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Should Board Members Be Required to Give?
Are board giving requirements a best practice or a bad idea? We report on trends and explore the real questions: Few debates can rile up board members more than the question, “Should our board have a giving requirement?” Many of …
How I Raised $1,000 on Facebook Without Breaking a Sweat
We at Blue Avocado want to encourage people to make use of Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networking sites as more ways to support our communities. At the same time, there’s so much hype about these sites that we also want to demystify them and te …
Fundraising Confessions of a Former Camp Fire Girl
Carrie Avery is both a foundation president and a volunteer fundraiser. In this First Person Nonprofit article she looks at fundraising from both angles: Growing up in Southern California, I loved being a Camp Fire Girl: the beac …
The Car Donation Controversy and the Right Way to Donate Your Car
Why is there a slightly sleazy vibe around car donations? Could it be the tacky, misleading-sounding billboards posted around town? As one example to the left, the “Outreach Center” (see news report) is reportedly a for-profit car liquidation fir …
The 411 on Starting a Car Donation Program
Does your radio station advertise for car donations? Blue Avocado reader Eric Haynes knows all about it — his Kansas City nonprofit accepts car donations and he's here with the inside story and how – surprisingly – to make it work on a modest scal …
Just Tell Me: What’s the Best Way to Raise Money? Choosing a Revenue Strategy
It's aggravating to have someone say (at a board meeting, for example), "Look at how they over there raise money! That's better than what we're doing . . . we should do that!" Or for a funder to tell you what they think is the bes …
In Search of Unicorns: Finding and Hiring Outside Grantwriters Part 2
In Part 1 of this article, Wes Mukoyama of Yu-Ai Kai asked the question: “As a small agency . . . how do I look for a grantwriter? I have talked to a few who either want to be paid by the hour or receive a percentage of the grant. Any suggestions …
Unicorns Found: Meet Two Grantwriters
In Part 1 of Blue Avocado's series on hiring grantwriters, we compared grantwriters to unicorns: elusive, seldom-seen miraculous creatures, possibly mythical. In researching this article we reached out to dozens of grantwriters. Here you have a cha …
In Search of Unicorns: Finding & Hiring Grantwriters, Part 1
Part 1 of 2 My small agency can’t afford to hire a full time fund developer. How do I look for a grant writer? I have talked to a few who either want to be paid by the hour or receive a percentage of the grant. I am perplexed. Any suggestions? – …
What Do I Say to a Donor or Funder?
Let’s say you’re at a reception, a conference, or a holiday party and across the room you see someone who has made a donation or a grant to the organization on whose board you serve. What do you say? First, thank the donor: “Glad to meet you. I …
