Fundraising Q&A: When a donor turns down a major gift opportunity

A major gift prospect recently refused our request — what do you recommend we do now? It's always disheartening when a proposal is refused but I like to remind people that "gifts" cannot be taken for granted. Most of my...

Getting ready for gala season

Organizing a fundraising gala is not getting any easier. Aside from the fallout of an unpredictable economy that keeps previously generous hands firmly in pockets, any number of unexpected hurdles can suddenly appear on the scene. The Vancouver Aquarium, for...

Capitalize on your knowledge

What nonprofit doesn't want to raise awareness, attract more supporters, increase donations? And yet, many don't take full advantage of one of the best ways to achieve all of these: leveraging knowledge capital. Knowledge capital, also called intellectual capital, represents...

Driven to give: Reducing the barriers to online giving

There is no such thing as a "small" nonprofit. Whether your cause is caring for just one refugee family or managing an entire displacement camp, running a rescue shelter for cats or saving an endangered species, to you — and...

Small town, big festival

This summer we've been looking at how cultural nonprofit organizations are running arts festivals across the country. In June, we spoke with the organizers of Toronto's Luminato festival about their strategic partnership with The New Yorker magazine. In July, the...

Fundraising Q&A: Asking a friend for a major gift: Part two

A close friend of mine frequently makes significant gifts to her favourite causes. I sit on the board of a charity; how do I get her to support mine? Last month I began answering our reader's question by addressing steps...

Rise of the hybrid: Walking the (hybrid) walk

"Nonprofit principles can be applied to a business. I don't think of myself as an entrepreneur but a community organizer." Lisa Moore, joint founder of the Rhizome Café, Vancouver "After my presentation another delegate took me aside and said 'You...

Rise of the hybrid: Legal headaches and multibillion bonanzas

"At some point in the not too distant future, policy makers and leaders in philanthropy will need to decide what role they prefer for themselves in a world reshaped by social enterprise: visionary enabler or sidelined naysayer." Peter Dietz, Managing...

The rise of the hybrid: Colliding sectors

"Like Dr Dolittle's Pushmi-Pullyu, the animal that had trouble moving because its two heads could not agree on a single direction, the hybrid model for non-profits is proving problematic. On occasion, the need to generate returns for investors overwhelms the...