Even with a clear fundraising plan in place, nonprofits sometimes can find themselves temporarily short of cash, due to unforeseen circumstances like disasters or delays in payments. The Foundation Center does not provide grants, recommend specific funders, or approach them on your behalf, but they can point you to resources to find possible funders and useful advice. (Grantspace)
In this article Dianne Chipps Bailey discusses the legal, ethical, and practical reasons why individuals soliciting charitable contributions for nonprofit organizations should not be compensated based on fundraising results. (Robinson Bradshaw)
The Legal, Ethical and Practical Pitfalls of Incentive Compensation for Fundraising Professionals
Blue Avocado contributor and CPA, Dennis Walsh, gives us a complete handy compliance guide, and even better: five sample forms to make sure your wording is right. (Blue Avocado)
Nonprofit Auctions: A Complete Compliance Guide and Sample Forms
Find answers to your questions about Charitable Solicitation License (CSL), who needs it, and how to apply.
Basic licensing information:
Crowdfunding is a great way to raise funds for a specific project or campaign, but it is not always a long-term solution for every organization. Before you join the crowdfunding frenzy, it is important to ask yourself the following question: Is crowdfunding right for your nonprofit? (CauseVox)
Is Crowdfunding Right for Your Nonprofit?
Of all the innovative advances in online fundraising over the past decade, one of the most impressive has to be the rise of crowd-funding websites. Let's talk about crowd-funding websites for non-profits: what they are, and how your organization can use them to raise more money quickly and efficiently. (The Fundraising Authority)
The Donor Bill of Rights was created by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and the Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Non-Profits. It is considered a sector standard for fundraising professionals and is encouraged reading for adopting these practices as your own.
In Fall 2012, Charity Dynamics and NTEN partnered to develop a first-of-its-kind donor engagement survey, which sought to understand how people prefer to engage with nonprofits across traditional and digital media. The results of the study unequivocally clarify the importance of being a donor's #1 nonprofit of choice: Nonprofits that establish themselves as a donor's favorite charity are more likely to receive greater support from the donor—not just in terms of financial contributions, but also through sharing information, volunteering, event participation, and issue advocacy.
Sample language for writing your organization's policy and procedures for accepting in-kind contributions.
Sample In-Kind Contribution Policy
Four sample gift acceptance policies from the Nonprofit Risk Management Center.