By JoAnn Shull, Petrus Consultant
I’m going to be really honest with you, dear reader, in that for the vast majority of my life I had no idea what this idea of “development” was or that I would end up in a career that I didn’t even know existed. Â
Growing up, my family was not church-going, bu...
By Mary P. Walker, Petrus Blog Contributor & Local Charity Board Member
What Development Means to Me
I was blessed with generous parents. At a very young age, I learned that development is a family project that requires planning and commitment.
When I was kid, before paychecks were automatica...
By Mary P. Walker, Petrus Blog Contributor & Local Charity Board Member
My community has just declared a state of emergency. I’m on the board of three nonprofits. While we are all trying to keep our social distance, these nonprofits are “out there” offering needed services, in creative ways and...
By Andrew N. Robison, President of Petrus Development
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This week has been pretty intense. The Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is wreaking havoc everywhere. We have seen college campuses cancel all classes and meetings for the remainder of the spring semester. We have seen states ban all gatherings of...
In this episode, Andrew visits with Tom Ahern, communications guru and author of six books, including How to Write Fundraising Materials that Raise More Money and What Your Donors Want and Why. They discuss a variety of topics and strategies, all in the world of communications. Tom is a huge advoca...
 Participation in a giving day for nonprofit organizations is growing more popular with every passing #GivingTuesday. I like to think of giving days as the modern evolution of telethons!
Thinking back to the Jerry Lewis telethon every Labor Day to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association ...
By David Pederson, Director of Development, Catholic Community Foundation for the Diocese of Phoenix
Many times in a smaller organization we think a planned giving program is saved only for large universities and hospital systems with what seems like limitless financial and staffing resources.
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 A successful appeal can provide an obvious financial benefit to a Catholic nonprofit, be an excellent evangelization tool for benefactors and prospects, and educate that same audience on the latest great news about your organization.
Appeals can also be perplexing. We wonder:
- What will resonate ...
Catholic campus ministries and Newman Centers often face the challenge of building and maintaining a robust alumni donor base.
Alumni are typically the most connected and potentially generous segment of a ministry's donor population, yet many organizations struggle to effectively capture alumni con...
As we approach the end of the calendar year, Catholic fundraisers are in full swing. Studies show that 30% of all annual giving takes place in December (and 10% in the last three days of the year!). Development teams have reason to be active. Here are ten donor-centric ideas to help you maximize rev...
Henry Ford said, “You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.”
 Nonprofit newsletters, when done well, can be an effective means of spreading the good word about your mission and ministry. At the same time, quality work can produce a return on the investment of staff time and energy.
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