By Mary Walker, Petrus Blog Contributor
Plans fail when there is no counsel, but they succeed when advisors are many. (Proverbs 15:22)
It’s a tough world out there, and our ministries need help to survive and grow. Questions arise. Which path should you pursue? How can you get from where ...
That’s a great question! What do fundraisers do anyway? Meet for coffees at high-end coffee shops, wine and dine prospective donors, rounds of golf on the best golf courses around the world, etc. You name it, I’ve heard it!
I think a lot of folks think fundraisers are the non-profit’s sleazy us...
Petrus Development’s annual Raise Awards program recognizes outstanding achievement by fundraising professionals and volunteers. Each year, Petrus honors some of the best fundraising campaigns of the past year with the RAISE Awards. This year, we have six organizations to honor!
Best Direct Mai...
By Chris Scroggin, Petrus Consultant
Have you ever wondered what art and science have in common?
Art draws on emotions.
Science uses rational thought.
But, science and art both demand creativity and excellent observational skills.
Most techniques used by artists even have interesting scient...
By Mary Walker, Petrus Blog Contributor
When a ministry starts to look at fundraising in a systematic, and dare I say disciplined way, one of the first steps is to develop a Case for Support, also known as a Case Statement.
If you are embarking on a capital campaign or want to increase a...
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 spreadsheets, in the executive director’s notebooks, and in the heads ...
By Chris Scroggin, Petrus Consultant
Herb Brooks was the 1980 Olympic Ice Hockey coach that, against all odds, beat the Russian National team and then went on to win the gold medal.
It really was a “David vs. Goliath” tale that no one expected.
Herb had taken a bunch of college amateurs...
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 of a campaign.
Th...
By Rhen Hoehn, Petrus Director of Marketing
A capital campaign is a targeted fundraising project meant to raise significant dollars in a relatively short period of time.
Campaigns can be used to fund needed projects such as building repairs, or they can fund the expansion of a campus to m...
Tips and Tricks from Andrew Robison, Petrus President
Q: Cold calls to prospective donors are really hard for me. I don't like making them, and I rarely get the results I want. Are calls a necessary part of fundraising? How do I increase my odds of success?
A: Cold calls are hard. Few dev...
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 those arou...
“Listen carefully, my son, to the master’s instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart. This is the advice from a father who loves you; welcome it, and faithfully put it into practice.”
From the very first line in the prologue of his Rule, Saint Benedict is showing his desire ...
