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Donor Engagement Archives | CCS Fundraising

Taking the First Steps to Reaching Diverse Catholic Communities

It is more important than ever to recognize the different communities and cultures who make up our Catholic Family. Communicating your vision and creating unity among these communities can be a challenge and oftentimes daunting. So how can a fundraiser help guide a parish through these cultural differences and nuances to create an effective stewardship […]

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July 31, 2019

The Importance of the Invitation: Using Events to Drive Capital Campaign Activity

Independent schools often rely heavily on one, large annual event to meet important fundraising goals. While these large-scale events can play an important role in community building, they are often costly and time-consuming. Moreover, by focusing on one event, schools are missing out on opportunities to interact with donors and prospective donors in meaningful ways. […]

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July 18, 2019

Betting Big to Drive Social Change

Since the publication of “Making Big Bets for Social Change” in Stanford Social Innovation Review just over three years ago, the topic of “big bet” philanthropy has been making headlines. According to The Bridgespan Group, a big bet is an individual or foundation grant of $10 million or more made to a single organization or […]

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May 23, 2019

Six Degrees of Cultivation: How Relationships Can Help Turn Prospects into Donors

Six degrees of separation is the idea that “friend of a friend” statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps. Put into practice, the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” game was invented as a play on the concept. Fun and addictive, the favorite past time demonstrates just how […]

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May 16, 2019

Transformative Gifts: Embracing the Potential for an Elevated Culture of Philanthropy

Big gifts – the kind of transformative philanthropic commitments that can positively redirect the trajectory of a program, project, or even an entire organization – are the types of gifts that many development professionals don’t just dream about but strategize for months or years to secure. Enormous amounts of discovery, cultivation, and solicitation go into […]

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May 2, 2019

Embracing Technology for Personal Parish Fundraising

When working with a 2,000-year-old institution, there is a tendency to think that there is nothing new under the sun. This way of thinking is often magnified in a parish setting where staff and volunteers have served for many years and are accustomed to working with limited and often antiquated resources. Many parishes still rely […]

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November 8, 2018

Leveraging Your Board’s Network to Expand Your Prospect Pipeline

The fundamental pillars of all successful fundraising efforts include a compelling case, strong governance, a comprehensive plan, and a robust pipeline. But what happens when you’ve worked your way through your pipeline and still need new ways to uncover prospects? The easiest connections to make are the ones that already exist! Leveraging your existing relationships […]

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October 23, 2018

The New Storefront: Three Ways to Maximize Your Website for Campaign Success

In the days when brick-and-mortar shops ruled the retail landscape, the first chance a business had to grab attention was the storefront. In the display window of a store, where space is limited, a business must attract potential customers through showcasing its best and most striking products that speak to the needs of its customers. […]

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September 28, 2018

Building Momentum: How Small Wins Become Big Wins

It is often said that campaigns are meant to be a marathon, not a sprint. However, it is easy to get lost in the big picture or stuck in the weeds of daily tasks that suddenly make campaign goals seem too daunting or too visionary. It’s important to remember that campaign success is not only […]

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August 3, 2018

Adapting to a New Generation of Parent Donors

Changing preferences and priorities, combined with advancements in technology, have spurred the transformation of industries like media, retail, and transportation, among others. What about philanthropy? How should schools adapt their fundraising approach to engage young parents? All schools recognize the importance of observing demographic trends. For example, these trends can reveal how many school-aged children can […]

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January 19, 2018

A Quick Guide to Donor-Advised Funds

Donor-advised funds (DAFs) are a hot topic these days, so much so that they now have their own chapter in Giving USA 2017. A powerful giving vehicle that has grown in popularity for the past six years, the largest DAF sponsor, Fidelity Charitable, just overtook The United Way on the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s 400 list. […]

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July 17, 2017

Download Our Newest White Paper: Moving the Needle from Alumni Engagement to Alumni Giving

Independent and private schools face unique challenges when it comes to alumni cultivation and stewardship. That’s why we are pleased to share CCS’s newest whitepaper, Moving the Needle from Alumni Engagement to Alumni Giving. Inspired by a packed-room session at this year’s CASE-NAIS conference, this paper is a joint venture authored by CCS’s Doug Adolph, […]

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May 30, 2017

Unlocking the Truth of How and Why Women Give

That which is done for us, is not done with us, but to us. – African Proverb The Myth Though thoroughly debunked, the myth that women aren’t as philanthropic as their male counterparts prevails. Research consistently shows that single women give at least as much, if not more, than their single male counterparts. In fact, […]

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April 27, 2017

Potential Tax Reform Implications for Fundraisers: What You Need to Know

Whenever a new political administration descends upon Washington, D.C., one thing is certain: tax policy will be part of the transition conversation. However, few recent politicians have been as passionate about reform as President Donald Trump, and although some specifics of his tax policy remain uncertain, some aspects have come to light. There are three […]

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April 17, 2017

March Madness Playbook: The Four Corners of a Campaign

Four Corners is a basketball play made famous by legendary University of North Carolina coach, Dean Smith. Essentially, four players stand in the corners of the offensive half-court while the fifth dribbles the ball in the middle (see: Diagram A below). The basketball is passed between the point guard in the middle and the four […]

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March 14, 2017

Developing a Culture of Philanthropy: Three Pastors’ Perspectives

Pastors play a pivotal role in engaging parishioners to embrace the Church’s work and mission. These discussions may be unfamiliar for some pastors, yet it is valuable to emphasize this can also be a unique opportunity to bring parishioners closer to God. In this piece, Reverend Anthony Cutcher, Reverend Monsignor William J. Belford, and Reverend […]

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March 6, 2017

With a Strong Foundation, Fundraising Can Surpass 2% of GDP

According to Giving USA, philanthropy has remained stagnant at 2% of GDP and 2% of disposable income for the past 40 years. This immobile figure has baffled fundraisers and philanthropists for decades, and others have written extensively on the subject. Some have even issued challenges for the profession to increase giving by a percentage, yielding […]

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February 24, 2017