Tapping into your donors’ existing travel budgets is an excellent strategy for raising money. It gives your supporters the chance to use money they already have set aside for vacations to take an exciting trip and support a good cause at the same time.

After a year’s worth of planning, your fundraising auction is finally over – but the work doesn’t stop just yet! Now is the time to look back on your auction and evaluate your success by following these three steps.   

Nonprofits are always looking for ways to improve their fundraising auctions so they can raise more money, and one of the best places to start looking for ideas is to survey your existing donor base.  Surveys are a free and simple way to get feedback from your donors and learn more about their values and preferences. The information you receive can be used to develop everything from what type of event to host to the items you include in your live and silent auctions.

Have donations to your Nonprofit hit a plateau? Have previously active donors suddenly disappeared? Are you having trouble engaging high-level donors? If so, your Nonprofit may be suffering from donor fatigue: Do·nor Fa·tigue   noun 1. a lessening of public willingness to respond generously to charitable appeals, resulting in part from the frequency of such appeals. In other words, bombarding your supporters with bland and monotonous appeals for donations may diminish donor interest and weaken your base. We all know a solid donor base is critical to the success of your Nonprofit, which means keeping donors active, engaged and excited. Following are four simple ways to treat donor fatigue and replenish the passion your donors have for your Nonprofit and its mission: 1. Be Choosy About Communication Channels It’s been said before, but it's worth saying again: Communication is key to keeping donors informed and open to giving. Approach each donor – particularly those who donate larger amounts – with an individualized communication plan. Some prefer email over phone calls, others rarely sit down at a computer but love to chat on the phone.

As a Nonprofit, you know brainstorming auction item ideas can be a daunting task. To get the ball rolling and discover unique and fresh ideas, gather your procurement committee together and have a wish list party. A wish list party is a great way to kick your good old-fashioned brainstorming sessions up a notch and inspire your team to be more effective. To get the most out of the party keep the following tips in mind.