Author: Michael Zubeck

It’s the end of the year and we are keeping the post short and sweet.  Read on to find some unique ways to give back this holiday season.

It’s the end of the year. Have you hit your fundraising goals? If you find yourself coming up a bit short, now is the time to rally!

December is the peak of the festive season. Everyone seems to be in a spirited mood so it’s a great time to ask for money for your cause as many are willing to spread their holiday joy. But it is also a time rife with competition as many nonprofits are also hoping to capitalize on the occasion. 

So, how can you stand out?

Happy Thanksgiving! It’s hard to believe this week is the “official” start to the holidays. For this edition of the Friday Five, we are getting festive and making a list…of five things for which we are most grateful. We’re doing this because it’s seasonal – it’s fun, of course! – and also because Research suggests practicing gratitude has a strong association with happiness. Don’t believe us? Harvard said so.

We are also encouraging you to make a list of 5 things you are grateful for this holiday season. With that, in no particular order here’s our 5.

The holidays, thanksgiving in particular, is a common time to be generous with both time and money.  In our post a few weeks ago, we discussed how to get ready for the last campaign push by focusing on cash donations. This week we’ll cover what you can do to help make the world a little brighter.

There are so many ways to get involved, it’s almost hard to wrap your head around it. Think of stuff like working at a food bank or volunteering to work the Salvation Army basket for the angel tree program.  A quick internet search will provide results for local charities including where and how to get started. After all, volunteering yourself could be a great way to learn how to best structure your own volunteering programs. 

But we understand life can get all life about things, and maybe there’s not time or capacity to get involved as a volunteer just yet. Being the change you want to see does not have to be the largest action, but rather can be started by many little – but meaningful – actions.  

For today’s Friday Five we will be breaking down some random acts of kindness.  If you are not familiar with the principle, it’s that each act of kindness will cause the recipient to do something kind in turn, keeping the cycle of kindness going. 

Here are a few ideas.

Happy Veterans Day! If you or someone you know is a veteran, we want to start by saying THANK YOU.  With this being one of the holidays in the upcoming frenzy of them, we thought it would be a great topic for this Friday Five.  A holiday aimed to show respect and gratitude for those who have bravely served in the military.  

Without further ado, some Veterans Day facts and organizations.

Happy Friday and welcome back to the Friday Five! It’s officially November. The weather is starting to shift cooler, clocks are – at least for another year – rolling back and the deluge of Halloween candy is a sign of the upcoming holidays. This is a time generally associated with being especially thankful and, most importantly,  generous.

The holiday season can be a perfect way to end your year of fundraising strong. Let’s make sure you are ready for the final push with a few helpful tips from your friends at DonorNinja.

Now that we are into the final stretch of October, it is a great time to start thinking about No-Shave November!  While some may grow out their facial hair for a little extra warmth, this web-based family run charity is raising both awareness and money for cancer education, prevention, and research.  

Due to the strong treatments that many cancer patients undergo, one common symptom is the loss of hair.  To raise awareness, No-Shave challenges participants to put down that razor, forgo the barber shop or salon and grow their hair out.  

So without further ado, here is what you need to know to gear up for No-Shave November?

Happy Friday. If you’re here, you’ve made it to the Friday Five! 

This week we’ll be talking about some modern tech solutions to ensure your organization has a professional look and takes advantage of every opportunity. From having a mobile friendly website to software which will “double your donations,” there are some great tools and tips available. Keep reading to learn how to take advantage of them.

Welcome back to another Friday Five. This week we wanted to revisit a pivotal piece of fundraising for successful nonprofits.   Grants are funding from the government that can be used or restricted to any number of purposes. Winning the grant is the first step in this process.  Once it is secured, managing it properly is just as important to continue qualifying and therefore receiving more funding and hopefully new grants as well.  

Since grants are funding from the government, there will be paperwork and organization that needs to take place.  At the end of the day this is similar to an audit.  Grants can be restricted by time, purpose, or both. Here are some tips to make managing your grants easier! 

It’s Friday, so obviously it’s Friday Five time. This week we’ll discuss Tribute and Memorial Giving.

America is widely considered to be one of the more generous countries when looking at donating time, money and assisting strangers. According to the World Index, when comparing countries over the years America ranks first, tied with Mayar. This is why so many nonprofits are able to be successful from sea to shining sea.

A common reason for donating is in someone’s name for a cause which is/was either dear to said person, or part of remembering them. This is referred to as a tribute or memorial donation.  Let’s get right to tips on how to keep track of your tributes and some best practices.