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA
Why bother with a feasibility study? Why not simply announce the campaign and raise all the money you can as fast as possible? This article provides five critically important reasons to conduct a feasibility study.

Individual Donors:

MAJOR DONOR CAMPAIGNS: THE HEART OF ANY SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING EFFORT
Whether for capital, annual or endowment gifts, major donor campaigns are an extremely effective means of raising significant income.

A MAJOR GIFT SUCCESS STORY: THE ART OF ACTIVE LISTENING
Knowing what is important to your donors and why they support your organization is a key component to donor cultivation.

PRIVATE GIVING IS UP: IS YOUR ORGANIZATION BENEFITING?
Giving USA recently released the 2005 figures on private donations in the U.S.. As usual individual giving is up and surpasses all other types of giving but corporations are also giving more. What can your organization do to take advantage of this information?

MAJOR DONORS: NOW MORE THAN EVER
This article discusses the potential of major donors and the common problem of underestimating your donor base.

WHEN DONORS GO BAD
How to deal with an embarrassing donor.

MAJOR GIFTS: BE BOLD IN ASKING!
The San Francisco Chronicle ran a front-page story about a prominent Bay Area philanthropist who was responsible for raising the lion's share of the $190 million for the new de Young Museum. What lessons might be learned by large and small nonprofits that are planning to solicit major donor prospects?

Strategic Fundraising Thinking:

ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY AND THE NONPROFIT SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY
Some advice for nonprofits in times of economic uncertainty.

RECRUITING WITH FUNDRAISING IN MIND
Think of board recruitment as you would if you were filling a top-level position in any organization, and give it the time and focus necessary.

HOW CAN YOU FIND A GREAT DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR?
In today's competitive environment finding a good development director is challenging. This article gives small to medium sized nonprofits advice about how to compete when they can't pay enormous salaries.

WHAT THE BOARD NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT FUNDRAISING STAFF
Too few board members understand how terribly labor-intensive fundraising is. They lobby executive directors to keep their operations "lean and mean," thereby effectively cutting themselves off at the fundraising knees. Excerpted from Boards That Love Fundraising.

A FUNDRAISING SUCCESS STORY: LESSONS LEARNED
Step One School has achieved incredible success by following a few fundraising guidelines- so could you!

GETTING PEOPLE TO ASK FOR $$
Excerpted from Zimmerman Lehman's new book, Boards That Love Fundraising: A How-To Guide for Your Board, this piece discusses the fears boards have about asking for money, and how to overcome them.

GIVING MAKES YOU HAPPY& HEALTHY!
Studies show that making donations and volunteering will bring contenment and help you live longer.

Board of Directors:

HOW DOES THE BOARD GOVERN AND EVALUATE ITSELF?
How Does the Board Govern and Evaluate Itself? This article reviews how to run effective board meetings and how the board evaluates itself.

HOW CAN A BOARD MEMBER BE A STRATEGIC ADVOCATE FOR YOUR NONPROFIT?
By suggesting an advocacy perspective, we are asking board members to reframe their role to promote the mission and vision of the organization at all times.

BOARDS THAT LOVE FUNDRAISING: SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES
This excerpt from Zimmerman Lehman's new book, Boards That Love Fundraising: A How-To Guide for Your Board, details the tasks attributed to board members in fundraising for their nonprofits.

BOARD MEMBER TRAINING & JOB DESCRIPTION: A HELPFUL START!
This article offers guidelines to training new or inexperienced board members and a sample board member job description with a list of responsibilities.

RACIAL DIVERSITY ON YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
This article analyzes issues surrounding diversity on Boards of Directors, offering suggestions for improvement.

Planning and Leadership Issues:

YOU CAN'T RAISE MONEY WITHOUT A DEVELOPMENT PLAN!
Does your nonprofit have a written development plan with a calendar that specifies the kinds of fundraising that you plan to do in the next six months to three years and the people responsible for planning and implementing your campaigns? If not, read this article.

STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR NONPROFITS
This article discusses the benefits and how to's of strategic planning.

EIGHT CHARACTERISTICS OF LEADERSHIP
This article defines leadership and outlines eight characteristics of a good leader, offering examples of both leaders and leadership style.

MBA'S AND NONPROFITS: A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN
Professional management means a well-run organization, which leads to a higher profile in the community and more money for the programs that are so important to your clients (and you will not lose your soul in the process).

WORKING WITH CONSULTANTS
Organizations large and small work with fundraising consultants, here are some suggestions for ensuring it is a successful relationship.

Grantwriting and Special Events:

GRANTORS: HOW AND WHY TO FOLLOW UP
You've written the grant and submitted it and/or been rejected - end of story? No, this article explains how and why it is important to follow up with grantors.

SPECIAL EVENTS: A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
Special events are a crucial aspect of any nonprofit strategy to raise awareness and big bucks; the key is choosing the right event to meet your objectives.

TEN TIPS FOR GRANTWRITING
Commonsense suggestions for a successful grant application.

Policy Issues:

WHY IS PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCACY IMPORTANT TO NONPROFITS?
In order to be effective and successful in your field, it helps to know the policies, laws and regulations that impact your nonprofit organization and the communities you serve.

ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY FOR NONPROFITS: WHAT DO THEY MEAN?
"Accountability" and "transparency" are the key buzzwords for the nonprofit sector in this first decade of the 21st Century. This is ZimNotes' second look this year at these terms with the intent to better define what they mean.

Online Research:

RESEARCHING FUNDING SOURCES ON THE WEB
This article covers researching fundraising information on individual donors, foundations, and corporate and government sources online.

RESEARCHING MAJOR DONORS ON THE WEB (updated, 2002)
The more you know about your prospect, the easier it will be to make the case for a major donation.

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