fundraising Archives - Spokes | Resources for Nonprofits

Nonprofit Storytelling

February 7, 2025 by Jordan Jerkovich

In our recent Board Academy session focused on Fundraising and Resource Development, we discussed the importance of storytelling. To create a lasting emotional connection with the general public, media and donors, your board of directors––and actually every member of your organization––should be prepared to tell their own impactful story as it relates to your organization’s mission.

Given recent executive actions affecting nonprofits, storytelling to donors, media and Congress is increasingly critical. You need to be able to effectively communicate why your organization is important, and what would happen if it wasn’t here?

Here are some components of effective nonprofit storytelling from ChatGPT:

1. A Relatable Protagonist

Focus on a real person, group, or community that has benefited from your work.
The protagonist should be someone your audience can empathize with.

2. A Compelling Challenge

Highlight the struggle or problem the protagonist faced before your nonprofit stepped in.
Make the challenge specific, urgent, and emotionally resonant.

3. A Clear Resolution (Impact of Your Work)

Show how your nonprofit’s intervention made a difference.
Use concrete details, data, and personal testimonials to illustrate success.

4. Emotional Connection

Use emotions like hope, joy, or perseverance to engage your audience.
Show, don’t just tell—use vivid descriptions, quotes, and imagery.

5. A Call to Action (CTA)

Inspire your audience to take action (donate, volunteer, share the story, etc.).
Make the CTA clear, direct, and easy to follow.

6. Authenticity and Transparency

Stay true to the story and avoid exaggeration or manipulation.
If using real individuals, obtain permission and respect their privacy.

7. Multi-Channel Delivery

Use visuals, videos, and testimonials to enhance engagement.
Adapt your story for different platforms (social media, website, email, video, etc.).

Check out this Forbes article for more storytelling tips and tools. If you’re looking to invest in your storytelling abilities, the annual Nonprofit Storytelling Conference is a great resource.

Analyzing a New Fundraising Campaign

December 13, 2024 by Jordan Jerkovich

During a recent Development Directors Roundtable, a participant expressed disappointment that a new fundraising campaign, which she had been excited about and had high hopes for, was yielding low returns. A discussion ensued about whether to bolster efforts—or throw in the towel.

While everyone agreed the campaign seemed like a strong idea, it was suggested that some further analysis was necessary.

I found an article from OneCause that offers a few reasons why taking time to analyze your fundraising campaign or event is worthwhile:

It helps you track how your campaign is doing so you can make adjustments and improvements along the way.
It tells you how well the campaign performed against your goals.
It puts benchmark data in place that you can use to improve future fundraising campaigns.

HERE are their 5 Tips for Analyzing Your Online Fundraising Campaigns.

Beyond the Thank You Letter

October 16, 2022 by Michael Simkins

We all have some way of thanking our donors formally for gifts to our organizations. It might be an email or a postal letter. But then what? Are you done? Not if you want that donor to make the next gift.

Gillian Cole-Andrews recently shared ideas for making an annual calendar for continuing to engage your donors.

January. No one wants to give money in January. Send a “pre-tax letter” that thanks the donor for gifts made during the year, with a total figure of what was given.
February. This is the “lybunt” and “sybunt” month. That means you will write to your donors who gave to you last year but not this year, and those who gave to you some year but not this year. Write and thank them.
March. It’s “tour month.” Find a way to bring significant donors to see what you do, whatever it is.
April. Event month. Well, according to your organization’s calendar it might be a different month, but take advantage of whatever annual event you do to engage your donors in ways that reinforce their understanding of your mission and your work. If you have a big party, make it mean something in terms of what you do.
May. This can be your “annual appeal” in contrast to your end-of-year appeal.
June, July , August. Can you celebrate an anniversary? Of your organization’s existence? Of a program?
October. Send your impact report. Remind people that you exist and what you do and accomplish.
November. Tie a solicitation to something happening this month. Thanksgiving? Susan B. Anthony? Military Family Month?
December. This is your end-of-year annual appeal.

Certainly you can juggle some of these around or substitute different activities. The point is to create a annual plan for yourself to make donor appreciation and cultivation manageable.

For further reading:

Post-Pandemic Fundraising

May 13, 2021 by Grace Nielsen

As we watch the world slowly return to a new normal after a global crisis, it’s important to assess which fundraising strategies we have used during the pandemic are worthwhile to continue. Traditional and long-standing fundraising plans have been replaced with more flexible and innovative ideas. Some nonprofits enjoy and find value in online fundraising while others anxiously await in-person events.

Did the pandemic strengthen or strain your organization’s online presence? No matter how your nonprofit decides to fundraise post-pandemic, here are five resources that may offer ideas and guidance.

The European Fundraising Association surveyed over 800 charitable organizations on the skills they have relied on to persevere during the pandemic and reported that digital fundraising capabilities and strategic financial planning are two of the most crucial skills to maintain in a post-pandemic world.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy covers what fundraisers hope will stick post-pandemic, which could mean changing the traditional rules of fundraising and relying on donor trust to fundraise for unknown potential and possibilities.

NonProfit Pro provides examples of innovative uses of online fundraising and how they can remain useful post-pandemic. Volunteers of America Illinois utilizes Facebook for donor acquisition, United Service Organization conducts virtual fireside chats to connect with donors, and the Boys & Girls Club of America has begun to evolve their fundraising messaging to be more strength and equity based.

Nonprofit Tech for Good lists fundraising trends which resulted from the pandemic such as virtual events, recurring giving, strong connections with other organizations, and more.

AFP outlines fundraising planning in 2021 and preparing for a new era with suggestions such as holding hybrid in-person and online events, re-examining your donor database, and remaining intentional about increasing diversity in all aspects of your nonprofit.

The Purpose and Importance of a Gift Acceptance Policy

January 7, 2019 by The Spokes Team

A Gift Acceptance Policy is an important document for following best practices in nonprofit fundraising. This policy determines in advance which type of donations or gifts the organization will or will not accept. It might seem odd to think of turning down any type of donation when nonprofits are usually so strapped for funds, but that’s one of the primary benefits of developing a Gift Acceptance Policy: to anticipate and think through unusual situations related to donations or gifts to the nonprofit before they occur.

This type of policy is normally used to determine how to handle “Non-Standard Contributions” to the nonprofit. Having a policy for gift acceptance to review non-standard contributions is not legally required, but it is considered a best practice for nonprofit governance. The IRS defines these types of gifts as the “contribution of an item that is not reasonably expected to be used to satisfy or further the organization’s exempt purpose and for which (a) there is no ready market to liquidate the donation to convert it to cash, and (b) the value of the item is difficult to ascertain or speculative.” https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/tools-resources/gift-acceptance-policies

Therefore, if the potential contribution doesn’t further the mission and values of the nonprofit, it could be difficult to deal with and might cause a distraction from your normal activities. For example, a nonprofit that provides some form of housing might be offered a parcel of land with a home. While this might seem to further the mission of the organization, it could end up being a distraction if the property needs major repairs, has tax issues, or raises any other concerns that would make it hard (or impossible) to sell or use for the intended mission of the nonprofit. Trying to deal with the gift might take a long time and require countless staff hours, impacting your already limited budget.

Of course, there could be non-standard gifts that the nonprofit can handle and turn into an asset for the organization. The Gift Acceptance Policy allows you to determine where the offer falls, and can help head off any awkwardness with a donor if you know right away that the gift does not meet the nonprofit’s donation criteria. Having a clear-cut guide for gift eligibility also lessens any chance for misunderstanding or miscommunication with potential donors.

While you might not face the issue of a non-standard contribution, it is an advantage for a nonprofit to have this policy as it clarifies what the organization will or will not accept, and why. It lets the Board of Directors think through donation issues before they arise in order to better address them. The first consideration should always be that any gift accepted by the nonprofit must support and further the mission and values of the nonprofit. It also helps to define the type of in-kind contributions that the nonprofit can’t handle or dispose of easily or safely.

Your Gift Acceptance Policy doesn’t have to be elaborate. It can be as simple as a statement from the Board of Directors saying the organization “reserves the right to turn down any gift that is not in keeping with its mission or that it feels it cannot properly steward.” Alternatively, the policy can be more detailed and extensive depending on how the nonprofit is structured.

A Gift Acceptance Policy must be disclosed on IRS Form 990 by completing Schedule M, as well as reporting any non-cash contributions/in-kind gifts. (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f990sm.pdf)

Upholding a Gift Acceptance Policy is a best practice for nonprofits. You can learn much more about these policies and get guidance to develop your own from the references in the article and this additional resource:

Gift Acceptance Policy Template https://bloomerang.co/resources/templates/gift-acceptance-policy-template/