“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” — Martin Luther King, Jr. I love this quote because it’s so very true, especially when it comes to sustainers—no matter where you are in your monthly donor program. If you have a small number of them, you always want to be moving toward growing that number: to the next 50, to the next...

A colleague consultant asked me this question last week, and I was discussing this very same thing with another organization myself. Great timing! A nonprofit in the process of launching its monthly donor program has its annual gala coming up this spring. It’s a fancy event—heavy hors d’oeuvres, silent and live auction, including a “fund-a-need” focused on something they need for their program. Donors typically pay $100 to $150 for a...

Last week, NonProfit PRO organized a webinar called “Effectively Managing a Monthly Giving Program that Exceeds the Thousand-Sustainer Mark,” sponsored by CharityEngine. The organization featured was the Wounded Warrior Project, and the focus was on how they acquired sustainers and then managed those sustainers (the back-end). It was exciting to hear from such a big organization, and it brought me back to my days of managing a large sustainer...

As we’re all getting closer to our own tax filing deadline, nonprofit organizations have to give consideration to their own tax filings as well, May 15th is right around the corner! That’s why I’m pleased to share a guest blog by James Gilmer, Harbor Compliance A Primer and Pitfalls on IRS Form 990 One of the most important tasks for nonprofits, no matter their industry or purpose, is the annual IRS 990 return. For new...

CAPTCHA  means Completely Automated Public Turing Test To Tell Computers and Humans Apart. Captchas are those funny looking characters you see on some web pages before check out or before donating. Basically, they want to make sure the person filling in the form is real. While this is a great idea and essential, Do Not Make The Captcha Too Complicated! This is an example of where the web folks and fundraisers have to get together and get on the...

“Thank you for all your guidance as we implement a monthly giving program.   Your assistance really helped us in our decision making… Thank you greatly”. – Michael   Lately I’m hearing from more and more organizations who just have a few questions as they’re implementing their monthly giving program. You’ve figured out the basics. You’ve implemented the program but you’re just stuck...