News

Lessons Learned from The Big Share that You Can Use on Giving Tuesday

By Cheri Dubiel - Community Shares of Wisconsin

CSW has hosted The Big Share™ online giving day annually since 2015. Below is a list of Top Ten Lessons Learned--in no particular order. 1.   Set up a plan and follow it. 

Fundraising Day Wisconsin Preview: Creating Stories that Inspire Your Stakeholders

Professor John D. Trybus, Georgetown University's Center for Social Impact Communication 

Stories are the currency of life and an important way in which we connect as human beings. As social impact leaders we must think about how we can leverage the art and science of storytelling as a key strategy for the organizations we love to emotionally connect with donors and other target stakeholders to inspire them to act. Creating stories that resonate and break through the clutter in this age of information-overload is not easy! 

Proposed Estate Tax Changes May Impact Planned Giving

By Ben Brunette, Selinger & Brunette

The estate tax often plays a significant role in major donors' decision to establish planned gifts. The Federal tax code currently allows individuals to transfer $5.49 million of assets to their heirs, during lifetime or at death, without estate or gift tax consequence. An approximately 40% tax applies to all gift transfers made to any person (other than a spouse or charity) in excess of this $5.49 million. Rather than pay this tax, donors sometimes make large gifts to their preferred charities. The repeal of the estate tax, however, has been a hotly-debated political issue... 

Piloting Your Organization's Story

By Michele Traband, American Players Theatre

I went to flight school last fall. . . I logged over 20 hours learning valuable lessons about engaging donors and using their stories to help promote my organization during the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference. Thanks to a scholarship provided by the AFP Greater Madison chapter, I had the opportunity to “sharpen my saw” in Chicago, participating in discussions and hearing from national and international donor relations professionals. 

Old Dog Learns New Tricks: Eight Compelling Take-Aways

By A.B. Orlik - Lussier Community Education Center

Ever attend a workshop or conference where your notes sit in a pile for weeks afterward and you wonder why you took the time to go?

Me, too, but not lately.
 

Reduce Staff Turnover and Improve Your Bottom Line

By Gary Klein - Edgewood College

Recently, I had the privilege of attending an annual Advancement Roundtable in the greater Atlanta area.  This conference of 25 chief development officers from across the country is a great forum for discussion and reflection on both the rewards and the concerns within our profession. 

The Key to Value

By Dennis Johnson - Sort Sol Group, LLC

We’re in the office for some of the last days of the year and at this time, we’re working on plans for the New Year. Like our clients, we’re talking strategy, too.

Creating a Donor-Centric Culture

By Kate Atkins - Wipfli, LLP

The people you serve in your communities depend on you to be there.  Having a strong donor-relation strategy improves the sustainability of your organization. How do you get everyone in your agency involved?  How do you create an organizational culture that is obsessed with its donors?  Get started with two steps.

Form 990 Issues

By Kirsten Houghton - SVA Certified Public Accountants

The revised Form 990 continues to confuse and perplex both nonprofit organizations and tax preparers.  To address this issue, the IRS Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Governmental Entities (the ACT) recently issued a General Report...

Lessons I Have Learned

By Marcia Whittington - Agrace HospiceCare
2015 Outstanding Fundraising Professional Award Winner

When I reflect on the last 20 years of development and fundraising work in our community, a few things stand out to me as lessons I have learned and continue to live by. 

Building a Statewide Culture of Philanthropy

By Stacey Wedding, Founder & Chief Strategist Professionals in Philanthropy

Resources—people, money, and knowledge—are essential ingredients of increasing and improving philanthropy. Our organizations, communities and states have all of these resources, yet, still, some states fare better than others in building a culture of philanthropy. Why is that, what can we learn from those states, and how do we begin moving the dial where we live?

Thanks, and Stay in Touch

By Tom Linfield - Madison Community Foundation

One of the nicest grantee thank-you’s received by the Madison Community Foundation was an envelope full of hand-drawn, hand-written letters from a group of middle school kids in a tutoring program we’d funded. They were colorful, delightful, and completely genuine.