The Fundraiser of the Future: The skills nonprofit fundraisers need for career evolution

This is the first article of 3-part series.  The world of fundraising is changing and with it, fundraisers’ skill sets need to change, too. For the last decade, most nonprofits received their funding through grants, major donors, galas and peer-to-peer...

Technology and innovation: How the Fourth Industrial Revolution is impacting the charitable sector

The future is now for the charitable sector. Almost daily, new technologies are being developed to help innovate the way people give or the way organizations offer opportunities to advance their causes. There is no going back. The charitable sector...

Five tips to optimize your online donation page

Online fundraising can seem complex. You’ve got so many different tools to figure out. All that data you can get and track. Rules, regulations, and ‘best practices’ are often changing. A lot of different people have different ideas on how...

The over-solicitation blues: How Canadian charities can prevent donor fatigue

In one corner we have fundraising experts who say that what’s needed is just two more appeal letters, while in the other corner, we have experts who say we’ve got to reduce the volume of mail donors receive. As fun...

Crowdfunding raises a roof: Tips for newbie crowdfunders

How could an organization raise a roof for a beloved heritage home before the winter rains set in? A long-time nonprofit client of mine faced this question in spring of 2016. The roof was going to cost $8,500. The organization...

Why you must become your donor

How do you acquire more donors, raise more money, and improve your retention rate in one fell swoop? It might seem like an impossible task, but there’s a simple secret to making it happen: To get and keep a donor,...

Getting into the Spirit of Giving with GivingTuesday

December traditionally leads the way as the biggest fundraising month for Canadian nonprofits and charities. So what better way to kick off the season of giving than with an entire day devoted to giving back in your community? That's what...

Deconstructing Philanthropy: Why Canadian charities suck at mobile fundraising

Smartphone penetration is nearing 50% in Canada. But there’s been a 24% decrease in the number of organizations with an active text-to-give program.1 Actually, according to Katherine Winchester from the Mobile Giving Foundation Canada, a measly 114 Canadian charities have registered...