Is your team considering conducting do-it-yourself research? Check out these 20+ prospect research tools and resources for assistance with the effort.

If there’s one word that makes people more nervous than “fundraising,” it’s “telefundraising.” But it shouldn’t be that way! Just as the act of fundraising is comprised of many actions (such as connecting, engaging, asking, thanking, and reporting on impact), the act of telefundraising is a multi-faceted approach to building your donor community.

Hiring a prospect research consultant is a game-changing move for many growing nonprofits. Learn the essentials to keep in mind as you start your search.

When used correctly, donor management software is a powerful tool to help your organization engage supporters and fundraise more effectively. Your software can help you keep track of everything, from donors and event attendees to volunteers and board members. But don’t just gather donor data—actually put it to work in a way that supports your mission.

A successful institutional giving program is so much more than good grant writing. Join Instrumentl CEO Gauri Manglik and Donorly Development Consultant Emily Comisar to learn how to promote a culture of fundraising at your organization that increases your institutional giving ROI.

This free webinar is designed for executive leaders and fundraisers at smaller nonprofits and young organizations.

September 24, 2020
2pm ET

The month of March 2020 saw the cancellation of many events, large and small—and for those of us in fundraising, some of the most painful losses were our galas. At the time, we put together our six best pieces of advice for how to move forward with a major event cancellation or postponement. Now here we are, five months later, and the potential for holding a large in-person event anytime soon is not looking good. Those nonprofits that pushed off their spring galas into the fall are now in the same boat with their colleagues who usually host their event during fall gala season: forced to consider another round of cancellations.

If your nonprofit is like so many others right now, you’ve probably run into some challenges in regards to your fundraising strategy. Nothing is exactly how we expected it would be, even six months ago, and the prospect of convincing supporters to maintain their donations can seem scary.

Even throughout these difficult times, your organization can take steps in order to strengthen your strategies both now and for the future.

As fundraisers, we are used to speaking confidently about our vision for the future, about the goals that our organizations will accomplish and how we are going to achieve success. Now, that kind of forward-thinking storytelling is difficult, especially in situations when the future remains uncertain. Storytelling is an absolutely essential part of fundraising, and you must continue to do it to keep your organization moving forward through the end of 2020 and beyond.

So, what should we be telling our donors about where we are going and how we are going to get there?

Whether you're a founder or a longtime member of a decades-old non-profit, finding funders to make your vision a reality is key. Donorly’s Founder and President, Sandra Davis, leads a webinar about building your non-profit's relationships from the ground up, all with the goal of growing your family of donors.

This session is designed for founders, leaders, and fundraisers at smaller nonprofits and young organizations.

For many nonprofits, the widespread effects of the pandemic unfortunately meant canceling existing event plans. With plenty of advanced planning, charity auctions and annual fundraising galas are the perfect case study for going virtual. If an auction was already on your 2020 calendar and you need to keep fundraising to power your mission, a virtual auction is your best bet to keep donors engaged and build a solid revenue source.

No matter your area of focus as an organization, your FY20 operating budget is officially out-of-date. Whether your expenses are increased because you are currently providing essential services to a rapidly growing population of people in need, or your operations and attendant revenue are shrinking with closed buildings, cancelled programs, and layoffs, it is time to reorient yourself for the rest of the fiscal year (and beyond). With earned revenue getting tougher and tougher to come by, your role as a fundraiser is becoming ever more important and you need to make sure that you are up to date on operational conversations at your organization about how your finances are changing.

Here are three considerations to think about as you dive into these important conversations with your Executive Director, General Manager, and/or Accountant.

Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) are in a unique position to be helpful as we navigate fundraising during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are three important steps that we recommend as you move forward considering how to include DAFs in your emergency fundraising plans.