Earlier this week, a headline caught my eye: “Benefit Dinners Got Canceled. Will Nonprofits Go Hungry?” The article that followed left me a bit perplexed. Many not-for-profits were, in fact, canceling their benefits amid COVID-19. This is exactly the wrong thing for charitable organizations to do – now or going forward. Canceling ignores the No. 1 reason people participate in Read More…
If you’re one of those nonprofit executives or advancement professionals who’s remarked that “this is different than the Great Recession,” we at Averill Fundraising Solutions generally agree. Indeed, in 2008-2009, at least we could fall back on the time-tested gold standard of prospect interaction: the face-to-face meeting. Or could we? Then, like now, many of our most impactful Read More…
At Averill Fundraising Solutions, we’ve seen our nonprofit clients struggle with how best to maintain connections with supporters while being sensitive to the stress and uncertainty of these times. To help, we’ve pulled together four quick “Dos” and one “Don’t” for communicating with your most important constituents during COVID-19. (There are already too many restrictions on Read More…
From the desk of: Robert C. Happy, Jr. President, Averill Fundraising Solutions (888) 321-1810 rchappy@averillsolutions.com Bob Happy has nearly 35 years of experience providing expert leadership and direction to clients across the non-profit sector. During his career, Bob has served more than 2,000 clients and has guided them to raise more than $3,500,000,000. Regardless of Read More…
From the desk of: Robert C. Happy, Jr. President, Averill Fundraising Solutions (888) 321-1810 Bob Happy has nearly 35 years of experience providing expert leadership and direction to clients across the not-for-profit sector. During his career, Bob has served more than 2,000 clients and has guided them to raise more than $3,500,000,000. A question you Read More…
From the Desk of: Robert C. Happy, Jr. President, Averill Fundraising Solutions (888) 321-1810 rchappy@averillsolutions.com MEMORANDUM To: Averill clients, past clients, and friends From: Robert C. Happy, Jr. Re: COVID-19 and Philanthropy Date: March 17, 2020 During my professional career, our nation has experienced terrorism, war, recessions large and small, dramatic losses (and gains) in Read More…
A nonprofit strategic plan is a document intended to provide direction for your organization by laying out actionable goals for realizing your mission. Think of your strategic plan as a way of transforming your nonprofit’s ideals—such as the impact you’d like to have on the community in which you operate—into specific actions that your organization Read More…
For nonprofits, making lasting connections with donors is something that is constantly a goal. Donor retention may have its challenges, but it’s an objective every organization should have. Whether this means reaching out to supporters on a regular basis, keeping them updated, or ensuring their experience with your nonprofit is a positive one, there are Read More…
A successful non-profit website must be welcoming and pique the interest of visitors to learn more about an organization. While a website should be visually stunning, there is a more specific goal for organizations to keep in mind: having effective and measurable outcomes from the website. Website design elements should focus on donor experience and Read More…
Your organization depends on your supporters to continue the good work you do every day and embark on new projects. It’s easy to state the importance of developing lasting relationships with your contributors and to understand the value of those who are most committed. However, it’s not always obvious how you can facilitate stronger connections Read More…