The year is coming to a close, and it feels like time has flown by! Before it officially wraps, let’s take a look at the top articles of the year on the Get Fully Funded blog. 

These fundraising articles have been a hit with our readers this year. And I wanted to gather them together for you in case you missed any of them.

Our mission is to provide you with practical fundraising tools and ideas that you can use right away. So, we pack as much goodness as we can into our fundraising articles, bulleting out information so it’s easy to follow and easy to use. (Someone called me the “Queen of Bullets” recently and I took that as a compliment!)

Get ready to soak up all the goodness from these jam-packed 2023 fundraising articles. Whether you missed them the first time around or want to re-read them, there’s a lot to glean from them.

1. 100 Fundraising Email Subject Lines That Will Get Donors to Open Your Email: A good fundraising email subject line makes all the difference in getting your email opened, which is the first step in getting the recipient to take the action you want them to take.

Once you get the hang of writing good subject lines, you won’t dread the task. Through split testing, you can learn what types of subject lines appeal to your donors and get them to open your email and respond. https://getfullyfunded.com/fundraising-email-subject-line/

2. When and How to Pay Yourself a Nonprofit Salary: Preparing your organization for growth is essential for sustaining your work. The vast majority of volunteer Executive Directors cannot go on indefinitely without taking a salary. Most organizations cannot fulfill their missions without paid staff.

By growing your fundraising program in support of a strategic plan that calls for paid employees, your organization can make a bigger impact on the community and change more lives. https://getfullyfunded.com/nonprofit-salary/

3. How to create your nonprofit’s budget: Your nonprofit’s budget is a critical tool for both planning purposes and managing finances as the organization grows.

Spend the time to put some thought into creating a budget for your nonprofit. It will serve you well as you run your programs, grow your organization, and make a difference in the world. https://getfullyfunded.com/your-new-nonprofits-first-budget/

4. A Strong Message for Fundraising = More and Bigger Donations: Compelling words will pay big dividends when you seek new donors or additional donations from current donors. Getting the message just right will save you from feeling nervous about asking for money, rambling when you talk about your organization’s work, and boring your audience. 

With the right message and the right avenues to spread your message, you will be positioned for success. More donors means more donations, and that means more programming and the opportunity to change more lives. https://getfullyfunded.com/message-for-fundraising/

5. Five Places to Find Grants for Your Nonprofit for FREE! Knowing where to find grants is critical if you want money to pay for programs and projects.

Being strategic about research makes all the difference in the world. Knowing where to look and what you’re looking for will minimize wasted time and maximize the number of best matches for your nonprofit. And THAT will increase your chances at getting grants for your nonprofit. https://getfullyfunded.com/5-places-to-find-grants-for-your-nonprofit-for-free/

6. Which Fundraising Events Bring in the Most Money for Small Nonprofits? There are LOTS of ways to raise money, including fundraising events. Choose an event that maximizes the skills and talents of your volunteers. Pick one that sounds like fun to you, because the planning and execution will be easier if you’re enjoying the work.

Don’t fall into the trap of quick-fixes – you can hold online fundraisers periodically to fund urgent needs, but don’t rely on them for a long-term solution.

Choose the right fundraising events for your small nonprofit and get ready to put your organization’s face out there in the community, attract new donors, and raise lots of money! https://getfullyfunded.com/which-fundraising-events-bring-in-the-most-money/

7. How to write a strong nonprofit mission statement: A clear, concise nonprofit mission statement lets the world know what you do, whom you help, and what problem you are working to solve. It’s the foundation of your messaging.

It becomes the basis of storytelling and fundraising for your organization, so it’s important to take the time to get your mission statement right.

Having the right mission statement goes a long way in making sure everything else you do falls into place. https://getfullyfunded.com/strong-nonprofit-mission-statement/

8. Nine Nonprofit Leadership Skills Every Founder & Director Must Master: Good nonprofit leadership skills are the key to successfully growing a small nonprofit.

Whether you think you’re a leader or not, if you’re in a leadership role, you must learn to plan, delegate, inspire, and more. Your job becomes growing into the leader your nonprofit needs to succeed. https://getfullyfunded.com/nonprofit-leadership-skills/

9. Examples of Nonprofit Storytelling to Increase Donations and Involvement: Using a strategic approach when you talk about the work your nonprofit does can dramatically increase results you get when you’re fundraising.

The right story can grab donors by the heart and inspire them to give.

What stories can you tell about the work your nonprofit does that will paint a vivid picture in your reader’s mind’s eye AND motivate them to get involved with your organization? https://getfullyfunded.com/nonprofit-storytelling/

10. Fundraising 101: Understand the Basics of Fundraising: If you think about fundraising as a chore that revolves around high-maintenance events, you will feel defeated before you get started. Take the Fundraising 101 approach and instead focus on meeting people who want to get involved with your cause and giving them the opportunity they are seeking.

If you zero in on the money that trickles in while tabling at a festival, it may seem like the event was hardly worth your while. But look at the signup sheet. So many names and email addresses! Load those contacts into your email marketing platform and be excited by how much you are growing your donor base.

Fundraising takes time, but as your donor base grows so will your donations. You will get momentum going and when you have momentum everything feels lighter and easier. https://getfullyfunded.com/fundraising-101/

   

Which one of our fundraising articles was your favorite? Comment below and let us know!