Welcome to The Fundraising Authority! Be sure to check out our Fundraising Basics and Article Archives for tons of great fundraising information.

Last Day to Register for The Art of the Ask

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This is a reminder that today (Friday, January 30th) is the last day to register for our new class The Art of the Ask: How to Successfully Ask Anyone for a Donation to Your Non-Profit.  Registration closes at 7 PM. During this 4 week multimedia class, you’ll learn everything you need to know to make […]

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How to Find Amazing Items to Sell at Your Next Silent Auction (Part II)

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Silent auction events are an integral part of the yearly fundraising cycle for many non-profit organizations.  In this two-part series, we’re taking a look at how non-profits of any size can find amazing items to auction off at their events. In Part I, we discussed how to get your board, donors, volunteers and event committee […]

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How to Find Amazing Items to Sell at Your Next Silent Auction (Part I)

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As any organization that holds silent auction events can tell you, one of the most difficult aspects of holding amazing silent auctions is finding amazing items to sell at your event. While finding large sponsors and getting people to come to the event are both more important in terms of overall dollars raised, ultimately, if […]

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Fundraising Authority Podcast #21: How to Build Strong Donor Relationships Online

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The donor cultivation funnel isn’t just for offline fundraising.  Non-profits can and should be building strong relationships with their donors online (including through e-mail, social media and on  their organization’s website).  Great online cultivation leads to more donors, bigger gifts, and better donor relationships. In today’s podcast, online fundraising and marketing expert John Haydon teaches […]

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How to Make Better Fundraising Asks

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How do you feel when you sit down with a donor – face to face – to make a fundraising ask? Do you feel nervous, anxious, or worried?  Or do you go into the ask confident that the donor will say yes – and will thank you for the opportunity to invest in your work? […]

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Steal This Thank You Letter! A Sample Donor Thank You Letter for Your Non-Profit

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Thank you letters have long been seen by many fundraisers as “gottados” – one of those things you just “gotta do” to get to the real work of fundraising, like writing newsletters and having lunches with major donors at great restaurants downtown. Many development pros are starting to wake up the fact that thank you […]

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The 8 Fundamentals of Supercharged Grant Fundraising

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Grants can be a great source of funding for non-profits of all sizes.  While every organization – no matter how small or large – should be focused primarily on individual fundraising, grants canb e a great complement to your other fundraising efforts. If you want to raise as much as possible for your organization through […]

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Thinking Bigger in Fundraising in 2015 (Non-Profit Blog Carnival)

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I’m a big fan of thinking big.  Really, really big. Far too many non-profits play “small ball,” always thinking about how to incrementally move the ball forward, without looking for a way to really turn that dial.  Yet, as non-profits, we are doing life-changing, world-shaking work (or at  least we should be, even if it […]

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What You Can Learn about Fundraising by Playing Poker

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Poker is one of America’s favorite pastimes – particularly Texas Hold’Em, which has dramatically risen in popularity over the past 20 years. You might play some poker, or maybe not… but either way, did you know that there are several real lessons you can learn as a fundraiser by playing poker? It’s true. And I’m […]

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Thank You!

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As we enter the home stretch of the holiday season and the end of 2014, I want to thank you for being a part of our Fundraising Authority community.  Most of all, I want to thank you, and everyone at your organization, for the good work you are doing each and every day. Whether you […]

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