Are you searching for the right cloud-based tools as your organization is looking to scale fundraising efforts? A CRM for nonprofits is an excellent way to streamline those efforts.

Building a direct mail program starts with understanding your donors and writing a compelling mail pieces. There are many writing techniques you can use to increase effectiveness. According to Benjamin Hart’s Fund Your Cause with Direct Mail, grabbing the attention of our donor is key.

Are you contemplating a new nonprofit CRM? It can be a big investment for many charitable 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 organizations. The decision can be overwhelming with so many options on the market at every price point. In order to help charitable and philanthropic organizations make the best decision possible, Julep published 4 Steps to Finding the Best Nonprofit CRM.

It is important to remain engaged with your donors when in-person events are unable to happen. Virtual events are the best and safest way right now to interact with your donors. There are many options for free or low-cost technology that powers virtual events, but how?

As a major gift officer, you have a portfolio of donors you need to cultivate and ultimately ask for a donation to your organization. How do you go about this?

As a fundraiser, it is important to discover why donors give to your nonprofit as well as all the other philanthropic organizations they support. Learning about their motivations can provide your donors with a more relationship-focused experience and further your organization’s goals.

Writing for direct mail is different than your average non profit marketing piece.

There are tried and true components that direct mail copy editors employ to draw in donations that have worked for decades. Effective letters are long. They can be four, ten or even twenty pages because they need to convey and convince a donor to send in a gift.

As a major gift officer, one of the best ways to expand your list of potential donors is to identify natural partners, or someone with an existing or natural relationship with a potential donor. This person could be a business partner, family friend, or a fellow church parishioner. A natural partner can help your organization build strategic relationships that are genuine and align with your organization’s values.

Moves management is a term used to describe the plan your organization sets in place to “move” an individual through the donor life cycle. There are broadly four stages in the donor life cycle — identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

In many cases a form letter isn’t enough. Donors want to feel valued and included in your organization. It is critical to send a thank you as soon as a gift is received. Two days or less between a gift and a thank you with a tax document put in the mail is best practice.

While expectations vary across organizations, giving levels, and individual donors, universal expectations do exist across the nonprofit sector. Gift officers should focus on building trust, making the ask, and working to further their organization’s mission.

You are passionate about your organization’s mission. You want to set long and short-term goals to further your organization and make an impact. With everything you are responsible for, what is the best way to establish goals and keep everyone on track?

Nonprofit analytics can be found throughout your data, but when there are hundreds or thousands of data points, what matters? Whether you have decades of information or one year, there are metrics you can use to be more effective. In the Julep blog post, Nonprofit Analytics: Metrics for Decision Making, you will learn these three nonprofit analytics in your database to gather intel on who your donors are and how you are cultivating these relationships.

When launching a new organization or starting a new initiative, creating a mailing list can be one of the hardest steps. Here’s an inside look at how data companies how organizations build a solid mailing list.

Stewardship is the last step in the donor life cycle, but it is most important.

Receiving a grant can make a significant difference in an organization’s ability to make change in their communities. Applying for and writing grant applications can be a complex process to start, so here are some suggestions for first steps.

What is a capital campaign?

A capital campaign is usually a project started to raise funds for a specific goal with a defined start and end date. Often, they focus on a brick–and–mortar project, such as expansion or construction of a new building.

Your board of trustees is made up of individuals responsible for overall governance of a nonprofit. There is no rule or guideline on who can be a trustee, so anyone can serve. What makes a successful board member? When looking at potential candidates, prudently consider these factors:

Research is essential in identifying prospective donors for your organization. Identification is the first step in the donor lifecycle. In order to create a donor pipeline, you need to establish ways to identify giving capacity and affinity to your organization.

The standard Response Analysis report, often referred to as a “Bluebook”, is used for direct mail return analysis. Through a direct mail bluebook, you can compare segments within a package, look at returns, and even compare packages within programs. The information you see in the bluebook depends on what information you provide. The more information you upload to your CRM, the more you can assess your direct mail program.