• Why does highlighting a single individual's plight often provoke a greater response than the suffering of a large group?

• Why are people more compelled to donate to a cause when it’s nearly met its goal?

• Why don't people always donate to the programs that will do the most good?

• How do we understand the human aspect of humanitarianism?

Fortunately for the nonprofit community, altruism and charity are intriguing subjects to psychologists. They want to know what thought processes lead people to give away their limited resources. In the last few decades, a great deal of research has worked to uncover what conditions encourage and discourage giving. This knowledge can be a valuable asset to organizations looking to maximize their fundraising results.

The team at Classy.org deconstructed 10 successful fundraising campaigns to compile the examples in this book.

In each example, they tell us a little about the organization and its work. Then they walk us through the best practices that helped create these powerhouse campaigns. At the end of each section, some simple takeaways are highlighted to consider when planning the next fundraising campaign.

Retaining your donors is one of the smartest things you can do for the financial health of your nonprofit organization.

Not only is it more cost-effective to retain donors than acquire new ones, repeat donors also tend to get more involved with your work.

Whether it’s fundraising, volunteering, or monthly giving, your existing donors are ideal prospects.

In the Donor Retention Handbook, you’ll learn why retention is so important, what it takes to convince a donor to give again, and how to foster long-term relationships with your supporters.

No matter what cause sector you work in, donor retention is a key element of your fundraising success.

This is a how-to book. Its goal is to provide organizations that have budgets of less than two million dollars (including much less than that) with the information they need to establish, maintain, and expand a successful community-based fundraising program. Building a broad base of individual donors gives organizations maximum freedom to pursue their mission. They can then use foundation, corporate, or government grants for special programs, start-up costs, technical assistance, capital or endowment projects, or other time-limited needs. Organizations with small budgets, particularly those working for social change, need to keep in mind that the context in which their fundraising efforts take place is different from that of large, established organizations such as universities.

The right corporate sponsorship can have a massive impact on your organization. In addition to providing another source of income, a company’s participation in your fundraising campaigns and events connects your work to their supporters and customers, gaining you new exposure and powerful brand association. Corporations may be the ones contributing to an organization, but sponsorships are actually a two-way street. Just as any healthy relationship is dependent on clear expectations and mutual participation, corporate sponsorships require effort from both partners. In this guide, we’ve compiled everything you need to understand the most appropriate type of sponsorships for your organizations and what it takes to find and secure an effective relationship— no matter the size of your team.