The end of 2020 is in sight! (Thank goodness!)

That means you'll start seeing lots of recaps. "Best of" lists (and, this year, "worst of" lists) will abound.

If you work for a nonprofit, I hope you'll take a minute to look at the Best of the Let's Talk Nonprofit blog.

I'm publishing this list a little early because #2 is one that every nonprofit staffer should read before the end of the year.

You can view the full archive here.

1. 5 Tips to Help You Raise Money During a Crisis

If you're worried about how the coronavirus crisis and a pending recession might impact your nonprofit's fundraising, you're not alone. So much has changed, in such a short time, but one thing remains the same: the important work that you and your nonprofit are doing. How will you keep doing that work? Now and into the future? With those questions in mind, I've curated a list of the best advice I've found. You'll find excerpts here, along with links to the full posts. Read full blog post here.

2. Easy Ways to Use Email to Drive End-of-Year Donations

It happens every December. A lot of people will be out of the office. In fact, many nonprofits are closed the last three days of the year. Yet those are some of the busiest giving days of the year! Just because you're taking time off doesn't mean you should stop fundraising. This post offers a copy-and-paste message that will make it easy for your donor to give to your nonprofit in December, even when you're not there to help. Read full blog post here.

3. How to Raise More When You Calculate Your Core Number

A funny thing happens when you ask donors to "Please send $1000, $500, $250, $100, or $50." Fewer people respond, and gifts are lower. Here's why. Smaller donors might think their gift can't help. (Because they see those big numbers first.) And larger donors, who could give more, often give less. (Because you "only" asked for $1,000. True story.) Instead, there's one number that all of your donors can relate to: your core number. And that one number can help you raise more money. Read full blog post here.

4. 4 Often Overlooked Pieces of Your Fundraising Letters

Before you sit down to write your next fundraising letter, think about this. It's more than a "letter" - it's a package. Yet there are key elements that many nonprofits overlook when writing their appeals and putting the package together. I've written before about small things that can make a big difference in your next fundraising appeal. This post will look at four big things that can make an even bigger difference in your campaign results this year. Read full blog post here.

5. How to Apply Test. Treat. Track. to Your Fundraising

Test, Treat, Track. Chances are, you hadn't heard this phrase before the coronavirus outbreak. The protocol has been around since 2012, and countries that adopted this approach had an early edge in the fight against coronavirus. I share this bit of science because there are some valuable lessons there for fundraisers. You can apply the same three concepts to raise more money. Test. Treat. Track. Learn how. Read full blog post here.

Photo credit(s): Brian McGowen and Unsplash


Need someone to help you write effective donor communications and appeals? So you can raise more money in the new year? Laura Rhodes can help.

Send a message to start the conversation and learn how Laura can help you and your organization.

You may also be interested in upcoming training events.