If you're leading an arts or culture organization—whether it's a theater, museum, performing arts center, library, or botanical garden—this question matters more than you might think. Because launching a capital campaign before you're ready doesn't just waste time and resources. It can test the limits of your donor relationships and the opportunity for bigger impact.

If your patron program has been running for five or more years, chances are you’ve learned a lot about what your donors truly value—and what no longer works.

The problem? Your current tier structure may be outdated. How do you update your patron tiers so they better serve your mission and your donors—without losing the loyal supporters who’ve carried you this far?

“Once our capital campaign gets underway, won’t our annual fund suffer?”  We hear this fear from so many nonprofit leaders. All. The. Time. We’ve got news for you - it doesn’t have to be this way. Not only can you successfully fundraise for both, you can actually strengthen your annual fund in the process.

Learn how nonprofits can leverage local giving days to acquire new donors, deepen relationships, and build sustainable fundraising beyond GivingTuesday.

Let's be honest about 2025—it comes with its fair share of puzzles to solve. But after working with arts organizations across the country, our team at Donorly has seen how creative leaders are turning obstacles into opportunities.

What you do now sets up your year-end success. Year-end giving is the Super Bowl of nonprofit fundraising, and the organizations that win big are the ones that start preparing early.

Two things essentially drive your capital campaign: Your vision and your ability to use storytelling at every stage of the campaign. The art of storytelling is how you bring others along with you on your mission. But when it’s time to write your Case for Support, what do you focus on first?

In a world full of passionate causes and generous donors, thoughtful segmentation helps your message reach the right people—making every connection more meaningful and every gift more likely. In our latest blog, learn why every nonprofit needs a strategic approach to donor communications—and how to implement it with limited resources.

Waiting for the “perfect moment” to launch a campaign or major gift initiative might feel strategic but it’s often silently stalling your mission. In today’s fast-moving fundraising landscape, hesitation leads to lost donors, fading energy, and missed opportunities. Learn why perfect timing is a myth and how to thrive by building momentum, iterating, and creating impact without waiting.

A polished website. An active email list. A donation form that technically works. It’s easy to assume those boxes checked equal digital fundraising success. But even experienced nonprofit professionals find themselves disappointed by flat online giving results, low conversion rates, or inconsistent donor engagement.

You’re about to make a gift to your favorite cause. You click on the campaign page and see they’ve only raised 2% of a $50,000 goal. You care—but do you feel compelled to donate, or hesitant?

There’s a wonderful little magic trick our brains play on us: when we’re uncertain, we look around to see what other people are doing. And then we often do the same thing. If you’ve ever slowed down to watch a crowd gather around a street performer, or found yourself joining in applause at the end of a performance—even when you weren’t sure it was over—you’ve experienced this firsthand.