"Resources: Fundraising Blog from the AFP Community"
They have been down the road you’re on, and their expertise is just a hop, skip and a blog away.
Some seasoned fundraisers and nonprofit leaders are finding self-published online columns and articles (a.k.a. blogs) to be a great way to share their wisdom and add to best practices in the field.
If you’ve ever met a veteran fundraiser and wished you could pick their brain, hear their stories and take a peek into their playbook, reading their blog might be the next best thing. They may post answers to questions you never thought to ask.
Who are these AFP members spending their time and energy posting thoughts, offering free advice and perspective and leaving links to pertinent info on fundraising? We know a few. We’re hoping to hear from others.
Straight Talk
“I’m of the old school of thought where you share what you know. Throw the best ideas you have out there for others to consider, share what’s worked for you,” said Jim Donovan, president and CEO of Donovan Management Inc. in Lake Monroe, Fla. “It’s just like attending a session and picking up samples and literature on your way out.”
So what brought Donovan into the “new school” of online blogging?
“It was my wife’s idea. I already write a newsletter, I’ve written books … ‘duh, you should do a blog,’ she said.”
Begun in October 2005, Donovan’s Donor Diary (www.fundraisingcorner.blogspot.com) has an archive of postings with lengthy original articles that include research and real-world examples. Donovan posts less frequently than some bloggers (once a month on average) but he spends considerable time collecting information and pinpointing new trends.
Donovan’s recent articles address fundraising in a tough economy—“The best time to raise money is when you need it,” he writes. Another article helps to debunk fundraisers’ qualms or objections to fundraising in these tough times. “Yes, money may be tight. Let the donor/prospect tell you that, don't assume you know,” he writes.
Faced with another comment he’s likely heard more than once in his 36 years of fundraising and consulting, Donovan doles out some fatherly advice in his September 2008 post:
We need to wait until there is a turnaround in the economy.
And when will that be? While your organization is waiting for this announcement from the business gurus on television, calculate how much money your organization left for the asking by nonprofit groups that kept asking while your organization sat on the sidelines. Even worse, imagine how crowded the starting line is going to be when television hosts Lou Dobbs, Jim Cramer and Larry Kudlow tell nonprofit leaders, "Ready, set, go."
Donovan gives advice on measuring the particular economic state of your region or locale, looking deeper to see what industries are being hit and what others are weathering or thriving in the tumult.
“Out there in the field I start to hear patterns in what my clients are saying, what their challenges are,” Donovan says. “You start spotting trends and issues sooner than they hit the news.”
Donovan said in addition to sharing knowledge and building some notoriety for his firm, blogging is simply therapeutic. “It’s a hoot,” he says.
Through a Veteran’s Lens
“Blogging is a way to be a thought leader in the profession,” explains Sue Woodward, CFRE, president of Woodward Associates in Potomac, Md. “It’s authentic, it’s yours.”
Woodward’s blog, Sue’s Muse (www.suesmuse.com) contains thoughts and advice on fundraising topics from direct mail to online appeals to major gifts. She also pulls together interesting articles and ideas from other sources on timely topics.
Sue updates her blog three times a week and credits her husband, Dereck, a writer by trade, as being her muse. “He will hand something to me from the paper and I’ll run with it,” she said.
“My main focus is to provide colleagues a tool for fundraising. It provides a snapshot, certainly not a complete strategy, but helpful tips and information. Personally, it’s a good release for me.”
A Growing Resource
Here is a list of AFP member fundraising blogs that we know about. Please email ewire@afpnet.org if you know of any others, or if you write one yourself! Please include the words “member blogs” in the email subject line.
- Donovan’s Donor Diary (www.fundraisingcorner.blogspot.com) by Jim Donovan, president and CEO of Donovan Management Inc. in Lake Monroe, Fla.
- Everyday Giving Blog (www.everydaygivingblog.com) by Roger Carr, founder of Everyday Giving in Fredericksburg, Va.
- Fundraising for Nonprofits blog (www.gayleroberts.com/blog) by Gayle Roberts, fundraising counsel, Fundraising for Nonprofits in San Francisco, Calif.
- New Voices of Philanthropy (www.newvoicesofphilanthropy.org) by Trista Harris, executive director of Headwaters Foundation for Justice in Minneapolis, Minn.
- Perspectives From the Pipeline (www.fromthepipeline.blogspot.com) by Rosetta Thurman, director of development and special programs at the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington in Washington, D.C.
- The Raiser’s Razor (www.theraiser.blogspot.com) by Jeremy Gregg, CFRE, director of development at Central Dallas Ministries in Dallas, Texas.
- Sue’s Muse (www.suesmuse.com) by M. Sue Woodward, CFRE, president of Woodward Associates in Potomac, Md.
AFP Fundraising Blogs
Don’t forget to check out the AFP Fundraising Resource Center blogs as well. Start with our “Blog of Blogs” for a list of all the topic areas we keep updated with timely and relevant information from across the web. Go to http://afprc1.blogspot.com and find the topics you are interested in, from disaster relief fundraising to our popular Recent News of Note blog. You can bookmark the webpage on your web browser or subscribe to news feeds that will send updated material directly to your inbox. Questions about the AFP blogs? Contact Resource Center staff member Reed Stockman at rstockman@afpnet.org.
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