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The Need for a Database

By Chris Scroggin, Petrus Consultant


One of the non-profits I worked for didn’t have a database; they had an Excel spreadsheet for their donor information. It wasn’t very organized, and I had no idea how accurate it was. 

 

There was information everywhere - on...

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Money Management Matters - An Interview with Karen Houghton

In this episode, Andrew interviews Karen Houghton, founder and CEO of Infinite Giving.  Together, Andrew and Karen discuss Infinite Giving’s mission as an investment adviser for nonprofit organizations.  Karen shares her expertise in nonprofit financial management, and she and...

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"So Always Be Ready" - An Interview with Tom and Dan Thimons

In this episode, Andrew interviews brothers Tom and Dan Thimons.  Together, Tom and Dan founded My Catholic Will, the only online Catholic will-writing platform.  Andrew invites Tom and Dan to share about My Catholic Will, how they got it started, and what they hope it will become in...

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6 Steps to Get Ready for a Capital Campaign (Part 2)

By Rhen Hoehn, Petrus Director of Marketing


Welcome back!  In part one of this two-part series, we discussed three steps that must be taken to position an organization for undertaking a capital campaign.   In this article, we look at three more steps to kick off the process...

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The Push for Creative Action - An Interview with Evan Woolsoncroft

In this episode, Andrew chats with Evan Woolsoncroft, vice president of philanthropy for Heroic Media.  Andrew invites Evan to share about his work at Heroic Media, and the two discuss the need for proactiveness, innovation, and smart modeling in ministry.  

Listen to "122- The...

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Confronting the Fear of Fundraising

 By Mary Walker, Petrus Blog Contributor


 

A group of people are sitting around a table. There are probably some snacks. A leader speaks with passion about some great need in the parish, Church, or community. The leader shares her vision of how major change can come about. She invites...

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Innovation in Partnerships - An Interview with Jack Ziegler

In this episode, Andrew interviews Jack Ziegler, financial advisor for Northwestern Mutual.  Andrew and Jack discuss how we, as individuals, can improve our relationship with money.  They also chat about how we, as fundraising professionals, can better serve our donors by connecting...

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Prioritizing a Culture of Excellence - An Interview with Jeff Schiefelbein

In this episode, Andrew interviews Jeff Schiefelbein, co-founder and culture catalyst for Undivided Life.  Andrew questions Jeff about his role as a culture catalyst, and the pair discusses just how important culture is to organizations of all sizes.  Jeff describes how he encourages...

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Are The Dishes Supposed To Be Wet?

 


By Andrew Robinson, Petrus President


 

Recently, my family and I stayed in an Airbnb. I had an interesting encounter with an appliance that illustrates a problem that a lot of nonprofit leaders struggle with.

Your dishwasher can actually dry your dishes...

🤯

You’re...

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The End is Coming!

By Mary Walker, Petrus Blog Contributor


The end of the year, that is. 

 

Did you know that about 1/3 of annual giving happens in December? The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a season that encourages generosity. As a result, nonprofits ramp up their “asks.”...

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Is Your Year-End Appeal Up To The Task?

Has your ministry been sending out the same old year-end appeal letter, year after year?

Is your appeal just a shot in the dark? You spend time getting the wording and layout just right, but you don't really know if it is moving the people who read it.

Is your letter even getting read by its...

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2021 Trends in Philanthropy

 


By Mary Walker, Petrus Blog Contributor


 

Latest Information on Giving Trends

Giving USA 2022: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2021 was released in June.  The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy researched and wrote the report. 

The...

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