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Each newsletter offers articles, questions that you are asking and answers that we have found helpful so that you can learn more about fundraising, human resource development and the way we help organizations like yours.

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About Mersky, Jaffe & Associates

• Why This Article Will Not Improve Your Nonprofit October 2009
• Why You Can't Afford Not To Hire Me June 2009
• Hiring A Development Consultant Sooner Rather Than Later January 2008
• What Makes MJA Different - a Bit of Self-Promotion April 2005
• I would love to work with MJA. Would you take a percentage of monies raised as compensation? April 2005
• Frequently Asked Questions about Mersky, Jaffe & Associates January 2004

Annual Campaign

• Putting A Positive Spin On Your Fundraising Effort December 2009
• A Perfect Example December 2008
• Increasing the Annual Fund December 2008
• What’s so special about the University model of fundraising and fundraising via Friends’ associations? September 2007
• Appeal vs. Annual Fund September 2006
• Top Ten Reasons Why Campaigns Succeed August 2006
• Seven Ways to Thank a Donor July 2005
• My mid-sized nonprofit uses Excel to track donors. Is there a better way that doesn't cost a lot? July 2005
• Face-to-Face vs. Direct Mail June 2005
• How do we increase our donor base? March 2005
• How do we raise unrestricted funds? November 2004

Board Development

• Treating Board Members Like Donors December 2009
• How can I get lay leaders to participate in training for both governance and solicitation? May 2008
• Shut Up And Move Out Of The Way June 2007
• As an organization matures, how do you help facilitate a transition in leadership from its founding members to a group that does not know who those founding members were? January 2007
• How do I stimulate a board that is reluctant to do fundraising? October 2006
• How to keep the Board from micro-managing the Committees' work? October 2006
• What is a board retreat? And, what would a typical agenda for one look like? October 2006
• How do 'we' attract, motivate and retain future leaders for our communities, and religious institutions? October 2006
• The Infinite Possibilities Of Term Limits February 2006
• How do I motivate my board to give and solicit funds? February 2006
• Criteria for Board Member Candidate Consideration February 2006
• Effectively Recruiting New Board Members February 2005
• Our Board is not a "Money Board," how do we attract leaders who can give and get? February 2005
• The members of my board are unwilling to engage in fundraising on behalf of our agency. How can I motivate them to raise the money critical to fulfilling our vital mission? March 2004

Case Studies

• Robbing Peter to Pay Paul? March 2007
• How Small Gifts Add Up May 2006
• Has Your Campaign Stalled? September 2005
• Frustration vs. Focus August 2005
• Do You Know Who Your Donors Are? July 2005
• Are Your Solicitors Well Trained? May 2005
• Is Your Board on Board? February 2005
• Do You Know Who Your Donors Are II January 2005
• Have You Found the Right Person for the Job? December 2004
• Are You Raising Money or Objections? November 2004
• The Triumph of Leadership October 2004

Environmental Responsibility

• When It Comes To Being Green - Actions Speak Louder Than Words March 2008

Executive Search

• Winning the War for Talent: CEO perspectives on how nonprofits succeeded in recruiting professional leadership for their organizations June 2009
• Perfect Candidates November 2008
• What is Leadership? November 2008
• The Benefits Of Executive Search October 2007
• Reference Checks October 2007
• 10 Ways To Make Your Executive Search Successful December 2006
• How to Become an Unconsciously Competent Interviewer August 2005
• Why should we consider hiring an executive search firm? August 2005
• Using your employee's departure to your advantage August 2005
• Options for the Executive Search December 2004
• One of our favorite employees is moving across the country. What should I do to replace the irreplaceable? December 2004
• Calculating the cost of employee turnover the costs December 2004

Feasibility Studies

• Trust the Professionals October 2008
• Anatomy of a Feasibility and Planning Study January 2005
• We just completed a feasibility study and were told we could raise $5.7 million. That's a lot - what are the chances we could really raise that much? January 2005

General Fundraising

• 10 Pieces of Paper That Will Help Your Organization February 2010
• Motivating Yourself To Make A Change February 2010
• How to Raise More Money in Economically Challenging Times By David A. Mersky November 2009
• Writing a Check (Sitting On The Other Side Of The Envelope) November 2009
• Development vs. Fundraising - What Are You Practicing? October 2009
• Is It Time to Realign? by Jon Firger September 2009
• Contingency Plans February 2009
• Refocusing Your Nonprofit February 2009
• Five Ways to Help Your Nonprofit Weather Economic Uncertainty October 2008
• Trends In Fundraising September 2008
• What do I need to consider when fundraising during a recession? May 2008
• In My Opinion December 2007
• Can we run multiple campaigns simultaneously without cannibalizing the annual campaign effort? September 2007
• Everyone In The Office Is On the Development Team August 2007
• Avoiding Surprises July 2007
• How do we do fundraising without too much exertion? May 2007
• Does Your Organization Need A Development Audit? September 2006
• Is It Possible To Have A Successful Fundraising Program With A Small Or Non-existent Budget? September 2006
• Why Fundraising Efforts Get Derailed August 2006
• Our nonprofit holds an annual fundraising gala that raises about $10,000 gross, $8,000 net, towards a $350,000 annual budget. The executive director and some board members feel that this fundraiser is 'too small' and 'not worth our while'; how do we decide whether it is or not, and what then? July 2006
• What is the impact of 'venture' philanthropy on established organizations including 'umbrella' fund institutions such as United Way and Jewish Federations? July 2006
• Knowing What Your Donors Want April 2006
• Do You Want Members or Donors? April 2006
• My executive director has a brought many new donors to our organization with whom she has close, personal relationships. How do I shift the relationship so that it focuses on the organization and not just the ED? April 2006
• Improving the Odds of Foundation Funding March 2006
• I know that our employees deserve annual reviews and that you recommend board self-assessments, but what other aspects of our organization needs annual evaluations? March 2006
• Extreme Makeover: Nonprofit edition January 2006
• What Does Your Office Say About You -- by Cristin Lind January 2006
• The Correlation Between Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 September 2005
• I know an organization that used a fundraising consultant and didn’t have success. How can you guarantee that we will be successful if we use your firm? September 2005
• Is Your Development Staff "Billable"? June 2005
• How to Choose a Fundraising Consultant April 2005
• Tsunami Relief February 2005
• Is This a Good Time to Raise Money? October 2004
• The Most Common Fundraising Mistakes ...and How Not to Make Them June 2004
• The Habits of Highly Successful Fundraisers March 2004
• Glossary of Development Terms January 2004

Major Gifts

• Fundraising in the Current Economic Climate - Is Your Glass Half Empty or Half Full? By David Mersky March 2010
• Getting Organized Before The Ask June 2008
• Could You Raise $50,000 For A Cat? February 2008
• How Clean Is Your Data? January 2008
• 10 Excuses to Call a Prospect/Donor December 2007
• What goes into long-term cultivation of prospective donors over time, when the expected 'pay-off' may be far into the future? September 2007
• The $150 vs. The $1000 Check February 2007
• Prospect Research: The Overview February 2007
• We Have a large prospect list that we have accumulated over time from many sources. How can we fully utilize this asset? January 2007
• How do you continue to fund raise for different purposes from the same group of individuals? July 2006
• Can you give me more information on planned giving? July 2006
• It’s Harder To Get The Appointment Than To Get The Gift May 2006
• What is the most effective way to solicit funds when one is not comfortable doing so? May 2006
• The Paradox Of Solicitation by Larry Rubinstein December 2005
• I have been asked to ask 5 of my close friends to donate to an organization in which we are all involved. I feel that I should be asking strangers who won’t find it as easy to say “no.” Am I right? December 2005
• What can we do with our house list of previous donors to maximize rates of return and increase gifts? June 2005
• Major Gifts - Increasing Your Numbers May 2005
• I am the Executive Director of a small musical organization in metropolitan Boston. We have just set new guidelines and gift levels for our fundraising effort that we hope to implement fully by 2006. One of our board members just handed me a program from a recent concert of the Boston Symphony Orchestra that contains a listing of all their major donors and corporate sponsors. Should we pick up the phone and start making calls? May 2005
• Major Gifts at Your Organization May 2005
• How Do I Tell a Donor What to Give? March 2005
• Overcoming the Anxieties of Asking March 2005
• How to Deal with the Stall: Managing Objections and Overcoming Excuses November 2004
• How often should we solicit support from our donors? October 2004
• Preparing for the Successful Major Gifts Solicitation February 2004
• When I asked one of our donors to increase her support, she became very upset. She asked me whether I did not appreciate what she was already doing. How do I smooth her ruffled feathers? February 2004

Marketing

• Social Media - The Overview August 2009
• What Can Tweeting Do For Your Organization? August 2009
• Even You Can Twitter: A Step-by-Step August 2009
• Creating Long-term Donors - One Fleece at a Time September 2008
• Should You Sell Your Cause or Your Organization? July 2007
• What Does Your Website Say About Your Organization? March 2006
• The Marketing Machine October 2005
• Do You Need an e-Newsletter? October 2005
• I've heard non-profits can obtain free advertising in many media outlets, is that true? October 2005

Staff And Volunteer Development

• Leadership - The Risk And The Reward by Laura Freeman January 2010
• "Hiring" a Volunteer May 2009
• Q: How can one person cultivate, solicit and steward prospects and donors as well as run a series of major fundraising events? May 2009
• Why Having A “Nice” Work Environment Matters To Your Donor by Elisa S. Heath July 2008
• You've Got email by Jordana of Live Organized June 2008
• How Do You Motivate Volunteers? November 2007
• What's the role of the professional staff in pushing the volunteer leaders to be more proactive in their roles? November 2007
• Executive Coaching August 2007
• Procrastination - Or How To Avoid It June 2007
• The New Wave of Volunteers December 2006
• What Can You Offer A Volunteer? December 2006
• Employee Retention June 2006
• Quiz of the month: Is money enough? June 2006
• How do seasoned, successful for-profit professionals find work in the non-profit world? June 2006
• Calculating the cost of employee turnover December 2004
• We have tried everything we know to recruit a new director of development. We have posted the job internally, advertised and networked with our board, funders and donors. But we are not getting anyone who even comes close to knocking our socks off. What can we do? March 2004

Strategic Planning

• What is the best way to involve board and staff in a collaborative strategic planning process? May 2007
• What is the value of a formal, quadrennial, strategic planning process? May 2007
• Planning The Plan March 2007
• Strategic Planning On A Continual Basis November 2006
• The Mersky, Jaffe & Associates’ Situation Analysis November 2006
• Developing A Strategic Solicitation Strategy August 2006
• Proper Planning Promotes Possible Positive Performance November 2005
• Do You Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses? November 2005
• Listening Types Quiz November 2005

 

 

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