AFP Discussion Threads

By joining and using this community, you agree that ... More

I highly recommend reading the work of the Cognitive ... More

Hi, Anonymous, Isn't the IRS fun? The way I read ... More

Hi everyone,  We are a newer fundraising program ... More

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain ... More

Sorry Patricia, I do not have that rate, but for what ... More

We are in the quiet phase of a capital campaign and ... More

Do you know the open rate on the longer version online?   ... More

Hi, Jess, This is an excerpt from IRS publication ... More

Thank you Craig for the information. I was just starting ... More

Hi Michelle. We did get a one-year subscription to ... More

This is very helpful! Thank you for fully breaking ... More

Vision Resources has always provided print and electronic ... More

We're ramping up our connections with our donors and ... More

Another vote to support the use of "stations" to highlight ... More

It’s so important to know your demographic and it sounds ... More

When the donor of a silent auction item has provided ... More

Many of my clients are opting to print copies to send ... More

We put the longer version online and printed and mailed ... More

Also one of my biggest pet peeves, Beth! Unfortunately, ... More

Jeney, If you have a relationship with this lady, ... More

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Hi AFP folks across the globe!  I'd love to get some ... More

Hi Craig, I am starting to research Grant Connect ... More

Michele, that's just what she was asking for. However, ... More

Hello, I am looking for samples of the language ... More

I agree with Amy. It's been a few years, but the last ... More

Great point, Jessika. On another subject (and apologies ... More

The idea of "stations" sounds like a great idea. We ... More

Joining the chorus to say your memory is absolutely ... More

Hi Carolyn, When we write these letters, we write...thank ... More

Hi Jeney, You are right to be concerned. She is confused ... More

You are exactly right. I've received pushback from ... More

This is always a tough one!  We have used the more ... More

While you are correct in following best practices, ... More

Rest assured--you are correct and using a best practice. ... More

Hi Joe! Pleasure seeing you here. Hope all is well. ... More

Hi Jeney. I used to work for an organization that ... More

I've been a fundraiser for a pretty long time. I'm ... More

Be aware that if an item is listed as "priceless" there ... More

Hello Heidi, As a Benefit Auctioneer, when I'm working ... More

Brian's answer is a good one - it really depends on ... More

Never in my life have I hoped someone would stop sending ... More

The IRS website states: Donors who purchase items ... More

While I agree with other responders that this is unethical ... More

Goals for these giving programs should really be set ... More

Hi Joy, thanks for your response! We do create our ... More

Allyson, I would love to get you counts and a quote ... More

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain ... More

We will also be hosting our first ever donor appreciation ... More

Thanks so much Erica! Will look into them... Allyson ... More

Hi, Allyson. I can highly recommend Linda ... More

I have two examples from my recent events where both ... More

Two auction experts have weighed in on whether it helps ... More

For Silent auction items, I am a strong believer in ... More

Hello,  When I organized auctions in my previous ... More

No price, please. You’re setting your limit on how ... More

Hello Heidi, I'm a benefit auctioneer and I try and ... More

Hello, what is your practice in declaring auction item ... More

We are currently recruiting nonprofits and organizations ... More

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hi, check out Celco (Kelly Leech) and Names in the ... More

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain ... More

Your development director might have misguided assumptions ... More

love this, Jennifer! great work! ------------------------------ ... More

I believe all events appreciate donors. I would create ... More

We had our first appreciation event last March, calling ... More

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain ... More

The Association of Philanthropic Counsel is hosting ... More

Looking for suggestions for reputable and full-service ... More

Nope. It's not ethical. Hard stop. And, you may ... More

Hi, Frances. Our donation software, Classy, allows ... More

Hi Saranya, good question!  I had been wrestling with ... More

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain ... More

A related but tangential question -- I'd love to know ... More

In my opinion, a fundraising professional who leaves ... More

Even if someone is willing to bring their portfolio ... More

Hi everyone, I am looking for any new or creative ... More

Camille, I checked out your website - love the work ... More

Dear Anonymous, This apple has many worms. The ... More

Saranya, this webinar was produced by Remuseum -- ... More

Are you allowed to take your donor portfolio with you? ... More

I think it would go against the AFP Code of Ethical ... More

We used GiveButter as an alternative to DipJar at our ... More

Has anyone pulled off a "vote with your donation" style ... More

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain ... More

Hi Saranya, I think this is one of those "ask 10 ... More

When I started holding events, I was not able to hold ... More

Hi everyone,  Can anyone share any resources/documents ... More

It sounds like you're in an exciting phase of planning ... More

Good morning, Stephen. You can find some examples linked ... More

Congratulations Tim & fellow FEP leaders. This reflects ... More

Hi everyone, I'm looking into tools for text-message ... More

Hi there, I would like to piggy back off of a post ... More

I've called my major donor event "Cornerstone" in the ... More

We call it a donor appreciation event. BEWARE, there ... More

We hosted our first Supporter Appreciation Event last ... More

This is a repost of an original article on LinkedIn ... More

Thank you, Jennifer! Your invitation and the wording ... More

We have been doing smaller groups of donors, community ... More

We call it Pacesetter. It has been a dinner, a lunch ... More

We have an event coming up and we called it "Mission ... More

We use the President's Council Appreciate Reception. ... More

This is super helpful. Thanks for your feedback. I'm ... More

In addition to the other suggestions here, a unique, ... More

If anyone can share a copy of their organization's ... More

Good morning Brandi, Congratulations on taking ... More

Hi Brandi, I echo the congratulations on this threat. ... More

Hi Brandi,  I love giving communities as a way to ... More

I'm curious if anyone has advice to share on navigating ... More

That's a super bummer. I use Instrumentl for my ... More

Maggie,  I used The Lukens Company and was satisfied ... More

I used to be a big advocate for DipJar, but they let ... More

For whatever it's worth - as a person attending an ... More

Sharing a link for you to check out: https://www.salesforce.com/nonprofit/grantmaking-software/  ... More

I'm currently the CEO of the (c)3 in an situation like ... More

Is it truly JUST an appreciation event? Or will you ... More

We are going to try a Whiskey Wall at our event this ... More

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When you say the list is added to the database and ... More

Hi, Brandi!  Our Giving Society does not include ... More

We just looked at CRMs to get started with one as we ... More

The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) ... More

Hi Anne, I don't know how much it costs, but I have ... More

Hi Brandi, Our organization includes event sponsorships ... More

Hi Brandi, congratulations on starting down the road ... More

As info, Instrumentl is considered the 'best in the ... More

Thanks so much for the rec Carol! ------------------------------ ... More

Hi Everyone, We are in the process of establishing ... More

You have been giving some fantastic advice! I work ... More

Hello everyone, I have about one more week until I ... More

We recently learned that GrantHub, our online grant ... More

Hi! Each year, we incorporate a paddle raise into ... More

We use Bloomerang and I'd be happy to schedule a short ... More

Excellent advice, Lorelei! And as she mentioned, I ... More

Hi Maggie, The approach with Catapult Fundraising ... More

We call our paddle raise "Gift from the Heart" and ... More

Hi Linda, Lorelei and Jay both have great responses, ... More

I'd also take a look at Virtuous. https://virtuous.org/ ... More

Good morning, Linda, I agree with everyone's comments ... More

Hi! Have you checked out Instrumentl? I find it to ... More

Hello Linda, As a Licensed Benefit Auctioneer, I ... More

Dear Linda, I agree with Sue, it is easy to leave ... More

Hi Maggie, I'd recommend checking out Graphcom ... More

Great question and strong feelings. 😀 You ... More

Hi everyone, I'm currently exploring the option of ... More

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain ... More

Apparently AFP does not have RFP templates online so ... More

I’m not aware of alternative services for first class ... More

Are you working with USPS directly or through a mailhouse? ... More

Ainsley, I'm sorry to hear you've been ... More

Hi! We used DipJar for a short time before their demise, ... More

There's a very similar company called TipTap. Based ... More

Greetings Ainsley,  I provide bulk mailing services ... More

We are having a paddle raise for the first time at ... More

The other solution for your Non-Profit Permit would ... More

Ainsley, Share Mail - USPS Product - is your solution.  ... More

Thank you Mark. That's also what happened ... More

NO. Nancy L. Brown MBA, ACFRE 727-398-5997 ... More

In my previous role, we had a lot of success with wine ... More

In a previous position, we used Salesforce. Although ... More

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain ... More

Hello! The board wants a fundraiser, but no one wants ... More

I do not have a recommendation but on the note of Dip ... More

Hello Ainsley, You are for sure having a branch specific ... More

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain ... More

I hear your dilemma! Remember that sometimes board ... More

Salesforces and Raiser's Edge are too big for your ... More

We haven't sponsored galas, where the sponsors tend ... More

This feels like a branch issue but the Postal Service ... More

Hi there! This seems like a silly question but would ... More

Yes, I've done an analysis. Thank you for your input. ... More

Sounds great. Thank you. Crystal ... More

Thank you all for this feedback! Since the only way ... More

We've used PayBee the last 3 years. It's easy to use ... More

Have you applied for or received any grants for the ... More

We have used GiveSmart for just under a year and just ... More

:Greetings: Loans are used by some nonprofits as  part ... More

Hi Libbie - Of the two CRMs you mentioned, I only have ... More

Dear Crystal, The short answer to your question is ... More

I recently met someone who operates in this space - ... More

Hello, We have speakers for our trainings and some ... More

I've shared lists with board members in 2 ways: ... More

With DipJar going out of business does anyone have ... More

betterworld.org is excellent. If you're a non-profit, ... More

The most important criterion to base an increased sponsorship ... More

https://directoryofassociations.com/ and LinkedIn. ... More

Hi there,  I haven't used GiveSmart but I would consider ... More

Hi Libbie,  Bloomerang is great is you need basic ... More

Please clarify "Event attendees". Are these fundraising ... More

Following. We've run into this issue several times ... More

Hi everyone, I'm looking for effective ... More

I've worked with quite a few of these companies and ... More

Due to the economy and increased vendor costs, I am ... More

Hi, Sarah, One cannot donate services. In  this ... More

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain ... More

Hello all, Has anyone out there invested in Windfall ... More

Hi there,  I know it sounds silly to write a check ... More

We use Clear Investigative Advantage. They do a great ... More

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain ... More