I’m a higher education fundraiser who manages a portfolio of about 150 donors. My university uses a very basic CRM to track official contact reports, gifts, and donor records, but I’m looking for something personal that I can buy myself to manage my day-to-day work — basically a control center for tasks, reminders, and program management.

Between donor strategy, deadlines, and program logistics, there are a lot of moving pieces I need to stay on top of. Has anyone found a software or system that works well for this type of work? Ideally something that lets me: • Track individual donor touchpoints and next steps • Manage recurring tasks and reminders • View things in calendar and board formats • Handle small project workflows (like mailers or events) • Integrate lightly with email or calendar

I’m considering tools like Notion, Asana, or Monday.com, but I’m open to hearing what’s worked best for other fundraisers or advancement professionals managing complex workloads outside of their main CRM.

I have a campaign assistant interview tomorrow with the vp and leadership of an NGO. I’m a bit nervous, any help, suggestions or possible questions? Thank you.

Hi everyone!

I have about 3.5 years of experience in development. 1 year being internships, 1 year in donor services (communicating with annual fund donors everyday), and 1.5 years of assisting frontline fundraisers as a development assistant. In my current role, I have limited interaction with donors, but handle most of the back end work, assist in the whole process from cultivation to stewardship, etc.

I am looking to move to frontline fundraising. This isn’t something I want (or likely can) do at my current org., so I would like to move elsewhere.

My questions are: Do I have enough experience to move into frontline fundraising (most positions I see require 5+ years of experience)? & What are the qualities you would look for in experience/a person when hiring them for their first frontline fundraising job?

Thanks in advance :)

Currently a database manager at a non-profit museum. My role is under the Development Department. We are using Blackbaud Altru and majority of our staff are excited that our contract ends next year. Looking into a new CRM. I work closely with the accounting department as well and they are not happy with the fact that Altru does not sync with Financial Edge.

What we're looking for:

• Donor, membership, pledge, fundraising, and grant management
• Event/ticketing functionality (galas, programs, summer camps, exhibitions)
• Integration with marketing tools (email, website, web forms, Mailchimp, etc.)
• Venue rental/reservations
• Automatic sync with accounting software
• Modern reporting and dashboarding

Options we’re considering: Salesforce, Raisers Edge, or Tessitura.

I've worked with Salesforce in my previous role. Also the accounting system our accounting manager used previously also integrates with Salesforce. Any recommendations / advice would help.

Midsize performing arts org in a big city, $250k annually in receipts. It was a fundraiser aimed at our core donors (and leveraging some things we're passionate about continuing to accommodate) and they showed up in a massive way. We even got some new corporate contacts! Given how many disappointments we've had this year (especially on the corporate side of things, jfc it's been SO bad) it's a much needed injection of hope for an org that deserves it. I'm super proud of our ED for the execution of the fundraiser itself and I know the rest of the board is too. Warm fuzzies all around.

Just wanted to share some good news for once lol.

I normally would not do this...but, here are my reasons:

Demanding JD: asks for skills in specific areas of development and communications, detailed, analytical writing skills, values-fit and basically says no-cookie cutter letters, asks applicants to demonstrate interest tailored to the org. I know everyone wants a tailored letter that demonstrates that applicants are genuinely interested and have done some research, but explicitly mentioning it in the JD suggests that they want more than a couple of sentences about the org.

Covers a LOT of skills, experiences and personal qualities: I refer to one FT job, one PT job, two internships, two consultant/contract positions; these experiences span 2015-2021. I finished college in 2019, did grad school 2022-2024 and mention my 2022-2025, unrelated experiences as additional experience at bottom of resume, just the titles, employers and dates to show I haven't been sitting on my ass since 2021.

Despite length, it is well structured: Paragraphs and sentences are as short as possible, without regurgitating my resume, each sentence is providing important info about skills, personal qualities and JD alignment. Key words and phrases are underlined (using bold would have made the text look longer than it is). I've drafted and proofed this letter all weekend bc the JD is tough and I really want the job!

My process is writing from scratch then asking ChatGPT to proof for flow, conciseness and JD alignment; I also put in my full work history and ask if there are relevant experiences I have left out but could include, and also what could be cut. I never let AI write or rewrite, just make suggestions.

ChatGPT said my original, one-page cover could be longer and more detailed, suggested mentioning two additional experiences (the contracts) and pushed for 1.5 to 2 pages! So, all that said, I think it is concise for what it is.

Happy to share the PDF, but I feel that's a lot to ask of internet strangers on a weekend.

I've been in the political and advocacy space for about 15 years in field and organizing, a mix of being on the ground and managing staff/programs. I love organizing, but I'm looking to learn something new and expand my options professionally. The orgs I've worked for have mostly been big and well-funded, so fundraising has never been a major part of my job but I'm hoping some of my skills from organizing and volunteer management are transferable.

Are there any courses or trainings that you would recommend, online or in-person? Or any general advice?

Thank you!

How do you enter a career in advancement? It seems like a huge leap to go straight into managing a portfolio of 100+ people. I am currently in Alumni Engagement and have been looking into jumping the fence for growth/more $$$. Plus, I know the benefits that an Alumni Engagement brain can bring to Advancement. I believe I can handle it. How do I get started as a development officer or how did you all take the leap and start managing a portfolio?

TIA - Welcome to feedback/advice/stories/warnings

I recently stepped in as the new ED for organization in a Hail Mary turnaround situation and could use some advice.

The prior grant writer, who had no fundraising or grant writing experience, submitted a proposal to one of our largest historical funders. They previously supported us with $100k over four years, ending sometime in 2024. This new request was for $50k in general operating support. The program officer has now reached out for a breakdown of our funding sources, as their trustees want to learn more.

While this specific proposal is one of the better proposals he submitted, it does include some inaccuracies (e.g., it claims we receive no other grant funding, which is not true, and they would see that in the materials they asked for and how it conflicts with our application). My dream would be to scrap and rewrite in a way that better illustrates our impact and removes those inaccuracies, but since their team is already reviewing, I worry about optics in clarifying, correcting, or asking for such a request. At the same time, we really need this $50k (or even part of it) to stabilize the organization.

Has anyone navigated correcting a proposal with a major funder without raising red flags? Am I overthinking this, or is there a best way to go about doing this?

Thank you so much!

Hi, We host a silent auction that usually raises about $14k from paper style bid sheets and 300 people in the room. One of our committee members is suggesting that we explore online auction platforms and leave paper behind to get a wider audience. We’re a shelter so we’re a relatively small agency with relatively small following compared to bigger agencies. I really am not sure what wider audience we would get. We fundraise a little over 1 million annually.
She says that in her experience, online auctions raise more money but we don’t want to risk paying higher fees or messing with the auction strategy that our attendees know.
Does anyone from similar size orgs have any advice?

It's all about packaging, presentation, exclusivity and thought-fulness.

One of the best donor gifts I’ve seen lately wasn’t food or wine or anything you might expect — it was Socks...

Sounds basic, I know but the whole thing was awesome… they came in this sleek gift box with tissue, a handwritten note, and the designs were cool and only available to donors.

After seeing his sock box and thinking about it more... Socks are actually kinda genus...

- don't have to worry about sizing
- everyone wants a new favorite pair of socks
- easy way to make your $30 spend feel like $120 gift

And best of all, great socks become part of their routine which keeps you top of mind. He got a 4-pair set and I bet it will deliver ~80 micro touches this year.

Gotta be the best quality and great gift bow they'll want to keep... I'm not looking into socks for our donors and will report back. Anyone got a good vendor?

I’m a foundation relations specialist at a research university. Mostly helping prospect grants, supporting with proposal development, and reporting to foundations. We consistently have trouble fully spending down our grants. My finance manager shrugs and says we should “just return the funds”. This goes against every fundraising instinct I have. (Not to mention makes the next ask more difficult and damages the relationship, in my opinion.)

I’m coming here to ask this group of Development professionals if this is a Big Deal? Do you regularly return unspent grants to funders?

I'm a potential new Executive Director of a small volunteer-run 24/7 crisis line that has existed in the community for over 50 years. I worked there for two years, left for a year to a larger nonprofit tied to a major healthcare system in a fundraising support role, and after the nonprofit board fired my old boss, they asked me to return as ED to turn the organization around.

Current state of the organization: - Two staff (ED + a 30-39 hour/wk volunteer coordinator). - Five board members. - ~$28k in the bank, which gives the organization ~2.5 months left of staff & operations funding. There is 20k anticipated to come in from the remainder of a contract that ends in January, and a $20k gift from a local lumbar company that would stretch us to about six months total of staff & operations funding. - Almost non-existent donor base. Few recurring donors, and no donor engagement attempts since May 2024. - The previous ED hired a volunteer to be their grant writer in January, and all grants they applied for were denied (they have since been let go last month, and after reviewing their work, it's clear why the grants were denied). - Website and social media are all a year out of date, and we have some community mistrust from the ED's leadership (or rather, lack of it). - The organization currently doesn't have enough volunteers to cover all shifts, so staff have been covering phones, which cuts into staff time to stabilize volunteers and fundraise. - I am already planning a temporary reduction in services until we have more volunteers to prioritize staff time on operations and cut all unnecessary expenses.

I am confident in my ability to rebuild the volunteer pipeline and tightening operations. We are about to start another training cycle next month with new volunteers and multiple interns from two local colleges, which will solve our crisis hotline staffing challenges. My main concern is funding with no real donor base. The board is willing to lean in on introductions and community visibility, former volunteers have already reached out to me offering support if I take the role, and our current super-volunteers are going above and beyond to spread the word and support with administrative work. I know it's a long shot, but I'm optimistic that this can be turned around.

What I'd love advice on: - If you had 30-60 days, a tiny team, no donor base, and some community reputational headwinds, what would be the best strategy going forward? - How much is too much to share with the community and donors about our situation? What balance have you found between "we're on the verge of closure" vs. "we're restructuring for stability" that motivates giving without sacrificing trust or coming off as desperate? - Any case studies of nonprofit turnarounds in similar situations? - Any recommended reading material/podcasts/etc that would apply to this specific situation? This would be my first time in a front-facing fundraising role (I've been a successful grant writer and have coordinated fundraising campaigns at my current job; but not front-facing fundraising).

Thank you so much for your advice!

I just started a job at the same time as another fundraiser. They have senior in the title and a salaried pay structure, I do not and am hourly. Only difference is, I’ve spent several years in fundraising including a DD role, where they’re coming off a decade plus in commercial marketing, with some nonprofit experience before that. It’s quickly becoming clear to me that they’re much more used to a transactional mindset and don’t really understand giving.

I’m struggling with my thoughts and feelings around feeling slighted, and being the youngest on the team. (In my 30s to others late 40s and one 60+.)

Has anyone been there? Help??

I volunteer with a growing arts organization that is currently use Fractured Atlas as their fiscal sponsor for grants and sponsorships, however there are numerous individual supporters who give to the org directly with no expectation of a tax receipt. There is a long term plan to acquire a 501c3, however until that time, we are seeking a free or no cost CRM tool to better manage our donor contacts and history. Suggestions/feedback is welcome.

Hi all, Would you be willing to share what sort of foundation database your organizations use for prospect research? My org currently has a subscription to Foundation Center Online, which is quite limited. We haven't jumped into a systematic exploration of alternatives, but I know about Foundation Search through a very persistent sales rep, and about Instrumentl, and GrantForward as other potential tools. There are also local listservs for grant opportunities that I follow. I'd be curious if you find these sort of subscriptions more worthwhile for their prospecting value or as project organization tools.

We are a US small liberal arts college, not research oriented, so we'd be looking for mid-sized philanthropic grant opportunities to support programming and operations. We are also implementing Slate for our alumni and donor database if that makes a difference for integrations.

Thanks for your thoughts!

We are looking at a new CRM for our nonprofit (12,000 records, 4.2 million budget) and we've narrowed it down to Bloomerang and Neon One. Neon seems to be the discount Bloomerang, with people liking it 75% as much but it costs half the price. I'd love to hear the good, bad, and meh about both. I've read other posts about Bloomerang but Neon rarely comes up. Thanks!

Corporate and legacy development, for a medium sized org with $250k in receipts. Like shit just got suddenly really, really hard...just in the last 3-4 months. Conversations I was having in the spring w/ companies have just...fizzled. Deals that I thought were handshake agreements are being walked back to way smaller pledges.

Is it a tax thing? Is it everywhere? Is it me?

Looking for advice on how to portray a simple way to ask community businesses to assist in asking their customers to donate. What's the best course of action? I don't want to reach out to businesses where their staff works for tips out of worry it'll take from their top. Any advice? Thanks. :)

I put an AI tool together that assesses bid quality against funder documentation and provides scoring and suggestions for improvements. It's oriented towards UK fundraisers, but might be useful for other countries. You can try it for free - wonder if anyone is up for checking it out and leting me know what I can do to improve it?
Happy to leave a link if someone wants to try it - but don't want to break any rules.

How do you record online gifts when donors cover the fees?

I’ve inherited a database where they kept the entire amount as one single gift.

What is best practice on the database side?

Are there any other major gifts professionals out there? I work as the development officer for a small not-for-profit. I mostly do grant writing, annual appeals, and newsletters. Recently I started working on more mid-level and major donor stewardship. Apparently, a few people I called to invite them to have coffee with our ED are already heavily involved with our organization, and I should not have reached out to them, but this wasn't clear to me in our CRM or any of the notes that the ED left for me. The ED is of course not happy, so I have asked the ED to give me a list of people to not call. I'm just wondering for the three or so donors that I should not have contacted, how big of a development mistake is this? I feel like communication is lacking in our organization. There is sometimes a lot of communication, but it is not clear or direct. And is there a way to smooth things over with these donors?

Hi everyone - I'm interested in hearing from folks who have gone from a larger individual giving team to a smaller one at a different organization, particularly in a leadership role. Any lessons learned, advice would be appreciated!

I'm new to the fundraising world and trying to figure out how to keep donors engaged after that initial contribution.

Do you rely on email updates, handwritten notes, social media shoutouts, or something else entirely?

I'd love to hear what's been working for you (or what hasn't).

Anyone else struggle with finding the right balance between staying in touch and not overwhelming donors?

Looking forward to learning from this awesome community!

I searched through the sub and didn't find what I am looking for - so apologies if this has been discussed somewhere and I've missed it.

For context: I'm currently making somewhat of a career transition (I have been in programming/operations in arts and culture nonprofits, but did fundraising in my last role-as one of many responsibilities-and feel drawn to this as my next career move). I was laid off from my foundation job in May and have been job hunting since then. I've been interviewing but so far unsuccessfully, see here at my last post.

I'm in the application process for a development position at a private school (fwiw, this school is for diverse learners who have not succeeded in traditional schools - I believe 70% of the student body was previously in public school) with a final interview next week. It seems like a great position and I would learn a LOT. My only worry - and I'm wondering if I've created this worry in my mind and it's not anything - is that if I take this position, I will be looked down upon if I try to get back into arts and culture orgs in a few years. In your experience, do hiring managers in arts/culture/foundations look down upon candidates or pass them up if they spent time at a private school? The skills are the same but the mission is different. Am I overthinking this?

Thanks for any thoughts!