Thought Leadership

No longer is it enough to be the best fundraiser in the room. Leaders of the modern fundraising enterprise have the responsibility and privilege to be so much more. Through a commitment to character development, continual learning, confirming the fundamentals, innovation, and modeling excellence, the leader of a development program can bring out the best from their team and build a successful program of significance. This preview of BeneFactors showcases the depth this book offers.

In just six weeks after the Ice Bucket Challenge began, the ALS Association saw $115 million in donations, and today, there is a new drug that shows real promise. But the success of the challenge often leaves board members and advancement leaders wondering, “How can we do this too? Is it worth trying to recreate the magic of viral success?”

If you work in healthcare, you likely have been the recipient of a call from a donor looking for help. The donor might be asking for help scheduling an appointment (often seeking a slot sooner than what the donor could get on their own), securing a private room, assisting a friend or family member in a medical crisis, or smoothing out a challenging healthcare experience. These requests raise a host of ethical and logistical challenges. Forces in society and the healthcare industry are shaping contemporary views of facilitated access programs. From healthcare equity to labor shortages to burnout, difficult times put more pressure on philanthropy to deliver.

Many nonprofits are questioning why the new MasterCard rules are being applied to recurring gifts. But as we at BWF think about the next generation of annual giving, this is not the right question. This article reframes this problem into positioning recurring gift offers as an opportunity for nonprofits to create a deeper, more meaningful relationship with donors—to move past the transaction and into engagement.

Understanding your organization in such a deep and real way takes time, energy, and effort, but the rewards are immeasurable. BWF’s Jay Wilson discusses why unique selling propositions (USP) work so well and what development offices can learn from these giants of corporate marketing and communications.

Dashboards are the proverbial tip of the iceberg for communicating actionable data. Below the surface is where the bulk of BI work takes place and is also where the majority of obstacles occur that can stop successful business intelligence implementation in its tracks. This article reviews some of the most common obstacles an organization may run into and how to clear the way for actionable data.

The environment for fundraising communications is a daunting one, with nonprofits of all sizes facing unprecedented competition in an overheated and at times overwhelming marketplace of ideas. Using these three keys for strong media relations work will also help fundraising communicators catch—and keep—the attention of their target audiences.

With more organizations than ever before considering campaigns, and with the “Great Resignation” creating a talent crunch across all areas of advancement, many leaders are considering campaign bonuses as a strategy to retain top performers. At BWF, we work to ensure you’re well positioned for fundraising success, and that includes how best to motivate and retain your fundraising team.

The “season of giving” is just around the corner, so it’s an appropriate time to discuss a question we often get from clients: Should we participate in Giving Tuesday?