For Impact Daily Nuggets

Funding Pitch vs. Dialogue: The Science Says Don’t Pitch

2025-08-08T14:56:04Z

We spend a lot of time and effort trying to rewire the fundraising mindset of emerging social entrepreneurs and fundraisers to move away from ‘pitching’ prospects. The image of pitching is born and reinforced through pitch competitions, showcases, and pitch decks. In a pitch competition world, they’re trained to build a deck and hone a […]

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Focused and Scalable Fundraising: Commit to Sales

2025-07-16T15:55:26Z

If sales were a brand, it would have a negative brand association for many people. This is because the barrier to entry to sales is low, and there are a lot of bad sales people. However, study the very best sales people and sales teams anywhere, in any sector, and you will find: The greatest […]

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Leading a Funding Conversation

2025-03-06T19:15:15Z

We’ve all been in funding conversations that went sideways or got away from us. With the right awareness, planning, and tools, you can usually prevent this. In fact, with the right awareness, planning, and tools, you can LEAD a funding conversation. Here are some tips and reminders to help you lead. Have a visit goal. […]

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Fundraising Market Potential

2025-01-08T21:12:08Z

When evaluating a for-profit business, investors immediately ask about market potential: are there billions of dollars available across a global market? Or is revenue limited to weekend foot traffic at a local store? When building a nonprofit fundraising strategy, market potential is just as crucial. Is there money for what you’re doing? And, who is […]

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Set better visit goals to qualify, ask, and close gift commitments faster

2024-08-22T17:42:49Z

It’s important to create a distinction between a relationship goal and a visit goal. Every relationship should have a goal. And, every visit should have its own clear and unique goal that helps you get to the relationship goal. Here is an example of both types of goals working together: Relationship Goal: Secure a major gift of $100,000+ for our three-year […]

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Making the Ask: Best Practices

2024-01-17T16:02:05Z

On a call last week, I was asked to cover some of the best practices for making an ask. This article covers the points of my response. First, there are two best practices to highlight before you get to an ask. Have a goal of getting to an ask on a specific visit. I’m not saying […]

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What Makes a Good Fundraiser?

2023-09-22T14:46:42Z

I’ve probably interviewed hundreds of development candidates and coached thousands. What makes a good fundraiser? First, the mistakes and table stakes. Mistakes: I see people hire for rolodex. While I’ve seen a few connections get made, 90% of the time this is a bust. Individual relationships can impact strategy (eg. how easy it is to get a […]

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The Foundational Framework for High Dollar Fundraising

2024-01-19T20:19:46Z

These two words, arranged from left to right, illustrate a powerful framework to help us with fundraising. Impact drives income. Insight: It’s not the other way around. Whereas we often start with a need (a funding goal, a capital campaign, a budget), in order to raise the funds, we must excel at articulating and engaging with […]

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Announcing Our Podcast, “Deep Dive For Impact”

2023-08-24T21:03:56Z

We’re thrilled to announce our new podcast, “Deep Dive For Impact,” hosted by our CEO, Nick Fellers! Join us as we tackle big questions in fundraising for nonprofits and social enterprises. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, this podcast will both inspire you and give you some practical tips as you continue […]

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Building a Strong Fundraising Team Culture – Guiding Principles

2023-08-17T20:45:44Z

We spend a lot of time helping fundraising teams become more efficient and effective. This includes clarifying goals, roles, and responsibilities; building skills; and strategizing portfolios. This is where ‘sales’ is a handy concept. We can build a function around the building and maximizing of relationships one-on-one. Beginning with the end in mind, we do an […]

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Team Selling on a Visit – Goals and Roles

2023-05-25T16:25:13Z

Here are some things to think about among team members as you prepare your visit strategy. Clarifying the goal In a sales model, every visit with a prospect or lead should have goals. Relationship building and networking are not goals, they are underlying principles (see ‘No More Cultivation Visits’). Clearly articulate the goal of the […]

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Using an Action Forcing Event to close gift commitments

2023-05-12T14:00:04Z

When we find ourselves struggling to firm up pending commitments, we often look at ways to use an Action Forcing Event as part of our follow-up strategy. The concept was first introduced to me by someone who had spent his career in the U.S. State Department. He served as a committed board member and we […]

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