Which is better to have: one donor who gives $12,000 each year, or 10 donors who give $100 each month?

It’s a trick question! They both equal $12,000, but nonprofits that gather 10 monthly donors are in a far better financial position than the organization that relies on large annual gifts.

Monthly giving programs (sometimes called recurring donations or recurring giving programs) are the foundation of most nonprofits and charities.

How do monthly giving programs work? Your supporters sign up and enroll in an automatic draft program that bills them monthly for the amount they would like to contribute to your cause (just like most of us pay our bills). Many organizations also offer bimonthly and quarterly giving options. Their donations show up in your bank account like clockwork each month!

Monthly giving programs have a variety of benefits. It’s a fundraising strategy that creates a predictable cash flow with relatively low maintenance costs. Monthly giving programs may also open the door for you to attract major donors and help your current supporters give more.

When you think of university fundraising, most people immediately think of unsolicited phone calls where overly-caffeinated students recite talking points about your alma mater. The conversation almost always ends with an awkward--and sometimes wildly optimistic--request for a donation.

Cold calling alumni isn’t the only fundraising method universities use, but it seems to be the most ubiquitous. Many alumni are actually very willing and eager to support their alma mater but are turned off by fundraising methods that appear outdated and out of touch with reality. The result is too much donor funding is left on the table.

The good news: it doesn’t need to be this way! There are plenty of ways to bring university fundraising into the 21st century, improve overall giving, and build strong relationships with alumni. Here are four ways university fundraising can leverage an alumni network more effectively.

From bedtime stories told by exhausted parents to enchanting tales crafted by famous writers, stories capture our imagination, help us better understand ideas, and even shape our opinions about the world. Stories are the reason we stay up late to finish a book or watch a movie.

The best communicator you know is probably an excellent storyteller, able to help you imagine what something looks, sounds, and even smells like, using only words. They help you feel as though you’ve been somewhere, even if you never left home.

There’s an old Hopi Native American proverb that says, “Those who tell stories rule the world.” You might not be interested in ruling the world, but you’re likely very interested in changing the world through the work of your organization or nonprofit!

Your organization likely creates powerful potential stories through your work in areas of transformation, hope, recovery, kindness, and many other beautiful things. Unfortunately, you might not have the time or resources to learn how to use these impactful stories to build that virtuous circle between storytelling and fundraising.

While storytelling does require time and energy, it is certainly a worthwhile investment for any organization, especially those who have volunteers, donors, and other supporters.

Charity walks and runs gather countless people annually for a little hard work activity to benefit their favorite charities. From fun and irreverent to highly competitive, there’s something for people of every age and fitness level.

The Mustache Dache encourages even the kids to sport impressive staches to support men’s health. On the "very athletic and competitive" end of the spectrum, World Vision’s relay team conquers the epic 199 mile Hood To Coast race annually.

Whether you want to host a festive 5K for the whole family or attract competitive athletes to a more serious race, charity runs are exciting and effective fundraising events for nonprofits of all sizes. Here are some reasons charity runs and other athletic fundraising events work so well, and a quick-start guide to making sure your first charity run is a huge success.

Funding for public and private universities is getting tighter by the day, and development offices at universities around the world are quickly learning to adapt to a new reality. Higher education fundraisers need to keep sharpening their donor cultivation skills to learn new ways to fundraise to support research and teaching initiatives

Internal research continues to find that fundraising for universities can be challenging and stressful, as donors often don’t consider investing in universities in the same way they think about donating to nonprofits or charities.

We’ve done our own research from the university development landscape, and have put together some critical best practices for higher education fundraising.