The brave new world of constituent relationship management: Seven reasons to get on board

Many nonprofits struggle to achieve the coveted 360 degree view of their constituency. Why? The biggest culprit is not talent - it's technology! Older, more cumbersome donor management systems are likely discouraging rather than encouraging relationship building throughout your organization....

CRA fundraising changes: Why you should care

In June, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), after consultations with numerous sector organizations, including Imagine Canada, Health Charities Coalition of Canada, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, announced the release of new fundraising guidelines for the nonprofit community. A detailed...

Direct mail fundraising letters: Six ways not to decide their length

How long should your next fundraising letter be? One page? Two pages? Six pages? What is the correct length for a direct mail appeal? I'll tell you in a minute. But first, let me tell you how you should not...

Charity-business partnerships: You’ve got a (wealthy) friend

What's a charity to do when offered the chance at tremendous funds and resources to promote its cause? And what's a good corporate social citizen to do when presented with the opportunity to link its business with a respected charitable...

United we stand: Fundraisers and volunteers working together

Ask any nonprofit executive and they'll tell you unequivocally: volunteers are invaluable. Whether it's helping meet day-to-day objectives, providing event support, or offering significant insight as board members, volunteers are essential to short and long-term mission success. The recent CSGVP...

New CRA Guidance on Fundraising

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) recently released a new Guidance on Fundraising document, with the purpose of educating charities on what is considered appropriate, and legal, with regards to fundraising activities. Since the CRA will be auditing charities' fundraising activities...

Fundraising Q&A: The Canada Revenue Agency’s Guidance on Fundraising

What do I need to know about Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)'s new Guidance on Fundraising? That's an excellent question for all of us to ask...even with 20+ years in the profession! Go to the CRA website to find the new...

Is it time to look at new fundraising software?

Donors are the lifeblood of nonprofit organizations. You need them to survive. But how do you manage all the information about their giving, along with all the personal details that are key to maintaining successful relationships? As a fundraising professional,...

Fundraising Q&A: Are our charitable tax receipts incomplete?

What do you mean our charitable tax receipts are incomplete? We’ve been using the same ones for the last 20 years! I won’t pretend to be the authority on tax receipting. I’d prefer to leave that up to Canada Revenue...

CSGVP 2007: Results and highlights

As you might have heard, the latest Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (CSGVP) was released last week. Based on data collected in 2007, the survey - the fourth in a series of surveys that began in 1997 with...