A few weeks ago, I spoke before a group of nonprofit administrators about how to raise money and market their organizations more effectively. I had recently given a similar presentation to for-profit marketing directors and was using those slides as the foundation for my speech

How many fund-raising appeals have you read that cite countless statistics to prove the effectiveness of the charity? I could wallpaper my house with them. No offense to the statisticians and numbers-crunchers, but charities that build their campaigns on such logical appeals may be undermining

People who volunteer time to charities donate on average 10-times more money to charity than people who don’t volunteer, according to a new study The lesson: Engaging volunteers should be a strategic priority if you want your organization to become BIG or get BIGger. Here

Can the nonprofit world handle a flood of helpers? That’s the question posed by The Chronicle of Philanthropy in the headline of its lead story (Oct. 15, 2009 edition). The article’s premise: More and more people are seeking opportunities to volunteer with charities, but the charities may not be ready, have the desire or the ability to engage them.

BIG TIP: Always focus on how you can spread passion for your cause. If you do this, the money and the donors will follow. There is no greater calling than to share one’s passion about a meaningful cause. Too many many non-profits fail to spread passion. They spend so much time soliciting transactions that they forget the big picture.