Multi-Channel Asking: Why One Email Is Not a Campaign
There’s a specific kind of optimism that shows up in nonprofit fundraising calendars where someone schedules an email, hits send, and circles back a few days later to evaluate “the campaign.” Except there was no campaign. There was one email! In that gap between intention and execution, many organizations can jump to conclude that their […]
Your Fundraising Goals Are Writing Checks Your Capacity Cannot Cash
It doesn’t usually show up as one big crisis. But slowly, you might begin noticing that things are slightly off: proposals that always feel a little rushed, donor stewardship that happens “when there’s time” (spoiler: there is never time), campaigns that rely on urgency because real momentum never quite built. Staff working late and still […]
Campaign vs. Annual Fund: Why Getting This Right Changes Everything
If you’ve spent any time in the nonprofit world lately, you’ve probably noticed a quiet shift in language. Everything has become a “campaign.” Giving Tuesday is a campaign. The spring appeal is a campaign. Even a simple three-email series about replacing a broken HVAC system somehow becomes a campaign. It makes sense. The word feels […]
Diversifying Revenue: What’s Realistic vs. Wishful Thinking
Revenue diversification is definitely having a moment. And honestly, given the roller coaster of the last few years (honestly, the last decade), the instinct to spread your bets makes total sense. The logic feels bulletproof: build more channels, launch more programs, create more options. If one pillar cracks, the others keep the roof from caving […]
What 2025 Gave Us: 3 Fundraising Trends That Will Define 2026
2026 feels like the year of the strategic reckoning. We’ve officially entered an era where the old playbooks – high-volume direct mail without digital integration, generic email blasts, and “emergency” fundraising as a default setting – are not just underperforming; they are actively eroding donor trust. The donor of 2026 is more sophisticated, more bombarded, […]
Five Ways A Fundraising Development Plan Leads to Fundraising Success
General Dwight Eisenhower once said, “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” Having an annual development plan helps you define not just what your fundraising goal will be, but also what key steps and metrics you need to have in place to successfully reach that goal. […]
Fundraising in 2022: Key Takeaways from Windmill Hill Consulting’s Educational Panel with NXUnite
Barbara O’Reilly, Founder and Principal of Windmill Hill Consulting, joined NXUnite’s “Time to Try Something New: Innovative Ways to Fundraise in 2022” panel with nonprofit professionals Julia Beltran of Double the Donation and Jamin Gluck of Amazon Web Services for Nonprofits to discuss the ways nonprofits can grow and update their fundraising techniques. Development Plans […]
Count Inflation Into End of Year Fundraising Plans
Since we’re all used to pivoting – or rather pirouetting – these last two years, 2022 has not disappointed either. From record-high gas prices to sharp rent increases, inflation this year has shaped the economic landscape of the United States in ways not seen in decades. As more and more people continue to face financial […]
Emerging Fundraising Trends Series Part 1: Cryptocurrency: The Next Giving Frontier?
Cryptogiving has entered the spotlight in a way that many of us could have never imagined just a few years ago. But the essential question remains: why should an organization bother with cryptocurrency? The bottom line is that opting to accept digital currencies could generate a significant increase in annual giving to your organization