47 Nonprofit Fundraisers Said

A recent road trip gave me the opportunity to listen to others doing the work in the arena of nonprofit fundraising.

I do two or three Altrui road trips a year, trips where I meet with current, past, and potential clients, along with my coffee klatches.

My coffee klatches are when I invite nonprofit fundraisers for a coffee (or in many cases this trip, an oat milk latte), inviting them to bring something they are working on (like their next e-appeal) or a challenge they’d like to talk about with a group of their peers.

The Altrui coffee klatches have been amazing for me personally, and give me a chance to support my world of nonprofit fundraising in building community for those in the arena.

My biggest takeaway from all of my interactions this time was that people are asking more, specifically with e-appeals. This is something I often write about and discuss with clients. I seldom engage with a nonprofit that is asking enough, especially with e-appeals.

Note: Remember that most of my clients are in the mission work of immigrants/refugees, unhoused youth, animal rights, and domestic violence. I say this because in these areas I find it common that organizations do not ask enough. I don’t know what it’s like for bigger, national orgs, hospitals, higher education, etc.

Another item that came up was challenges with board members. They brought up board members who are not supportive in any way. Three brought up board development committees that in their perspective are a complete waste of time. I’m planning on a separate article about this.

In regards to giving, specifically the giving I work in which is from individual donors and families, everyone I spoke with said their current fiscal year is looking good. Meaning they feel they will make budget. These conversations were heartening as I kept in mind all of the offical reports coming out with different data.

I’ll add that everyone at the coffee klatches is working with donors and community supporters in ways that grow those relationships. This always makes a difference.

As I drove home from Colorado something that kept coming up in my thoughts was that every person I connected with was positive about the immediate future of their work. This included some who are planning on leaving their current organizations.

And I feel better about our world of nonprofit fundraising after meeting with all of these people.

Here are a few other takeaways I learned from all of my interactions:

Everyone has the option to work from home at least two days a week.

Nonprofits need to do a better job with their 90 day reviews, and reviews in general. I specifically asked about this and didn’t like what I heard.

Half of the people I met with said they feel they are given what they need to succeed, and are given opportunities to support their growth.

One individual shared how they had lost a donor who did not support their investment in DEI work.

Four individuals said they have “difficult” or “strained” relationships with their director or CEO/ED.

Six of the organizations represented participate in Thanks for Giving Day, which I loved hearing!

One of my clients created an SOP for their data entry!

There are definitely several topics I can write additional articles on, and will do so. If you’d like to subscribe and receive an email when I publish new articles, you can subscribe on the main “Dan’s Tips” page.

Until then, I hope this is helpful to those in the arena of nonprofit fundraising. If you have any questions about the data I’ve shared, please let me know.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy this one: https://altrui.org/fundraising-tip-dont-let-a-failure-stop-you/

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Take a risk. Be of service. Support your friends and colleagues. Be kind.