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IMPACTability™ has added seasoned philanthropy expert Peggy Monson to its team of nonprofit coaches. As an Impact Coach, Peggy will work with nonprofit leaders to build their skills in fundraising and nonprofit management. She will assist the company’s nonprofit professionals in determining their strengths and guide them in setting goals. Working collaboratively, Peggy will help…

On November 1st, 2021, Soukup Strategic Solutions launched IMPACTability™. IMPACTability™ is a nonprofit coaching and training program to help leaders nationwide build fundraising and nonprofit management skills. In addition to the IMPACTability™ coaching program, Soukup Strategic Solutions has just released a new weekly podcast. IMPACTability™: The Nonprofit Leaders’ Podcast offers advice to nonprofit professionals on how…

We want to let you in on a secret that will help take your nonprofit’s fundraising to the next level. You may have heard it before; you may have avoided it before… a donor management system. Gone are the days of tracking gifts in multiple spreadsheets, writing letters one-by-one, and trying to recall your last…

Teresa Stohs, Director of Grant Services Think of a funnel, going from broad to narrow. The types of budgets that grant applications request are like that. You will be asked to go from the very broad—your entire organization’s budget—to the more focused budgets, such as a program budget and a project budget within a program.…

JoAnn Lawrence, Fundraising, Marketing and Communications Specialist Email newsletters are a low-cost tool for nonprofits to keep in contact with their constituents, share news, and seek donations, but are newsletters as effective in 2021 as they once were? You bet! According to research by Litmus, email newsletters have a $36 return on investment for every…

Riley Randolph One of the most prevalent conversations circling the nonprofit sector is the impact of the pandemic on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) around the country. Right behind COVID-19, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is the leading topic among a vast majority of funders. The most recent U.S. census report shows nearly 40% of the population…

Dr. Lou Traina and JoAnn Lawrence All nonprofit organizations either have a major gifts program or hope to have one in the future, but what stops fundraisers from going after large donations today? Perhaps fundraisers don’t know where to begin, and getting numerous major gifts just seems like magic – magic other fundraisers have. Don’t…

Dr. Lou Traina and JoAnn Lawrence In this interview with fundraising expert, Dr. Lou Traina, we take a deep look at donor acquisition and major gifts. The following section of the interview discusses what makes a case statement a powerful fundraising instrument. A case statement is a tool that nonprofits often use when asking for a contribution.…

By Susan Blankenship Grants are integral to the funding strategies of many nonprofits. Finding grants that fit your specific circumstances is a critical step in successfully obtaining funding. Yet, we know that grants do not comprise most nonprofit funding. Therein lies the rub. Nonprofits need to balance where to expend their assets in searching for…

Text fundraising is a great alternative to traditional fundraising. Not only do text messages have fantastic open and response rates, your donors likely have their phones with them wherever they go. According to 99 Firms, the average open rate for text message marketing campaigns is 98%, compared to a 20% open rate for email marketing…

While fundraising can be a rewarding experience, it can also be a challenge, especially when trying to attract new donors. We sat down with one of the top fundraisers in and around Naples, Florida, Dr. Lou Traina, to get his take on donor acquisition. He has served in public and private nonprofit enterprises in southwest…

Today social media is obligatory for businesses of all kinds, including nonprofit organizations, but simply having a presence on a platform is not enough. The number of followers and the level of engagement per post (whether it be likes, comments, saves, or shares, sends) signals to our brain and helps decide how we perceive the…

Social media is an excellent free or low-cost way to increase brand awareness and connect with donors and the people you serve. Your social media presence is worth investing time in, but there are ways to save time and increase the power of your posts. These tips will help whether your nonprofit organization is just…

One of the greatest favors you can do for yourself as you lay the groundwork of a successful grant application is to run an initial assessment of what information is required for submission. An early examination of the required information will put you in a position to avoid any last-minute scrambling just days—or even hours—from…

Everyone knows what proofreading is. Simply put, proofreading is that fresh coat of paint at the end of your project, that final layer of polish you apply to ensure there are no glaring mistakes in your work. Right? Maybe not… Of course, you absolutely want to give your work a careful final reading before submitting…

If you are looking to improve your chances of winning a grant, then you are going to have to break out your building blocks. Your relationship building blocks, that is. One of the most helpful measures you can take to increase your odds is to establish a relationship with the funder prior to submitting your…

The evaluation of a potential grant opportunity can often be accompanied by its own set of challenges, and sometimes, as with any project, getting started presents the greatest hurdle. The good news is that every grant application can—and should—start at precisely the same point: researching the funder. Comprehensive, thorough, heavy-duty research into a funder creates…

More than a few years back I was invited to pursue an Adult Education doctorate degree in the first cohort class piloted by Columbia University-Teachers College. The department selected 24 candidates who had a minimum of 5 years in an executive level position in one of 12 separate industries that served the adult learner. The…

In the nonprofit world, as with most businesses today, the smaller the staff, the more hats those staffers wear. As you look at the many tasks your staff undertakes, there is usually someone who has been charged with social media, perhaps reluctantly. Everyone knows what social media is, but becoming a social media guru can…

Individuals with the capacity and desire to make major gifts are as diverse as our population is. According to Statista, about 14 percent of millionaires are people of color, and that percentage is likely to grow as the nation’s demographics continue to change. Many nonprofits are missing out on the chance to attract more donors…

Everyone knows what proofreading is. Simply put, proofreading is that fresh coat of paint at the end of your project, that final layer of polish you apply to ensure there are no glaring mistakes in your work. Right? Maybe not… Of course, you absolutely want to give your work a careful final reading before submitting…