ECCS BLog

Whenever someone asks for advice on how to write a good fundraising letter, I ask them how many they will send out.  “Oh, about 5,000,” some answer.  “Only a few hundred,” others say.  For those who want to impress (or who work for large nonprofits (-: ) they’ll boast, “Thousands!” The correct answer is the…

A recent study on the use of social media by Episcopal congregations uncovered something unexpected.  The Faith Communities Today Survey revealed that only 43% of Episcopal congregations ‘strongly agree’ they want to grow.  What? “Wanting to grow is related to growth, but does not ensure growth,” C. Kirk Hadaway wrote in the 2010 survey summary.…

I didn’t know it then but when I started in fundraising in 1977 the best professional advice I ever got was from Jay Gerber, one of the founding partners of Gonser, Gerber, Tinker, Stuhr [http://www.ggts.com].  “The donor needs to give more than your organization needs to receive.” Only years later – 1986 to be precise…