Fundraising Q&A: Donor recognition and stewardship

We want to improve our donor recognition and stewardship programs. What would you recommend? Thanks for your question; you have chosen one of my favourite topics because it's an area that can make or break your fundraising efforts. I've often...

Service clubs: An optimistic future?

Since 2004, homeless youth in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, have had somewhere to turn for a hot meal, a shower, and other much needed support. The Survival Centre, operated by the Boys and Girls Club of Charlottetown, is a free...

More than child’s play: Engaging youth in philanthropy

When nine-year-old Alaina Podmorow agreed to join her mother one evening at a presentation by author and activist Sally Armstrong, she was just hoping to cadge a later bedtime. But the presentation changed Alaina's life. Armstrong spoke about the lack...

Nothing’s certain but death and taxes: A brief guide to planned giving programs

"The biggest wealth transfer in history is set to take place," stated a BMO Retirement Institute Report in July 2009. "In Canada, it has been estimated that Boomers stand to inherit $1 trillion over the next 20 years." Though the...

Fundraising Q&A: The benefits of monthly giving

Why should organizations should consider setting up a monthly giving program? Donors who opt for monthly giving demonstrate a strong commitment to their favourite causes. Not only do they provide regular, predictable income, they are the most likely constituents to...

Funding: The next generation

"Ultimately, great things happen when you leave the old way of doing things behind," says Arti Freeman, program manager at the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). Since co-founding an innovative collaborative called Youth Social Infrastructure in 2009, OTF has moved from...

Need a little guidance?

The Canada Revenue Agency's new guidance on fundraising is scheduled to be released in March. Preliminary details were revealed in an hour-long webinar on February 10, hosted by charity lawyer Mark Blumberg and co-sponsored by both the CRA's Charities Directorate...

Me and my corporation: A tale of interest and impact

You may have noticed the facelift Coke underwent this holiday season. For the first time ever, Coca-Cola changed the colour of its cans, from red to white. The exceptional transformation stems from a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund —...

Governance Q&A: Communicating administration costs

Since we value honesty, but donors and funders don't want to support administration costs, how can we ethically define and report on administration costs? It is extremely unfortunate that some nonprofits perpetuate the misleading idea that it is possible to...

The challenge of sustainable financing

Numbers don't lie. Of the four priorities for action identified at the recent National Summit for the Charitable and Nonprofit Sector, priority theme two — more diverse and sustainable financing — had the highest number of attendees. The interest and...