If you’ve ever hoped a donor would magically become a major contributor after a single gala or email appeal, you’re not alone. It’s tempting to think a generous check will come out of nowhere, but in reality, major gifts rarely work that way.  The truth is, you don’t land major gifts by luck. These transformative […]

“Wait… did we ever send that thank-you email to Sarah?” I remember freezing mid-sip of my coffee when our team realized we might have forgotten to acknowledge a major donor. We all dove into our donor spreadsheets (a tangled mess of notes, tags, and to-dos) trying to piece together the last interaction. It wasn’t just […]

If you’ve been in fundraising for a while, you start to recognize the names, the gala captain who always brought friends, the monthly donor who replied to every newsletter, or the runner who raised big because a loved one was helped by your program. Then one day, you notice they haven’t given this year. Your […]

If you’ve ever been buried under spreadsheets, disconnected donor lists, and a mountain of data exports, you’re not alone. Nonprofits are collecting more data than ever before, but many teams feel stuck when it comes to making that data actually work for them.  But when that data gets organized into effective fundraising reports, it becomes […]

Think back to the last time you received a handwritten thank you note. I’m not talking about a generic email or automated receipt, but a real message with your name on it, acknowledging your specific gift. Chances are, it made you feel seen.  That kind of personalization is often missing in today’s fundraising. While technology […]

A few years ago, I was helping a small nonprofit revamp their donor outreach. They had an optimized donation page and were running campaigns online, but every time they needed to send a thank-you note, pull a donor report, or figure out who gave last year, it turned into a scramble. “Didn’t we already thank […]

Have you ever sent an email to your entire donor list, only to realize afterward that it didn’t apply to everyone? Maybe the message mentioned years of loyal support or an invitation to join a legacy giving program, and then you got a reply from someone who just made their very first gift: “Thanks… but […]

When’s the last time you received a great thank you? I once volunteered to help raise some extra funds for our nonprofit. The event lasted an entire Saturday after an already busy week. On Monday, I walked into my office to see a handwritten thank you note from our CEO on my desk. This experience […]

What if every step you took could help someone gain access to clean water for life? That’s the idea behind Well Aware’s inaugural H2gO Challenge, a campaign launched in April 2025 that brought together hundreds of participants to walk, run, and fundraise for clean water access in East Africa. The initiative invited people to walk […]

You know the feeling: juggling donor emails, tracking event RSVPs, trying to remember who gave what and when, all while prepping for your next big campaign. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. For nonprofit professionals, staying on top of fundraising often feels like spinning plates while walking a tightrope. But here’s the good news: a CRM […]