Nonprofit Fundraising ArticlesPractical guidance for nonprofit fundraising leaders.
Deep dives on capital campaigns, mid-level donor engagement, and legacy giving, drawn from decades of feasibility studies, quiet-phase asks, and public-phase calling programs.
8 min read
Is the Phonathon Dead? What Works Now for Calling Programs
Anthony R. Alonso on why the traditional phonathon is struggling and what still works in telefundraising.
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7 min read
Donor Engagement Strategies That Actually Move Mid-Level Donors
Anthony R. Alonso on defining mid-level donors, the touches that build loyalty before the ask, and upgrading donors the right way.
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8 min read
How to Start a Planned Giving Program (Without Waiting for a Planned Giving Director)
Anthony R. Alonso on who to ask first, keeping the first conversation simple, and closing and stewarding bequests.
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8 min read
Your Donor File Has No $1M Prospects. Now What?
A strong feasibility study but no $1 million prospects in your database? Anthony Alonso on finding lead gifts outside your file, building the committee, and a gift chart you can raise.
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13 min read
The Annual Fund: Where Donor Relationships Become Lasting Philanthropy
Gwen Paxon on building an annual fund around relationships: clean data, real segmentation, lapsed donors, recurring gifts, pledge follow-through, stewardship, and a path to major and planned gifts.
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10 min read
A New Tax Incentive, and How to Use It in a Donor Conversation
Zina Birmingham on the 2026 charitable deduction for donors who don't itemize: what it is, what not to say, which lapsed donors to call first, and where the tax change belongs in the conversation.
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8 min read
Loyalty, Not Wealth: Jeff Grandy on Finding Your Next Legacy Donor
Jeff Grandy joins The Fund Raising School's First Day podcast to explain why loyalty identifies planned giving prospects better than wealth does, and how to open that first conversation.
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11 min read
Only 4% of Your Donor Database Gave This Year. Here’s How to Win the Rest Back.
Anthony R. Alonso on calculating your active donor rate, segmenting a lapsed donor file, cleaning the data, and running a letter-plus-call reactivation program that reaches people.
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8 min read
Why People Give: Trust, Connection, and the Moment to Act
Amy C. Wiles on why donors rarely give because an organization has a need, and what actually makes someone ready to act on something they already care about.
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8 min read
Why a Feasibility Study Matters Before a Capital Campaign
Jeff Grandy on why campaigns rarely struggle because the mission is weak, and how a feasibility study tests the goal, the case, the leadership, and the prospect pipeline before you go public.
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6 min read
National Make a Will Month: The Planned Giving Conversation You Keep Avoiding
Anthony R. Alonso on why National Make a Will Month is the perfect low-pressure moment to start the bequest conversation, and the two-tier calling model that turns loyal donors into legacy donors.
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7 min read
Giving USA 2026: Record Giving, the Great Wealth Transfer, and the Ask We Keep Avoiding
Anthony R. Alonso on what Giving USA 2026's record $617.2 billion, a 19.7% jump in bequest giving, and the aging of the Baby Boomer generation mean for nonprofit fundraisers who've stopped asking.
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7 min read
Understanding Latino Philanthropy: Lessons for Nonprofit Fundraisers
Anthony Alonso on why 'Latinos don't give' is a myth, what the data actually says about Hispanic and Latino giving, and how to frame a case for support that resonates.
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6 min read
The Ask Ladder: How to Structure a Major Gift Solicitation
How to build an ask ladder, plan a three-visit solicitation, and frame naming opportunities so major donors say yes.
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6 min read
Planning a Capital Campaign: The Gift Chart and Quiet Phase
The gift chart math, feasibility study, board participation standard, and quiet-phase discipline behind a successful capital campaign.
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6 min read
Growing Your Legacy Society: Why Aren't We Asking?
Who your best legacy giving prospects really are, the two-step call process that closes bequests, and why loyalty beats wealth every time.
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5 min read
Seven Touchpoints: Building Donor Loyalty Between Asks
The low-cost touchpoints, from the 'five by ten' calling habit to digital voicemail drops, that build donor loyalty and quietly upgrade mid-level gifts.
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4 min read
Key Steps for Soliciting Major Donors
Catapult's “four-right rule” for turning long-time supporters into major gift donors: the right person asking the right prospect for the right amount at the right time.
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6 min read
Multi-Channel Fundraising — Are You Missing the Mark?
Anthony Alonso on why digital fundraising alone can't upgrade donors or build a major gift pipeline, and the segmentation, storytelling, and calling strategy that can.
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5 min read
The State of Fundraising in Nevada
Nevada ranks 49th out of 50 states in WalletHub's 2025 Most Charitable States study. What the data actually means for capital campaign strategy.
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5 min read
How Much Does a Capital Campaign Cost?
What drives capital campaign consulting fees, typical fee structures, and how to think about ROI before you sign a contract.
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3 min read
How to Effectively Use the Phone Today
Anthony R. Alonso on why telefundraising is far from dead, and the two-step, personalized method that lifts gift sizes 25 to 30 percent.
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14 min read
Capital Campaigns, Mid-Level Donor Engagement, and Legacy Giving: A Best Practices Guide
Feasibility studies, gift charts, donor upgrade paths, and legacy call scripts, the practical playbook nonprofits use to raise more at every donor level.
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