As you enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend, remember to also enjoy this Sunday’s celebration of Christ - King of the Universe. And you know what comes after? The joyous celebration of Advent is right around the corner!

The season of Advent is an ideal time to organize an appeal.

It’s a great time to fundraise for two reasons. The first reason is because it is the ‘season of giving.’ December accounts for 29% of all yearly giving. The second reason is because people are expecting to be asked.

Therefore, don’t disappoint people, as they enjoy being asked! And more importantly… ask before other charities do.

Click here to read the full article: http://bit.ly/2OYA7OI

If you are fundraising in November and December, you don’t want to miss this opportunity. One of the biggest trends in Catholic fundraising is the social media campaign called #iGiveCatholic.

This campaign is an online giving day that kicks off the charitable season and brings the Catholic community together to give thanks and give back. It is celebrated annually on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday.

The hashtag, followed by the phrase ‘I Give Catholic,’ was inspired by the popular non-profit social media campaign #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving. In social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn), when a word or phrase is preceded by a hash mark (#) when it is used in a post, it becomes indexed by the social network and becomes searchable/discoverable by other users.

Read the full article here: http://bit.ly/2OIRZwV

New donors can be the catalyst for your Catholic non-profit or mission. But finding donors can be overwhelming for many of us. Based on years of experience launching successful fundraising campaigns, today I am sharing with you the three steps that will take you from drawing board to raising funds in no time.

In this article, you are going to learn how to save time when it comes to finding donors and use a method for building a sustainable approach to raising funds.

Read the full article here: http://bit.ly/2Ox0FGv

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In the wake of the scandals which continue to plague the Catholic Church, I’ve been interviewed multiple times by news outlets asking the same question, “How will Catholics respond?” The question is focused on the aspect of financial giving. Yes, Catholics are most definitely considering how to take action. However, you and I both know that taking financial action - which is appropriate - is not the most important.

And yes… it’s the fundraiser saying this - money is not the most important! You and I can respond in greater ways than reducing the amount we donate.

Here are four things you can do to boost your fundraising.

Read more at: CatholicFundraiser.net/articles

Asking for donations is not something that comes naturally to me, even though I am a fundraiser! In fact, I still get scared. Whether it’s a one-on-one donation request or an appeal letter, asking for donations is a skill that I had to learn.

Thinking about how I have improved (and conquered my fears), I was reminded of a discussion I had with the director of a Catholic non-profit in California.

She had been hesitant when it came to asking for donations. She knew she had to ask but just kept struggling. Finally, after listening to her express her fears, I assured her that I could offer advice to help boost her confidence.

Confidence is essential when it comes to fundraising. You can have a long list of potential donors - who are ready to give - but if you don’t have confidence, you probably won’t be able to ask them for a donation.

Today, let’s dive into the world of appeal letters. You will notice that I take a different approach to the average fundraiser. Rather than focus my attention on asking for a donation, I focus on my relationship with the reader.

If we consider how Jesus started his ministry to proclaim the Kingdom of God, we learn two tips about fundraising. Yes, even Jesus collected funds, and he had a unique approach. [Matthew 23:23, Luke 8:1-3, Luke 10:7]

Before he dove into his mission, which included asking for donations, he did two important first steps that we should replicate. First, he paused to reflect on what he was going to do, and then he checked that his apostles were clear about what the mission was.

Before we run around asking for funds, we should do the same as Jesus. It’s important to start any campaign with first, checking that you’re clear with what you want to do and second, confirming those around you are clear about that, too.

Read full article here: http://bit.ly/2JijA6p

How do you succeed in fundraising for your mission, cause, or vocation? You’ve likely asked this question countless times. As a fundraiser, my life’s mission is to get as much money as possible into the hands of Catholics just like you who are doing great work.

I get my best inspiration for running successful campaigns from the saints. When we think of saints, we often forget that they at times had to fundraise. I recently came across the story of St John the Almsgiver. My good friend Nathan, who runs the fantastic website the Almoner, referred me to this saint.

St John is an excellent example of a saint achieving great results by using money.

Born in the 6th century, he entered religious life after his wife and child died. He eventually was elected bishop during the Byzantine era and then gained prominence in the West. He was an original patron of the order of St. John of the Hospital, the Hospitallers, which still exists today as the Knights of Malta.

Saint John the Almsgiver wasn’t shy about accumulating wealth and using it to spread the faith. In fact, he was so good at it that it has become his hallmark. I find this fascinating because John reached sainthood all the while using money to help him.

Here are four lessons you can learn from Saint John about how to raise funds and use money to further your mission.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: http://bit.ly/2GjVOco

Fundraising is about getting people so passionate about your cause that they want to support you financially. How to do this? You’ve got to increase people’s level of commitment -- one step at a time -- until they reach this desired goal.

The decision to financially support your church or cause and its efforts only happen after many other decisions have been made. Until you help people reach this level, you’ll stay where you are with your fundraising.

Read the full article here: http://bit.ly/2pw3EoN

We’ve all read Bible verses in appeal letters and brochures, right? It’s one of the classic tactics of fundraisers to stick scripture into a request to reminds us how it’s our duty as Catholics to give. If you’re running an appeal or campaign, you likely want to do add a few verses into your material.

But what if I told you there is a right way -- and a wrong way -- to use the Bible in your fundraising?

I’ve got good news for Catholics who want to use Bible verses to inspire people to give: You can quote the Bible without looking cliche’. In fact, I do recommend quoting scripture in your appeals. However, there are rules that you must follow so you don’t sound like the typical fundraiser just pulling at our faith to get to our wallet.

READ FULL ARTICLE: http://bit.ly/2Dt70gD

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Get your free e-book on how to fundraiser here: http://catholicfundraiser.net/

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Get your Purchase Alms: http://bit.ly/almsbook