Schools have faced serious challenges these past few years. State-level school funding has been at a low and private schools face their own struggles to make ends meet. In order for students to thrive in school, they need important resources like textbooks, nutritious lunches, enriching afterschool programs, and more — but what happens when there aren’t sufficient funds to cover the cost of these resources?

In many cases, the price of critical resources falls on educators. In the 2020-2021 school year, teachers spent an average of $750 out of their own pockets to enrich students' learning. Teachers need more support to provide students with the resources they need to succeed, and students need ample opportunities to reach their full potential.

There's no better way to retain current donors, enjoy sustainable revenue, and increase the lifetime value of your donors than through a monthly giving program.

As a development professional, you invest hard work, time, and careful strategy into every fundraising strategy. It's critical to accurately measure the effectiveness and progress of each strategy. The right tools will help you track progress, gauge your success, and build on the most effective strategies–including your monthly giving program.

Nonprofits and development professionals are ambitious and driven–just look at the mission and vision statements you're tirelessly working to achieve! There are some scenarios where being ambitious, eager, and optimistic are beneficial and other times when it's more appropriate to channel those aspirations into realistic fundraising goals.

Setting fundraising goals that are too ambitious can actually work against you. Any goal that feels unachievable can make your fundraisers feel inadequate or set for failure. On the other hand, goals that feel too easy aren't inspirational or motivating and won't bring a sense of satisfaction when achieved.

Donors are critical to a nonprofit's success as they financially fuel the mission. But individual donors aren't the only people who can make your fundraising events a success. Corporate sponsors are for-profit businesses that provide money, goods, or services to a nonprofit event or program. They can be a great asset to your nonprofit!

Sponsors can take your fundraising event or campaign to the next level by providing financial and promotional support.

Whether you're planning a summer fundraising campaign or a year-end fundraising event, corporate sponsors can bolster your fundraising efforts. Let's take a quick dive into understanding why and how to attract sponsors for your next fundraising event or campaign.

Corporate matching gift programs are becoming an increasingly popular offering among philanthropic-minded businesses looking to better engage with their employees, improve their reputation among consumers, and support a range of nonprofit causes. As a result, thousands of organizations are trending toward strategic matching gift fundraising efforts to raise more for their missions through these generous and widely available giving opportunities.

In many cases, companies agree to financially match generous contributions their employees make to eligible nonprofits, typically at a dollar-for-dollar ratio. (In other words, corporations double team member donations.)