Strategies For Effective Fundraising

I tracked all fundraising activity for one year so you didn't have to. Here is what I found: - A substantive, in-person visit with a donor resulted in gifts 5x larger than donors who only corresponded via phone calls or emails. - It took roughly 12 touchpoints to secure a visit with a donor. That is a high number, but pretty characteristic of human services. - Each handwritten card sent produced 1,169x more value than it cost. - Response rate increased dramatically with a voicemail + email combination. - Gifts from DAFs, gifts of stock, and gifts from RMDs became more popular only as donors were informed that those were giving options. Here is what this means: - Meet in person with donors as much as humanly possible - Make as many attempts as possible to schedule visits with donors - Write handwritten cards. Like, right now. - Reach out to donors with a multi-channel approach (DM me if you'd like to see a call, email, +handwritten card cadence) - Donors don't always know how to maximize their generosity unless you tell them. Inform them of their options if they give you permission! Ultimately, provide value to your org's donors and watch as generosity unfolds for the benefit of the people your org serves!

Last year, a CMO from a global tech brand told me, ‘We explored F1 sponsorship, but none of them were different—logo placements and hospitality. No real plan to drive engagement. McLaren just proved why that thinking is outdated. Traditional sponsorship models focus on branding, while modern brands demand measurable engagement. Picture a marketing team reviewing a sponsorship deck—they expect influencer partnerships, real-time audience insights, and interactive campaigns, but they get a hospitality package instead. The biggest problem in motorsport sponsorship isn’t budget. It’s a misalignment between what brands want and what teams sell. Modern brands aren’t just looking for their logo on a car. They want: ✅ Fan data & engagement insights – Who’s actually engaging with the sponsorship? ✅ Social-first activations – TikTok takeovers, co-branded UGC campaigns, interactive challenges, thought leadership. ✅ Community building – Exclusive access, membership perks, behind-the-scenes content. The teams that figure this out will own the next decade of sponsorship dollars. 🏁 McLaren is Proving What Works: 🔹 McLaren has likely generated the most commercial revenue in F1 history, according to Zak Brown. 🔹 53 commercial partnerships—including OKX, Mastercard, and Google—without a traditional title sponsor. 🔹 Their focus? High-value activations, digital-first engagement, and long-term brand alignment. 🔹 New deals keep rolling in, including Okta and Allwyn and renewals with Salesforce, Smartsheet, Medallia, and more. This is why they’re winning commercially. The Best Partnerships Are a Win-Win-Win: A win for the brand – Increased visibility, engagement, and measurable ROI. A win for the team – Stronger funding, better activations, and long-term partnerships. A win for the fans – More engaging content, exclusive experiences, and interactive campaigns. McLaren is showing what’s possible when teams move beyond old sponsorship models. The question is—who’s next? Images by McLaren Instagram account.

If I had to rebuild a corporate sponsorship strategy today,
I wouldn’t start with a “gold, silver, bronze” package: 
I’d start with what brands really want
The stuff they’ll never put in an RFP. Here’s exactly how I’d design a partnership brands can’t walk away from: 1. Influence Over Eyeballs Stop pitching:
“We can put your logo on a banner.” Start pitching:
“We can put your people in the story.” Sponsors don’t crave impressions.
They crave authority. 
• Feature their employees as on-the-ground heroes
• Offer speaking slots or co-authored content
• Give them the microphone, not just a mention They want to shape the narrative, not just fund it. 2. Speed Over Red Tape Most nonprofits move like committees.
Brands move like campaigns. Instead of endless approvals, build a “48-hour kit”:
• Pre-approved media assets
• Plug-and-play contracts
• A point person who can greenlight fast If they sense you need three board meetings to post a tweet,
they’re gone. 3. Insight Over Impact Reports They already know you change lives.
What they secretly want is your intel. • Data that informs their product strategy
• Frontline trends their own analysts can’t see
• Quarterly briefings that feel like a CEO roundtable Your mission knowledge is their competitive edge.
Serve it up. 4. Cultural Fit Over PR Fit Logos can hide a lot.
Slack threads can’t. They’re watching how you:
• Treat your team
• Communicate under pressure
• Handle a late-night crisis If your internal culture feels brittle,
no amount of glossy photos will save the deal. Corporate sponsorship isn’t charity.
It’s a growth strategy with you as the secret weapon. Design for influence, speed, insight, and culture
and you won’t chase logos.
They’ll chase you. Connect with me and comment corporate and I’ll send a resource on how we are helping our clients secure partnerships that last. With purpose and impact, Mario

Want your words to actually sell? Here’s a simple roadmap I've found incredibly helpful: Think of crafting your message like taking someone on a mini-journey: 1. Hook them with curiosity: Your headline is the first "hello."  Make it intriguing enough to stop the scroll.  Instead of just saying "Email Marketing Tips," try something like "Want a 20% revenue jump in the next 60 days? (Here's the email secret)."  See the difference? Promise + Specificity = Attention. 2. Tell a story with a villain: This might sound dramatic, but hear me out.  What's the problem your audience is facing?  What's the frustration, the obstacle, the "enemy" they're battling?  For the email example, maybe it's "wasting hours on emails that no one opens."  Giving that problem a name creates an instant connection and a sense of purpose for your solution. 3. Handle the "yeah, but..." in their head: We all have those internal objections.  "I don't have time," "It costs too much," "Will it even work for me?"  Great copy anticipates these doubts and addresses them head-on within the message. 4. Show, don't just tell (Proof!): People are naturally skeptical.  Instead of just saying "it works," show them.  Even a simple "Join thousands of others who've seen real results" adds weight. Testimonials, even short ones, are gold. 5. Make it crystal clear what you want them to do (CTA):   Don't leave them guessing!  "Learn the exact steps in my latest guide" or "Grab your free checklist now" are direct and tell them exactly what to do and what they'll get.  Notice the benefit in the CTA example: "Get sculpted abs in just 4 weeks without dieting." And when you're thinking about where you're sharing this (LinkedIn post, email, etc.), there are different ways to structure your message. The P-A-S (Problem-Agitate-Solution) or A-I-D-A (Attention-Interest-Desire-Action) frameworks are classics for a reason. The core difference I've learned? Good copywriting isn't about shouting about your amazing product. It's about understanding them – their challenges, their desires – and positioning your solution as the answer in a way that feels like a conversation, not a sales pitch.

September to December is a *hot* period for nonprofit fundraising. Many foundations and donors are back to their desks after the summer and looking to make their closing funding rounds before the end of the year. If I were an advisor in your nonprofit organization, this is what I would suggest prioritizing in your fundraising plan from this month through the end of the year: 🫂 Curate Relationships Curating relationships with existing donors or key stakeholders is one of the most overlooked practices in fundraising. Only chasing new donors or funding opportunities goes at the expense of trust-nourishing and enthusiasm of those donors and stakeholders who are already "warmed up" about your work and mission. Don't make this mistake, and create space to strengthen the bonds with those who are already there. Think about personalized engagement and regular touchpoints to make them feel part of your mission and deepen their commitment to your cause. ⭐ Impact Storytelling Creating visibility around all the things your organization and your team have achieved throughout the year is a powerful avenue to leverage your commitment and attract the attention of donors and stakeholders ready to fund. Don’t be generic or conservative when it comes to showing the outputs, activities, results, community feedback, and transformations your work generated. Donors want to feel like they can make a tangible contribution to the end goal of your impact mission. Showing this to them in a compelling, story-based approach will help them understand what and why they are funding. 💰 Do Your Budget Know your number and make your financial plan clear. Prepare a budget that outlines your organization’s funding needs for the next 2 to 5 years. Identify the core areas that require sustained resources and ensure your strategy is aligned with long-term objectives. Create a strong narrative around why these areas need funding, how they will serve your impact goals, and why mobilizing resources into these areas will be foundational in securing sustainability and scalability to your work. 💥 Optimize Your Strategy You must have learned a lot in the past 9 months and got a lot of feedback, observations and lessons learned around your work. This is the perfect time to integrate the learnings into your overarching organizational strategic plan and fundraising strategy and adjust it according to the things you have now gained more clarity on, such as your new targets and goals. -------- Hey! I am Margherita, senior nonprofit consultant and advisor. I am open to working with nonprofit organizations in social justice and accelerating their development goals through fundraising, financial planning, organizational development, and operations. My fee model is equity-informed and open to accommodating all budgets. Contact me to learn more!

Welcome to the Future of Fundraising. When my team and I built the first fully autonomous fundraiser, we saw how digital labor could expand outreach and deepen engagement. Which is why now, in collaboration with our Innovation Partners, we are tackling one of the most persistent challenges in fundraising: scaling meaningful stewardship. The cycle of giving feels transactional for too many donors. They make a gift, receive a generic thank you email or letter, and then the next time they hear from the organization, it’s another solicitation. This unintentional pattern leaves many donors feeling like just another name in a database rather than a valued partner in the mission they support. Hundreds of our conversations about digital labor lead us to believe there is a solution to these challenges. Research tells us they are worth solving: Mid-level donors are often the most loyal donors, yet they receive the least personalized stewardship. In a study of mid-level giving, donors cited “lack of communication and feeling unappreciated” as a top reason for stopping their gifts. (Nonprofit Quarterly) Younger donors are making lasting connections to causes now, even if their giving capacity isn’t fully realized yet. Organizations that don’t retain these donors will lose out on major returns as they age into their prime giving years. (The Chronicle of Philanthropy) This is why we introduced the Virtual Stewardship Officer (VSO) as the next logical step in our mission to accelerate and transform philanthropy. Donors give because they care and they continue giving when they feel genuinely valued. Yet meaningful stewardship, personalized impact updates, heartfelt gratitude, and long-term engagement, is often reserved for top-tier donors making six- and seven-figure gifts. The VSO expands meaningful stewardship beyond top donors, using digital labor to create personalized touchpoints that acknowledge donor history, reinforce impact, and build lasting relationships. By scaling engagement, it ensures no donor feels overlooked, making long-term relationship-building and meaningful pipeline development sustainable for every giving level. Traditional stewardship models make it nearly impossible to engage donors in a truly personal way at scale. The VSO personalizes 1:1 stewardship to donors who give year-after-year, stretching their budgets to contribute in a way that is personally significant, even if it isn’t classified as a "major" gift; long-time supporters who have probably made their last large donation but remain deeply invested in the organization’s mission; first-time donors who, regardless of gift size, we want to retain; and more. These donors are often the backbone of an organization’s giving pipeline. The future of fundraising isn’t just about raising more money—it’s about ensuring every donor feels like their gift matters. With digital labor, meaningful stewardship is no longer just for a select few—it’s for everyone who chooses to give.

The best year-end campaigns aren't about fundraising goals…they're about leading others to an ideal FUTURE. During a webinar I hosted a few weeks ago, I took a poll and asked people about their fundraising goals. So many orgs told me what their goals were, but couldn't tell me WHY those were the ones they set. One org even said, "Well, we just want to raise more than we did last year." The way I was shook 😳 I was shocked because "raising more" is not a goal. In fact, simply raising more with no WHY is what leads us to burnout AND donor fatigue. Here's the truth: You DO know why you need more money. You're just not saying it out loud. You're listing what you're doing instead of painting the picture of what changes when you succeed. And here's the thing, you might get a donation with just a number. But you won't get a long-term BELIEVER in your mission. And I always say believers lead your organization to BREAKTHROUGH. So before Giving Tuesday hits, try this: Get CLEAR → What exactly are you working toward in the next 3-5 years? Paint the picture vividly for yourself. Get SPECIFIC → What are you raising money for RIGHT NOW? People want to know exactly what change is being made and how it connects to your bigger vision. Get CREATIVE → Don’t just state the goal, show it in action. Use impact stories. Get creative on social. Make people FEEL and LIVE the why, not just know it. Don't just tell donors what your goal is. Tell them how the world looks different when you succeed. Then invite them to that destination with you.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮 ₹𝟵𝟵𝟵 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 ₹𝟮,𝟰𝟵𝟵. 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟮𝟬% 𝗢𝗳𝗳. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. Most D2C brands treat December as "clear inventory with discounts." Meanwhile, MyFlowerTree reports consumers are increasingly moving towards stylish, premium, and experience-oriented gifting this Christmas 2025. IGP just launched 30-minute personalized gift delivery across 30+ cities in September 2025. What's happening? Indians aren't buying cheap gifts. They're buying meaningful ones. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭 Here's something counterintuitive: Christmas is when people are most willing to pay premium prices – not because they're feeling generous, but because emotional stakes are high. A ₹500 gift feels cheap. A ₹2,000 thoughtfully curated gift feels appropriate. This is your window to test premium positioning without heavy marketing spend. If your regular product is ₹999, bundle it with complementary items and sell at ₹2,499 as a "Christmas Gift Hamper." No discount needed. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 2025 𝐈𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 MyFlowerTree's data shows the most ordered categories this Christmas include premium chocolate and dry fruit hampers, personalized keepsakes with festive themes (custom mugs, photo frames, calendars), and candle and home decor gift sets. The insight? Personalization drives purchases – consumers add custom notes, names, and photographs, creating gifts that build lasting emotional memories rather than fleeting moments. IGP understood this. Their growth isn't from cheaper products – it's from faster, more personalized delivery. Premium service, premium price, premium perception. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃2𝐂 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 Stop discounting in December. Instead, reposition your products as gifting solutions. Bundle your ₹800 product with ₹200 worth of items and sell at ₹1,500 – higher margins, premium positioning. Add simple personalization options – gift wrapping, custom notes, festive packaging. Create urgency around emotional deadlines ("Order by Dec 23 for Christmas delivery"), not discount timers. Test your premium positioning now. If customers pay ₹1,500 for your ₹999 product during Christmas, that's your real market price – you've just been underpricing it all year. The brands winning this December aren't racing to the bottom with discounts. They're using gifting psychology to prove their products deserve premium positioning. Merry Christmas! May your brand discover its true premium potential this season. #christmas #D2C #premium #branding #gifting #strategy 

Good sponsorships don’t ask every post to do everything. The better partnerships assign each activation a specific role, then build a package that supports broader brand objectives. That’s what stood out to me in this week’s Sponcon Sports. On the Dropbox side, one McLaren Racing video on the brand’s YouTube channel generated 828x its typical views because it was built for fans first: two drivers, real personality, and a mechanic that naturally connected back to the product. Then the partnership shifted into a different mode. A fan art contest offered exclusive access, signed merchandise, travel support, and a chance for supporters to have their work featured by McLaren. More importantly, it gave fans a reason to actually use Dropbox, not just recognize the logo. That’s the part people miss when they evaluate sponsorships asset by asset. One activation was designed to build awareness and association. The other was designed to drive consideration. Neither needed to accomplish both goals. Together, they did. And that’s an important distinction. Brands often enter partnerships with multiple objectives. The mistake is expecting every tactic to solve every objective. The strongest partnerships build a collection of activations that work together to move fans through the customer journey. Most brands should stop there. Chipotle Mexican Grill doesn’t. While Dropbox used separate activations to move fans from awareness to consideration, Chipotle has spent years building an ecosystem that allows a single piece of content to do more than one job. The key is infrastructure. Their PGA TOUR content is still fan-first and endemic to golf. It earns attention because it feels like part of the sport, not an ad bolted on top. But Chipotle pairs that content with a mature SMS program, an accessible product, and reward mechanics that make taking action incredibly easy. Text the code. Claim the offer. Order the food. Repeat the behavior. That’s what separates it from most sponsorships. The content earns attention. The ecosystem drives action. This week’s issue breaks down what sponsorship marketers can learn from both approaches, and why understanding the job of each activation matters more than obsessing over the performance of any single post. #sportsmarketing #sportsbusiness #sponsorship

Stop the investment SPAM. The main reason that founders fail with their outreach for a potential investment are overly generic messages. Every day I get messages that congratulate me on my great investments in payment technologies, battery tech or other sectors I have never invested in. I delete all those messages - those founders just need money, they do not want to have ME on the captable. They have not done their homework. Messages often lack a link to the website, a link to their linkedin and a pitchdeck. I need to filter quickly. Everything that is missing makes this process more complicated for me and increases the chance of me not continuing the process because I can not distinguish between spam and legit outreach. The outreach is often not a match for my investment criteria speaking about rounds that are too late for me or funding sums that are not relevant to me. I delete all those messages. Again: homework not done. People asking to jump on a call before providing any information apart from super generic info about the business like the purpose of the company and the addressable market - I will not jump on a call. That is like being a car dealer saying you have a great car to sell asking potential clients to come to the car dealership without any additional info. It will not work. If you want to convert outreach into opportunity do the following: First you identify angels that invest in your space of which you think they could be a valuable addition to your captable. Second you write an email/message that contains the following: - Short intro about you as the founder (include your linkedin in footer) - Short description of the business (include website in footer) - A couple of sentences around traction - Information regarding the current round (size, valuation, which milestone will be reached with the money) - Info why you reached out to the angel/ why you think she or he will be a good addition - Include link to schedule a call I am sure by doing that and sending out 10 emails/messages you will create more opportunities than sending out 1.000 untargeted messages.