QuestIon: Should I do a tasting even if I have worked with this caterer before? Answer: Absolutely. Question: Should I hire a caterer and then do a tasting? Answer: Absolutely NOT. In the past, people who were frequent event attendees tended to have great expectations, except when it came to food. There was a constant …
Finance/
Financing & Loans
How To Check the Status of Your Employee Retention Credit
After filing your employee retention credit, you’ll want that money to arrive as fast as possible. While you wait, you’ll undoubtedly be left wondering when that refund check will come. This article explains how to check the status of your employee retention credit and offers tips to avoid any delays along the way. Use Bottomline …
I find it interesting that, of all the topics we’ve addressed in this forum, the Gift Table has consistently been at the top of that list. Gift Tables, or Gift Pyramids, are great fundraising tools for all modes of fundraising — capital campaigns, major gifts, “the Annual Fund,” and for Special Events. Prior to the …
This week, two short and to the point pieces from Tony !! 1. Staff Involvement In Strategic Planning Should/must nonprofit staff be involved in the strategic planning process ?? With all of the discussion that I’ve seen/heard on this subject over the years, with the range of positions respondents have taken – from the globally inclusive …
Many Millennials don’t love talking on the phone … especially with people whose numbers aren’t already programmed into our phones; and, many of us are terrible at it. In fundraising, however, phone skills are a must. This is a continuation of my posting on how to make more and better outreach calls – specifically, introductory …
Confession: I don’t love making phone calls. In fact, there was a time when I’d do anything to avoid calling prospects. Like many in my generation, I was far more comfortable emailing or texting, or even sending them messages through LinkedIn. Digital tools are great, but it didn’t take me long to realize that the …
Stocks and mutual funds make great charitable gifts, yet many non-profits overlook them; and, donors may not think to make those kinds of donations, unless you remind them. Once donors learn about the tax advantages of donating stock, they often become consistent stock donors. Stocks and mutual funds are securities that represent an ownership interest …
Here six key objectives I set for every fundraising letter I write. I use these as standards to review and rewrite a draft appeal until I can’t improve it further. 1. Create a personal connection. Always use the first person singular (“I,” “me,” “my”), never the snooty-sounding, disembodied “we.” Talk to me as if we …
