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The final months of the year are critical for fundraising, but year-end success involves more than sending an appeal in December and crossing your fingers that donors respond. Now is the time to engage the full spectrum of your supporters: longtime donors, occasional donors, first-time givers, and loyal supporters who may be ready to think beyond annual giving toward an endowment or legacy gift.
The answer isn't to shy away from transformational asks. Instead, think of a major gift as one part of a donor's long-term relationship with your organization—not the finish line. Before year-end gets any closer, use this seven-point checklist to make sure you are covering the bases.
| | Automated and AI-driven campaigns are increasingly the ones capable of matching a cause to a donor’s complex, conversational intent. Fortunately, there are other ways to ensure your organization is seen in the new AI and search landscape. Optimizing your website, earned media, and content strategy can pay dividends in terms of visibility. Today, nonprofits need to be legible to AI systems that are looking at a range of sources to answer questions, well beyond just your website. Your nonprofit will need to rethink the structure, integration, and role of digital content. | | | | | Nonprofit leaders make the same mistakes with stewardship over and over again. They design a system first. They create a communication calendar, map out touchpoints, build a thank-you workflow. Entry call at 30 days. Quarterly update at 90 days. Annual event in November. Another thank-you in December. They check every box. Then donors don’t come back. Here are some ways to build a stewardship system that helps create loyalty, belonging, and lifelong community members. | | |
Each year, millions of Americans donate to and volunteer with the charitable nonprofits making a difference in their communities. Many turn to online fundraising platforms to give — but several of these platforms operate without nonprofit consent and in other ways counter to the needs of nonprofit organizations. In the U.S., hundreds of online fundraising platforms collect donations for nonprofits without their knowledge or consent, sometimes counter to state or local laws, generating millions in fees and tips in the process. Some use incorrect or outdated information that misrepresents a nonprofit's brand and mission. Others charge hidden fees or set excessive platform "tips" as the default. Too often, these platforms insert themselves between charities and their donors—making it harder to build the long-term relationships upon which nonprofits depend.
| | | | Good governance doesn't happen by accident. BVU will host a seminar, “Role of the Board,” Oct. 22, which teaches the roles, responsibilities, and habits that make a board effective. The session is geared toward participants in BVU's board matching program, new and more experienced board members looking for a refresher, or chief executives and other senior staff who work closely with a board. This seminar features an expert panel that will share their experience, discuss the roles and responsibilities of nonprofit board members, and consider challenges and opportunities facing nonprofits. The session includes presentations, a panel discussion, dialogue with the audience, and case study analysis. | | Discovering that the fiscal year may end in a deficit can trigger immediate concern. Your instinct may be to start cutting expenses, freezing spending, or making quick decisions. Remember that a deficit is information. It’s not a moral failing, and it’s not a reason to panic. Before you make decisions, take time to understand what the numbers are telling you and what options you have available. If your forecast shows an unplanned deficit, here are some steps you can take. | | | The Nonprofit section of our website features helpful, free information and resources like training videos, past newsletters, articles and more and is updated regularly. Check back for the latest news and information. | | |
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Contact Us
Akron Community Foundation
345 West Cedar St. Akron, OH 44307
Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Phone: 330-376-8522
Fax: 330-376-0202
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