Thread Journal

When Fundraising Best Practices and Experimentation Work Together: The 2021 Spool to Sphere Comparison

The Spool to Sphere Comparison is Thread's annual research, analysis, and action report focused on End-of-Year giving, the most lucrative and busy time for nonprofit fundraising.

We are very excited to share with you the 2021 Spool to Sphere Comparison. We are especially excited because this year marks the third anniversary of this report, meaning we are now in place to see how our Spool is evolving over time.

Holly Richardson

April 20, 2022

Who are Your Best Prospects to Become Recurring Donors?

Know your data to know your best prospects

If you’re working to build up a recurring giving program, one of your chief considerations is whom to ask. Recurring giving is attractive to lots of different people, but especially if you’re just starting out and building your recurring donor roster,

Holly Richardson

March 21, 2022

Understanding Direct Mail Fundraising: 7 Pros and Cons

Grant Cobb, Head of Marketing and Analytics at GivingMail, joins Thread to share a pros and cons list to see how direct mail stacks up in the digital age.

Many nonprofits have been wondering if direct mail fundraising is still an effective marketing option. With so much emphasis on digital fundraising channels, it’s easy to see why some nonprofits have begun to move away from direct mail. However, direct mail still has several benefits,

Holly Richardson

March 1, 2022

Three Ideas for When and How to Ask for Recurring Gifts

There are lots of different opportunities in the donor's journey to ask for that recurring gift

Whether you’re just hopping on the recurring giving train or your program has been cruising down the tracks for some time, an important reminder about recurring giving is that there are many different ways to ask your donors to join you on this journey.”

Holly Richardson

February 22, 2022

Tips for an Easy Start to Planned Giving

Planned giving is an enormous revenue opportunity for organizations of all sizes, and with some easy-to-do planning and basic strategizing, planned giving can be done simply, joyfully, and successfully.

“Your job is to excite the donor about the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy they can be proud of, that carries their values and connections forward.”

It’s a true fact of fundraising that when the topic of planned giving comes up,

Holly Richardson

January 24, 2022

Spotlight on our Spool: Angela Barker Jackson, DMin, CFRE

A conversation with Central Seminary's Director of Development, Angela Barker Johnson, DMin, CFRE

“As I’ve witnessed the arrival of estate gifts, I understand how important it is to continuously cultivate those future legacies. I’m particularly interested in helping donors understand that anyone can make a significant impact with a planned gift.”

 

Holly Richardson

January 24, 2022

5 Social Media Strategies for Growing Your Donor Base

John Killoran, Chairman of Clover Leaf Solutions, joins Thread with this guest blog post about to use social media to grow the visibility of your organization.

Social media is one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal to grow your impact. Make the most of it with these five social media strategies for success.

Social media is an incredibly powerful tool for growing the visibility of your organization.

Loree Lipstein

December 18, 2021

Grow Your Individual Giving through Masterful Copywriting

How you write for fundraising matters just as much as what you write.

Storytelling is one of the most important tools in an individual giving fundraiser’s toolkit. However, for as much time as fundraisers spend thinking about what stories to tell their donor community, they often don’t pay the same attention to how they’re telling it.

Holly Richardson

November 16, 2021

5 Last-Minute Must-Do’s for EOY Fundraising

It's never too late to help your EOY campaign!

You’ve heard us recommend in our Spool to Sphere Comparison that you should start planning for your end-of-year (EOY) campaign in August, September at the latest. But we’re also realists. Sometimes your ducks just won’t get in a row to start that early.

Holly Richardson

October 15, 2021

Tips for Small Nonprofits to Get Started With Matching Gifts

Adam Weinger, President of Double the Donation, joins Thread with this guest blog post about how small nonprofits can tap into corporate matching gifts.

If you work for a small nonprofit that wants to tap into corporate matching gifts, we’ve outlined some of the top strategies to do so! Check them out here.

When you’re part of a small nonprofit,

Loree Lipstein

September 16, 2021