Aaron Davis

3 done-for-you tools that I use to raise millions: - Simple Major Gifts Strategy (1.5 pages clear roadmap to goal) - Major Gifts Projections (with built-in formula to calculate what you can expect to raise based on data) - Donor Engagement Tracker (week-by-week planning tool to build relationships with top donors) I'm walking folks through how to use these tools and implement them inside my workshop next week End of Year Major Gifts Strategy Workshop. If you've got a major gifts portfolio and are looking to raise a least $500,000 in the next 4 months, you don't wanna miss this. Get a clear roadmap done and dusted next week with me and your peers to kick ass this year-end. Learn more and sign up here: julieordonez.com/training

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“Those who have been systematically excluded from philanthropy are pushing funders to rethink their approach to disrupting inequality. To help shift deeply rooted power dynamics, foundations must ensure that historically marginalized communities set the agenda. They also need to make clear to established groups that they share or cede power to more diverse voices, just as funders must diversify their own ranks. It is worth stating the obvious: this work demands that foundations move beyond the typical “add and stir” approach to women or people of color or rural or disabled or LGBTQ+ people, which imagines that simple (and often symbolic) inclusion is all it takes to solve a deep-seated problem. Being attentive to power can be complicated, but some parts are straightforward. Funders can think about how they structure convenings and be intentional about who is invited and who is speaking. Foundation staff can compare their grants: Who gets more money? Who gets less? Who gets none? And foundations can build these considerations into their strategic work. Finally, foundations must hire people with less elite backgrounds and more diverse experiences to become program officers.”

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DEMONSTRATING NEED & IMPACT IN FUNDRAISING In an increasingly competitive landscape, showing the need for your work and your impact is critical for securing donor support. Here’s how non-profits can strengthen their case in fundraising: 1. Evidence of Need: * Use data and research from credible sources to highlight the scale of the issue you address (e.g., homelessness rates in your area). * Gather letters of support from credible individuals and organisations. * Collect community input and share real-life stories that show how the issue affects individuals. * Testimonials and interviews provide powerful, first-hand insights. * Demonstrate unmet demand through waiting lists or gaps in services. * Share case studies that make the need relatable and personal. 2. Demonstrating Impact: * Use clear metrics and track your work, such as the number of people helped or services provided. * Go beyond inputs, outputs and outcomes and demonstrate the long-term impact of your work. * Partner with third parties for independent evaluations to build credibility. * Share case studies highlighting beneficiary stories to give a human face to your successes, before-and-after stories are incredibly compelling. * Offer transparent financials to show exactly how donations are being used and the tangible difference they make. 3. Combine Need & Impact in Your Storytelling: * Use your fundraising campaigns to tie together the need and impact. Share the problem and how your organisation is solving it in a measurable, sustainable way. * Visual content like photos, videos, and infographics can really bring the story to life. * By weaving together both the need and your impact, your organisation will not only build trust but also inspire meaningful support. Contract @Heaward Solutions to help build powerful bids that clearly set out your case and effectively tell your story. What strategies have worked for you when evidencing need and impact? Share your thoughts below! #NonProfitLeadership #Charity #Fundraising #Impact #Schools #SocialEnterprise #CIC #Community

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Have you ever wondered why people give and what makes them altruistic? A recent study and following book sought to answer this question, specifically from donors that make BIG gifts. A few high-level takeaways: - Being in community and trying to make an impact with others changes you. - Donors are willing to give much more than money and believe in the power of all the gifts they can make (think time, talent, ties, testimony). - The personas of donors and specifically whether they are entrepreneurial and risk-taking or not can strongly influence how they want to engage around transformational projects. Accordingly, here are some ways to help donors identify giving opportunities that match their motivations: - Creating community for your donors will set your nonprofit apart and help fill their cup in seriously meaningful ways. - Ask people what they want to give and make it easy for them to make gifts beyond money. This does NOT apply to seriously unhelpful gifts in kind, aka crap donors want to offload onto you. - Like an investment manager, ask donors what their risk tolerance around their giving is. - Get into their story - find out what makes them a giver and look to understand the multiple motivators donors may have at one given point in time.

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In fundraising, it is crucial not only to tell but show your donors how their contributions are making a difference within your mission and vision. You must communicate your organization’s impact to your donors regularly and effectively so they are more likely to encourage repeat donations. A donor impact letter is a key tool to accomplish this task. Check out my recent post on how and why you should build donor impact letters into your organization’s communication mix. https://lnkd.in/e_wt2iHK #fundraising #nonprofits

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Capacity-building grants are key to helping nonprofits scale their community impact. Yet, when grants rely too heavily on metrics, they can overlook real community needs—creating a mismatch between funders and grantees, especially for Black and Indigenous-led organizations. This blog post from Exponent Philanthropy's Hannah Smith—Manager, Editorial and Publications—underscores the importance of making capacity-building grants more flexible, particularly for organizations led by Black and Indigenous people. At Foundant, we’re grateful to see these crucial discussions becoming more commonplace and encourage even more dialogue around equitable philanthropy in the future. Learn more at: https://okt.to/cEsTr5 #capacitybuilding #foundantforphilanthropy #capacitybuildinggrants

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Stop 'talking the talk' and start 'walking the walk' ❗ This report is full of actionable insights on how funders can put systems thinking to better use when it comes to philanthropy 👏 No one can change a system or make long term-changes alone! So it's brilliant to see this forward-thinking approach of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and their continued effort in getting funders to increase their impact through collaborating 🤝 Read more ⤵️ #philanthropy #grantmaking #charities #systemschange #report #impact

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As we know, without additional information or guidance, many coastal donors tend to fund locally or in geographies they are familiar with. Grateful to Inside Philanthropy for recognizing The Just Trust as one of the key organizations funding and partnering with criminal justice leaders in the South, one of the most under-resourced areas for philanthropy and investment in our issue area. This is how to develop solutions that can work in all 50 states and political contexts. Full article here: https://lnkd.in/g_ky4VKz

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Day 2 of 15: highlighting lessons from Urban Institute's Youth Apprenticeship Intermediary project. How Registration Agencies Can Promote Youth Apprenticeship (https://lnkd.in/eTE-6X_6), by John Marotta Jr. and I, is part of a series of resources featuring lessons for different types of key stakeholders in youth apprenticeship. State and federal apprenticeship registration agencies have taken different approaches to the registration of youth apprenticeship programs, with some states proactively seeking to expand them and others approach youth apprenticeship with more caution. This has contributed to a wide variation in the scale of youth apprenticeship opportunities across states. To support youth apprenticeship expansion, registration agencies can: - Remove barriers to simplify and expedite the process for registering youth apprenticeship programs, as well as proactively add incentives, such as funding for sponsors to launch or expand programs. - Create a clear process for intermediaries and other national apprenticeship stakeholders to coordinate with the registration agency and each other when they come to a new state, so that organizations are not accidentally overlapping in their efforts and instead collaborating smoothly. - Establish clear parameters for registering youth apprenticeship programs so that sponsors know what to expect from state to state. OA could facilitate this process by issuing standard guidance required for all states so that youth apprenticeships are approved through a consistent review process. - Use youth apprenticeship to bolster apprenticeship in nontraditional occupations, which is a goal for many registration agencies. Based on our YAI project, a larger share of youth apprentices enter nontraditional occupations than apprentices in the registered apprenticeship system overall.

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Nonprofit leaders: Wanna do events differently? Tired of… - months of planning - silent auctions - well-intentioned committees who remain unhelpful - hundreds of emails and meetings Even when you achieve your event goals (money raised, great headcount, amazing people in the room) you and your team are beyond exhausted. There is a better way. In my career of 15 years of major gifts fundraising and nonprofit leadership, my favorite way to do events is simple, no hard cost to the nonprofit and low-lift for the internal team. My strategy builds a stronger sense of ownership over the mission and organization in your most loyal supporters and brings in new donors. One of the best parts: it’s zero cost. The only cost is minimal staff time and travel to and from the event. That’s it. I’m sharing my step by step playbook on how I do zero cost events that strengthen relationships with current supporters and bring in new ones. Join my July 23 for Events That Don’t Suck live 2-hour training plus playbook including email templates, scripts and entire planning toolkit I use. It’s only $197. Limited to 200 leaders. Register at the link in the comments or click the link in my profile. This is the perfect time to do events differently this fall and giving season. Hope to see you there! Photo: My husband and I in Palm Springs last weekend celebrating his birthday.

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Adding urgency to fundraising appeals is easy in times of great need during events like natural disasters, crises, and other emergencies. However, it is not always easy to create a sense of urgency in your fundraising appeals and convince your audiences that your organization needs their support now rather than later. This Donorbox blog post shares tips on developing your appeals to create a sense of urgency that helps you quickly meet your nonprofit’s fundraising goals. https://lnkd.in/eXuE3prz #fundraising #nonprofits

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Nonprofit Fundraisers: I’m going to give you two pieces of advice that might sound contradictory... ONE: All board members need training to understand their role in fundraising (especially pipeline work). TWO: Nonprofit fundraising staff shouldn’t wait for their board when it comes to fundraising. Go build your pipeline. Those feel contradictory. But, both are true at the same time. You see, there’s often a hesitancy among some of the fundraising teams I work with. I guess I’d describe it as actively waiting. It’s tempting to believe your board will eventually figure it out or that time will take care of it for you…but that rarely happens and at the end of the day they’re not experts at fundraising. Should we equip the board to resource your organization? YES - It’s their job as board members. Should we wait for our pipeline to grow until this occurs? NO - There's plenty of fundraising work the team can do themselves. -- Last thing I’ll say about this today. CEO: Have you equipped your fundraising team with the skills and knowledge to build a 3X pipeline of investment-level donors? If not….that might be why they’re waiting for your board. 🔥Invest deeply in your team first and the board will follow. Want to know more about how I do this? You can see the methodology I teach in the first comment. How about you? Are you hesitating on anything today?

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Some very interesting reports from Blackbaud Institute on resilience and Gen-Z engagement for charities. If anyone has good examples of #ImpactReporting I would be most grateful! https://lnkd.in/eJ3DhhgZ Many development professionals expecting to increase their income in the next year. Learn how successful nonprofits use and optimize their revenue streams to weather an unpredictable fundraising environment and find resiliency. Read the full report to see how your nonprofit stacks up, with insights into how development professionals: ➕Increased their new donor acquisition 👩🏽‍💻Leveraged early tech adoption for higher revenue 📈Enjoyed income growth in giving days and awareness months https://lnkd.in/eEptYbhw One-third of Gen Z supporters say they plan to increase their giving this year. Are you ready to welcome them to the table?​ Combining strong survey data from 1000+ Gen Zers and hundreds of nonprofit pros with powerful first-person insights, our latest report from the Blackbaud Institute delves into the data to reveal key Gen Z giving behavior insights, helping fundraisers steward this generation and build meaningful, lasting relationships. ​ ​Read the full report to discover:​ 🌍Gen Z’s deeply held beliefs and unique global perspectives​ 💡Top motivators for Gen Z donors​ 🎈How they prefer to be thanked after donating​ 💭Engagement opportunities fundraising professionals may be missing out on

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🎉🎉The Examination is #Hiring📢📢 We are seeking to #recruit a new Director of Development! The Director of Development will cultivate and steward a diverse array of individual and institutional donors and will serve as a key thought partner in crafting fundraising strategy and systems/processes. They will bring a lens towards nonprofit fundraising, and a passion for The Examination's mission to prevent global health threats and empower vulnerable communities. A link to a full job description and application can be found here. https://lnkd.in/eFBjAaGh About The Examination The Examination produces fearless journalism for a healthier world, investigating health threats and empowering communities, covering tobacco, big food, pollution and more. Through our research and journalism, the Examination has been able to elevate concerns like increased smoking rates in parts of Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, escalating obesity epidemic in Latin America and Africa and its causes, global air pollution, and how the risks resulting from these issues are most concentrated among the poor. The goal is not only to elevate global health risks, but to get this information to individuals and groups that can advocate for and facilitate change. Learn more about The Examination here. https://lnkd.in/gV8WZg69

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Myth: Direct mail is dying. How much money is your nonprofit leaving on the table by not using direct mail enough to connect with your donors? "Direct mail is dying or obsolete" is usually said by someone trying to sell some kind of communication medium other than the mail. And it’s wrong. Direct mail drives online donations. Enjoy this excellent article and implement the suggestions today. If your small nonprofit is looking to boost visibility through public relations and raise more funds, I can assist you. As a fundraising consultant, I’ll improve your fundraising so you raise more money. Please private message me for a complimentary 20-minute discovery call. You can visit my website and the link is in the first comment. #charity #nonprofits #fundraising

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📣 Funding/Grant Opportunity. There will be 160 awards of $10,000 for 501c(3)s. Grants For Good: Areas of impact include, but are not limited to: Financial stability, Community Stability, Community health and wellness

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Is the use of AI-generated grant proposals or development projects the next internal conflict in fundraising? In the last few months, I've already heard non-grant writing fundraisers tell their colleagues "all you need is Chat GPT in order to write a grant proposal" and "AI can write our development plan." Meanwhile, trained grant professionals know there are more nuances to consider than just putting your information into a program and utilizing the received information. It will be interesting to see how this discussion plays out in fundraising.

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Nonprofit management can be challenging, so just in case no one told you today, this setback doesn't define who you are. Take a moment to remember all you've achieved and the impact you've already made. Often, it's these challenging times that reveal new paths, ones that align more closely with our deepest passions and values. Embrace this moment as your catalyst for growth and transformation. You are capable, and this is just the beginning of another exciting chapter. Keep pushing forward, the best is yet to come. 💫 #nonprofitmanagement #nonprofitleadership #nonprofitleaders

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Yes! You NEED pragmatic measurement to improve organizations and advance impact.