Board Fundraising Menu

21JunJune 21, 2019 By Chad Barger, CFRE

Do you have a “fundraising board?” Did that question just make you laugh?

If so, you are not alone, many (most) nonprofit organizations struggle with engaging their board in the fundraising process. In my experience the issue typically comes down to one (or a combination of the following):

Lack of clarity on their role;
Lack of knowledge on how to perform their role;
Lack of motivation to complete their role

Productive Fundraising’s “Board Fundraising Menu” helps to address each of these issues by providing a list of 30+ ways that board members can assist with fundraising. It is designed as an exercise that board members complete where they indicate which tasks they are comfortable and willing to assist with. Download the sample, create a custom one for your organization and begin moving your board to a more engaged fundraising state.

Download It Here

What are your thoughts? Join the discussion in our private Facebook group, the Fundraising Fish Fry. @fundraiserchad and the other 250+ fundraisers in the community would love to hear from you!

Chad Barger, CFRE teaches small charities to fundraise more effectively. He is a sought after nonprofit fundraising consultant, trainer and coach. Chad is the chief strategist and owner of the firm Productive Fundraising, which specializes in affordable fundraising coaching for small, but mighty, nonprofit organizations. As a Master Trainer for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Chad is a frequent presenter at nonprofit conferences. Chad serves as an Adjunct Instructor at Messiah College, teaching their fundraising course.

@fundraiserchad sends out great fundraising tips a few times each week. Email subscribers also receive a FREE downloadable template, sample, checklist, etc. which is related to the tip and helps to fast track implementation. Want in? Subscribe today!

Interested in working directly with Chad? Then check out our Online Training Programs and Fundraising Coaching for Small Nonprofits.

Read more posts about: Fundraising | Appeals / Letters | Board Engagement | Donor Databases | Donor Stewardship | Events | Free Resources | Plans | Productivity

Chad Barger 2019. All Rights Reserved.

Fundraising Forecasting Template

02JunJune 2, 2019 By Chad Barger, CFRE

I’m practicing what I preach today. Rather than creating a fundraising forecasting tool for you, I’m sharing the awesome one that my friend Peter Drury created. Peter’s a great guy, incredible fundraiser and a fellow #afpeep. Here’s what he has to say about this great FREE tool …

“Do you ever feel like you’re swimming in information about relationships, prospects, potential asks, completed asks, grant opportunities… and then someone asks you for a forecast? (Usually they don’t ask for a forecast, but instead ask (with anxiety in their voice), “How are we doing this year? Are we going to make our goal? How confident are you we can make it?”

If you’ve ever struggled to answer the anxious questions above, and you’d like a methodical way of responding – that you can update once/monthly and always keep the forecast current – then this template has been made for you! I’ve created this template in Excel, with all formulas embedded, so you can simply swap out the fake names for real ones and use this to impress your board, peers, and executive director. More importantly, it will help keep your work in focus, so that you can more effectively manage opportunities and relationships and, in turn, raise more money.”

Download It Here

Grant Calendar Template [free download]

13MayMay 13, 2019 By Chad Barger, CFRE

Have you ever missed a grant deadline?

Or maybe more likely, a close out report deadline?

It’s easy to do. What’s the secret to avoiding it?

Get everything all in one place and check it regularly (monthly, if not weekly). Give our FREE Grant Calendar Template a download and make it your own.

[click to immediately download to your computer]

Lynne Wester’s Stewardship Report Swap

29AprMay 7, 2019 By Chad Barger, CFRE

Do you need to write a donor update or annual report? Do you want to do something different but are feeling uninspired?

Well, today I share my go to source … Lynne Wester, the Donor Relations Guru.

Lynne conducts the annual Stewardship Report Swap. This year she and her team received over 1,800 pages of stewardship report samples. These samples include endowment reports, customized top donor reports, annual reports, videos, websites, and more. Lynne beautifully combines and categorizes them and then puts them out to the fundraising community for free. Check them out (and her … she’s sassy fun and amazing … she was the first to coin the term “thask”).

Monthly Donor Conversion Request Template

16AprMay 7, 2019 By Chad Barger, CFRE

You’ve probably read the articles hyping the benefits of monthly giving. The key benefit for me is that the retention rate for monthly donors is somewhere in the 85% range (depending on the source), as opposed to the 45% average of all US charities (FEP, 2018). But how do you actually get monthly donors?

You can send out email blasts, you can include buck slips in your mailings, you can put a link on your homepage — these tactics will get you an occasional new monthly donor. But how do you really put some momentum behind this. The answer is simple: you ask, personally.

I’ve found with my clients that reaching out one to one with a personal request works best. I call the letter a win-win letter. It tells the benefits of monthly giving for both the organization and the donor. But the real key to making it work is personalization. It is a hand-signed letter. It has a note on it. It comes in a hand-addressed and stamped envelope. It looks like personal correspondence, because it is.

That’s how you get your request opened and get donors to respond. That’s how you get more monthly donors.

And finally, here’s what you came for: @fundraiserchad‘s monthly donor conversion request template. It’s free … give it a download today!

Donor Touch Point Listing

04AprMay 7, 2019 By Chad Barger, CFRE

So we all know that we should contact our donors more frequently, but not by asking. However, in the middle of trying to tackle our 172 item to do list it’s hard to be creative and come up with those outreach ideas that engage donors and make our organization stand out from the crowd.

Fear not, here are @fundraiserchad‘s top 25 ideas for reaching out to donors that don’t involve yet another ask. It’s free … give it a download today!

5 Steps to Smarter Fundraising

20MarMay 7, 2019 By Chad Barger, CFRE

Are you confused about where to start with fundraising? Are you overwhelmed with all of the options out there? Are you ready to focus and see better results?

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to use every possible fundraising technique. In fact, you will do better if you don’t. But where should you focus your effort?

Download this FREE GUIDE by @fundraiserchad: “Five Steps to Smarter Fundraising” for the answer.

Auction Item Wishlist Template

06MarMay 7, 2019 By Chad Barger, CFRE

Do you ask your board or event committee to bring in silent auction items but nothing happens? Is it like pulling teeth to get them to even round up gift cards from their favorite stores? You need to paint a picture for them and tell them what you actually want. Create some ideal auction packages and pass out the list. Then they can say “Oh yeah, I know the owner of that store. I can probably get that.” Otherwise they might not think of it.

What’s the tool here? An auction item wishlist template. Give @fundraiserchad‘s free template a download, tweak it for your organization, and make your event committees more productive!

Guide to the Best Charity Auction Items

28FebMay 7, 2019 By Chad Barger, CFRE

Here’s a great annual FREE resource for you. Every year pro auctioneer and charity auction expert Sherry Truhlar of Red Apple Auctions puts out a guide to the best auction items that she saw the previous year. She just released her 2018 list and it is chock full of great ideas for your next auction. Sure, the standard stuff is in there (wine, trips, etc.) but there are always a few innovative items that can inspire you to create something truly unique for your next auction. Give it a download today.

Consent Agenda Template

11FebMay 7, 2019 By Chad Barger, CFRE

free resource board meeting consent agenda

Does it seem like you spend your entire board meetings going through reports? Do you spend all your time talking about what has already happened and very little on the future? You need to get those reports out of your meeting discussion, read in advance and just accepted at the meeting. What’s the tool here? A consent agenda. Give @fundraiserchad‘s free template a download, tweak it for your organization, and reclaim your board meetings in the name of strategic discussion!

Category: Free Resources