Make Philanthropy Work Expertise

Intentional Asks for Meetings, Gifts, and Everything In Between

Whether you're asking someone to meet for coffee, make a contribution, volunteer their time, or...

MPW's Fundraising In and Out List for 2025

“I’d be lost without them!”: About Great Testimonials

MPW's Fundraising In and Out List for 2024

Crafting a Winning End-of-Year Giving Strategy

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Development and Campaign Committees: A New Era

Securing the Future of Education: Strategic Planning and Fundraising

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Making the Case: A Development Team for the Long Haul

Image by rawpixel.com The why and the how of creating, cultivating, and keeping a development team...

Unleashing Your Leadership's Fundraising Potential

Image by rawpixel.com. CEO's, Executive Directors, and Presidents play a significant role in an...

Attracting and Stewarding Donor-Advised Fund Holders

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The Why and The How: Elevating a Positive Culture of Philanthropy

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Starting with the End in Mind...

Planning your fundraising goals when a new fiscal year approaches can be intimidating – we hear...

Ramping Up Revenue with a Development Committee

Mentorship - A Reciprocal Opportunity

Watching my son, Christopher, receive his undergraduate degree earlier this month transported me...

How to Raise Millions of Dollars... Systematically

One client that we’ve worked with had an annual operating budget of approximately $1M, but the...

2023 Fundraising In & Out List

There goes another year! While 2022 wasn’t quite 2020 Part II, it was a roller coaster of a year....

Building a Culture of Philanthropy: 5 Ways to Build Your Fundraising Village

Bringing everyone together and creating a fundraising village will take work, but the increased...

Six Steps to Get Through an Economic Downturn

Last year’s significant growth in charitable giving was driven by donors' desires to make an impact...

Considering a Capital Campaign During a Downturn?

Are you considering a capital campaign during an economic downturn? Here's what we know... Capital...

Supporting Fundraisers: The Path to Growing Capacity

The development office at the Denver Art Museum is calm. With the first quarter nearly complete,...

The Benefits of an AI Fundraising Assistant

The Benefits of an AI Fundraising Assistant It wasn’t that long ago that artificial intelligence...

Highlight These Important Tax Benefits in Your End-of-Year Messaging

Help Donors Give Smarter As you prepare for your end-of-year campaigns, remember to highlight tax...

Meet Your Super Productive Fundraising Team Member!

Even before COVID-19 donor engagement was changing as donors and prospects expected more...

Are You Ready to Become a Change Agent?

Here's the thing we all know: our realities move too fast. Our organizations are ever changing...

Is Fundraising Something That Happens Over There?

So, tell me, what is that you do in your department? That phrase, spoken with a bit (or a lot) of...

How many millionaires are in your database?

How many millionaires are in your database who love your mission? Nonprofits are accustomed to...

Thoughtful Stewardship Ensures a Memorable Moment

Have you ever sent a card or a gift and then waited patiently for the receiver of that card or gift...

Five Major Shifts in Fundraising Over the Last Five Years

As Make Philanthropy Work celebrates our 5th year in business, we look back on the last five years...

Fundraising During the Coronavirus Era: Takeaways from 2020: Webinar 10

In session 10, Kelly Dunkin, President & CEO of Community First Foundation, returned for a...

What did Giving Tuesday and Colorado Gives Day teach us in a pandemic?

Asking people to support your organization during a Pandemic might give you pause. That’s...

Ready, Set, Write! Get Organized & Prepared to Submit Grant Proposals

Grant awards have the potential to catalyze your work’s impact. Whether your love grant writing...

Fundraising During the Coronavirus Era: How Philanthropy Drives Recovery

In session 9, David Miller, CEO of the Barton Institute for Community Action, joined us to discuss...

AI Fundraising Webinar with Conversica

It's not what you think. Conversica's Intelligent Virtual Fundraising Assistant (IVA) isn't another...

Micro Campaigns and Creating Your Fundraising Story

Make Philanthropy Work recently hosted a webinar for Colorado League of Charter Schools' Leadership...

Fundraising During the Coronavirus Era with Kelly Dunkin: Webinar 8

In session 8, it was time to spread some hope with the Community First Foundation. Special guest...

Fundraising During the Coronavirus Era: Planning for Next Year

In session 7, it was time to create a plan for the year of uncertainty ahead. Our special guest...

Fundraising During the Coronavirus Era Webinar 6

In session 6, we covered what to do about events. Special guests Gareth Heyman, Wizard of All...

Fundraising During the Coronavirus Era Webinar 5

In session 5 of this series, Special Guest Jennifer Darling, President & CEO, Children's Hospital...

Fundraising During the Coronavirus Era Webinar 4

In session 4 of our Fundraising During the Coronavirus Era webinar series, our Special Guest Laura...

Fundraising During the Coronavirus Era Webinar 3

Shira Zimmerman, CEO and Co-Founder of ZIM Consulting, joined us for a deeper dive into how...

Fundraising During the Coronavirus Era Webinar 2

Our special guest for our second installment of our Fundraising During Coronavirus series was...

Fundraising During the Coronavirus Era Webinar 1

At the start of the pandemic, Matt Wasserman and Kaye Taavialma are joined by Patrick Gaines, CDO, ...

When There’s a Crisis, Stay in Contact with Your Donors

John talks about two important lessons he learned in times of crisis and gives a bit of inspiration...

How to Get More Meetings with Donors

Matt and John take you through the dos and don'ts of securing those critical meetings with donors,...

Recommendations For The New Normal: Trends in Ultra High Net Worth Giving 2019

We take a look at the top 3 trends in giving in 2019.

Don't give in to the dark side of fundraising...

Here’s one fundraising takeaway I’d love to share: do NOT go to the Dark Side of fundraising, go to...

Why hiring a consultant helped me succeed and keep my sanity

When I started my new role as a Development Director for a local Denver non-profit, I was confident...

How we Solve the Fundraising Mystery

When someone asks how I help nonprofits in fundraising, I typically leave it at a very surface...

After 25 Years and Thousands of Donor Visits, Here are the Realities I've Learned

I’ve fundraised for almost every size and age of institution and nonprofit. I've personally asked...

7 Biggest Major Gift Fundraising Mistakes

Mistakes, we all make them, heck I make several a day. And, we are especially susceptible to them...

How to Hire a Hell of a Fundraiser

Still with me? Good, because there are plenty of people out there who would make a great...

Time to Renovate Your Fundraising - Here’s How

How to upgrade major gift fundraising? I often use a house analogy. It works because both require...

How to Focus Your Efforts on the Most Likely Major Gift Donors

We are going to get technical for this article. Are you ready!?!

Your Donors Feel'n like Transactions? 8 Signs and Solutions

There’s nothing wrong with a transaction. When I buy gas, I don’t need to develop a deep bond with...

Nonprofit Fundraising Winter is Coming... It's Time to Start Preparing

Development professionals, nonprofit leaders, volunteers and board members, winter is coming….For...

Time is NOT on your Side in Fundraising

Everyone knows staying in contact with your donors is a good thing. But if you're an executive...

Fundraising Truth: I've Never Talked Anyone into a Major Gift

It’s a strange misconception, though understandable I guess, that good fundraisers merely charm or...

The Millionaire (next door) Major Gift Strategy

Anyone entering a profession needs a go-to book to ground them. Entering the world of fundraising,...

5 Ways to Know If You Have a Legacy Fundraising Operation

In the movie, No Country for Old Men, Tommy Lee Jones Character, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, laments to...

Look in Your Own Fundraising Yard for Gifts

Stop looking at your neighbor’s lawn. Just too many nonprofits think the grass is greener with...

Yes, YOU can get Major Gifts

Why do most nonprofits raise fewer major gifts (relative to size, mission, etc.) than hospitals and...

Building a Culture of Philanthropy: Unmasking the Fundraising Process

As a development leader, one of your roles is to help your colleagues understand that your work is...

Culture of Philanthropy: 5 Steps in Demonstrating Donor Engagement

I recently wrote about five steps in building a culture of philanthropy and breaking down silos and...

Building a Culture of Philanthropy: Demonstrating Why Donors Give

A few weeks ago I wrote on five steps to jump on the path to breaking down silos and creating...

Culture of Philanthropy: 6 Steps to Demonstrate the Impact of Philanthropy

A few weeks ago, I wrote about challenges facing development departments when an organization...

Does your organization think fundraising is something that happens over there…?

So, tell me, what is that you do in your department? That phrase, spoken with a bit (or a lot) of...