News items related to fundraising

Nonprofit Utopia Takes To YouTube to Provide Free Fundraising Help for Nonprofits: Valerie F. Leonard, Oct 25, 2020; Successful fundraising includes more than developing a strong case for support and writing the "perfect" grant proposal. The depth and quality of your relationships with funders can make the difference between getting funded or not. Most importantly, in this day and age, the relationships your organization has can make the difference in your organization's ability to keep its doors open. With this in mind, Valerie F. Leonard, the Founder of Nonprofit Utopia, LLC, will host an interactive, livestreamed presentation to take viewers through the entire cycle of donor cultivation, from prospect research to stewarding their gifts. The presentation will be aired on Nonprofit Utopia Live, on Thursday, October 29, from 10:00 am until 11:00 am CDT.
Making the Case for Support in Times of Change: Valerie F. Leonard, Oct 4, 2018; Writing a compelling case for support is not always as easy as it seems. In Case Development 201, Communications Consultant Andrew Brommel writes “an organization’s case for support is ultimately ‘your message to your donors—why should they give to your organization?’” In this day and age of increased competition for fewer dollars, a nonprofit’s answer to the funders’ question must be stronger than ever before.
What You Should Be Doing Right Now to Prepare for #GivingTuesday and #ILGive: Valerie F. Leonard, Aug 9, 2018; It’s August, 2018, and #GivingTuesday is November 27^th. What should you be doing right now to ensure that your campaign is successful? Here is a timeline of recommended activities from the Complete Toolkit published by #GivingTuesday. Visit www.givingtuesday.org to register for #GivingTuesday and to download the toolkit and other valuable resources. If you are an Illinois nonprofit, also register at #ILGive at https://www.ilgive.com. You should also review their timeline and download their resources.
Getting Funded: Keys to Successful Grant Writing: Valerie F. Leonard, Dec 3, 2015; The UIC Certificate in Nonprofit Management Program hosted Getting Funded: Keys to Successful Grant Writing. The modes of instruction included lecture, case studies and presentations. Students prepared Power Point presentations and shared their final products at the end of the day.
Increasing Fundraising Through Transparency: Valerie F. Leonard, Nov 25, 2015; Join us for a lively discussion on how nonprofit organizations may increase their fundraising capacity through transparency and enhanced disclosure utilizing GuideStar Profiles. Our special guest will be Jasmine Marrow, the Director of Nonprofit Strategy for GuideStar. Jasmine develops strategy for and oversees the GuideStar Exchange program, GuideStar's primary initiative to engage nonprofits.