Communications and person-to-person relationship skills are as important for fundraisers as they ever were. However, today's fundraisers must also have finely honed technology skills, the ability to conduct data analysis, an understanding of social media, and experience relating to people from a variety of cultures. Competing for and attracting…

A challenge gift helps fundraisers reach goals by stimulating multiple aspects of a fundraising program. First, the message of a challenge grabs the attention of prospects and generally generates excitement beyond the case for support. It also commands the attention of the prospect managers in an organization, particularly when the challenge…

As the director of alumni affairs at the University of Waterloo, the author had two questions to answer: How engaged are the university's alumni, and how can advancement professionals double the current level of alumni engagement and alumni giving? The author explored these questions, found answers, and implemented the solutions. This was the…

Faced with large and continued cuts in state funding, U.S. public postsecondary institutions are looking for new ways to both communicate their needs and garner support. They are calling on longtime supporters, enlisting new allies, developing strategic alliances, and crafting new messages and campaigns--all to underscore the importance of higher…

Planned giving, which should not be considered just the domain of the super-wealthy, can be a solution for donors who are looking for secure income during their lifetimes--as well as tax benefits for themselves and their heirs. Even in difficult times, donors are most likely to consider a planned gift. Why? Quite simply, planned gifts are…

The fundraising landscape has been blistered by stock-market meltdowns and a financial sector that has repeatedly erupted in flames. In turn, the environment for development has turned icy, cooled by frozen credit markets and chilly consumer confidence. It is ragged, unstable terrain. Fundraisers, the ground moving beneath them, are unsure of…