My new website is finally all done and we’re moving the blog there.  You can now find ALL the great articles for fully funding your nonprofit at www.getfullyfunded.com/blog.

Congrats to Jeni from WordPlayers for winning the Kindle last week!

Woohoo!  It’s Launch Day for my new book Get Fully Funded:  How to Raise the Money of Your Dreams! I’ve been working on this book for a couple of years and I’m so happy to have it finished and available for you to read and use.

What I LOVE about this book is that it flows in a step-by-step way through everything you need to put in place to be uber successful in fundraising.  I tried to create something that would make your life so much easier and simpler.  One of my peeps at the Preview Party last night said “I wish I’d had this when I was a Development Director!”  Love it!

Want to read more or get your hands on it?  Get the full scoop at http://getfullyfunded.com/get-fully-funded-books/.

Donor-based fundraising is a key to raising big money and it’s a critical factor in the Get Fully Funded system. Here’s a short video where I talk about donor-based fundraising.

Whether they know it or not, everyone in your organization is part of the fundraising process.  So you may as well be purposeful about involving them.

From the person who answers the phone to the volunteer coordinator to the person on the front lines, everyone interacts with the public at some point.  This interaction gives an impression of your organization.  If your staff is friendly and warm, people get a positive impression and they’ll be much more likely to give when the time comes.  If they have a sour impression of your staff as grouchy or uncaring, they may not want to support your organization financially.  Put yourself in the donor’s shoes – how does the overall attitude of the nonprofit’s staff affect your interest in giving?

Train your staff (and volunteers) to look at everyone they interact with as a potential million dollar donor.  It’ll shift their perspective for the better!

Got a great fundraising tip??  Share it here for a chance to win a Kindle.  It’s just part of the launch of my new book “Get Fully Funded:  How to Raise the Money of Your Dreams.”  Catch all the launch party details at www.getfullyfunded.com/launch-party.

Hopefully you’ve heard that I’ve got a little something special happening this week!  On Friday, we’re launching my new book “Get Fully Funded: How to Raise the Money of Your Dreams.”  It’s going to be a day-long virtual party, with events happening all day, all over the web.  Check out the Party Launch page at http://getfullyfunded.com/launch-party/.

Tips, tips!  Right here on the Get Fully Funded blog, we’re collecting tips this week.  Share your best fundraising tips by clicking on the comment link and sharing what works for you.  On Friday, I’ll choose the best tip and give away a Kindle to the winner!  You’ve got plenty of time to think about your best tip and share it, but don’t wait too long if you want to win!

Becoming a successful Fundraiser isn’t necessarily easy, but it is simple. I’ve done it and I’ve coached many, many people through it.

The nonprofit clients I work with privately see results within the first few months. Here’s what they do to be successful:

• They take ACTION and implement the steps of the system.
• They get really good at telling their story to lots of people.
• They create a written plan for fundraising.
• They get out there and spread the word about their cause.
• They learn how to say “no” to things that don’t help them raise money.
• They work smarter, not harder.
• They create systems to make their work easier.
• They develop deep and lasting relationships with key supporters and donors.
• They create diverse revenue streams from a variety of fundraising strategies.
• They thank every donor, every time, and do a fantastic job of it.
• They track where their fundraising dollars are being spent and where the most money is being raised.
• They regularly review their fundraising plan and make adjustments as needed.

The most important thing they do?  They take ACTION.  They do.  They implement.  They don’t sit around and think too long or suffer from analysis paralysis.  They try things out.  And they get results.

Want to get results too?  Join us this Friday, Sep 30 as we launch my new book “Get Fully Funded.”  Get the details for the day-long party on my website at www.getfullyfunded.com

Having a compelling mission is a key to Getting Fully Funded. Watch this short video as I explain what a compelling mission is.

It’s tough being a perfectionist. We like everything to be just right before we call it finished. The only problem is that it can take a really long time to get to the finish line. And with some projects, we never do.

In the world of fundraising, it’s lethal. For example, if you’re writing a grant, there comes a point at which it must be submitted. If you’re a perfectionist, it’s tough calling it done when you suspect there may be a tweak or two still needed.

My suggestion? Something I learned from my quilting friends – “Done is better than perfect.” It means that sometimes, it’s better to call something finished than to spend lots of time with the niggly little things trying to make them perfect when in reality they’re already good enough. With a quilt, you can take things apart and re-sew them so many times that the fabric will literally unravel. With a fundraising task, there definitely comes a point of diminishing returns. In other words, the last few tweaks you make probably don’t make much of a difference at all.

To be a successful fundraiser, you need to be able to move fast. You need to be able to get clear about what needs to be done and just do it. Do the best you can in the time you have, let it go, and move on, knowing that it’s good enough.

Are you ready? We launch next Friday! Speaking of being a perfectionist, it’s been tough for me to release details about the party because I want everything to be just right. Here’s some of what you can expect: At 1:00 pm eastern, I’m leading a free webinar called “The Get Fully Funded System: 7 Simple Steps to Raising All the Money You Need.” Beginning at 10 am eastern and going to 8 pm eastern, it’s a Twitter-palooza! We’ll be using the hashtag #GFFBook to talk about the book all day and we’ll be giving away free copies to those who use the tag. Starting Monday here on the blog, we’ll be taking your best tips for fundraising. Next Friday, we’ll draw a winner from the tipsters and give away a Kindle and a copy of the ebook. Cool? There’s more to come, so stay tuned!

One of the gifts I’ll be giving away to those who purchase the new Get Fully Funded book next week is a special report called “100 Best Web Resources for Nonprofits.”  There are SO many great websites out there and I want to be sure my readers know about them and use them.  Here are a few that are included in the report.

https://twitter.com/#!/nptweets  Keep up with tweets about the nonprofit world, including #nonprofit, #charity, #causes, #volunteer, and #philanthropy. 

www.volunteerspot.com  Need an online resource for organizing your volunteers?  Look no further!  Lots of resources here, too.

http://www.womensfundingnetwork.org/  Very cool site with resources to help you fund your work in supporting women.

www.501c3university.org  New site with comprehensive offerings for online training.  Very affordable!

www.microgiving.com  Want to try crowdsourcing to fund your work?  Check out this site.

We’re just about a week away from launching “Get Fully Funded: How to Raise the Money of Your Dreams.”  And I can’t wait!  If you’re in East Tennessee, we’re having a special preview party and book signing at the Cedar Bluff Library in West Knoxville on Thursday, September 29 from 5  – 6:30 pm.  Drop by and have a cupcake with us, and get your copy of the book!

My coach uses a lot of great, sticky phrases.  They’re sticky because they’re easy to remember.  One of my favorites is “Take a No Excuses Approach.”

Her point is that when you really want something, you should go after it, full out.  No excuses.  No “I don’t have time” or “I’m too tired.”  None of that.  It’s amazing how much we don’t do because we talk ourselves out of it.

What would happen to your fundraising if you took a No Excuses Approach?  Would you raise more money?  No doubt that you would.

I suggest you start to pay attention to the excuses you use to keep yourself where you are.  Watch out – excuses can be very subtle and sometimes seem like justification or “reasons.”  When you identify an excuse, think about why you are using it.  What benefit do you get from using that excuse?  And are you moving closer to your goal by using that excuse?

I bet you’ll figure out (just like I did) that my excuses do not serve me.  Make a commitment to radically reduce the number of excuses you use and see what happens.  I bet you’ll find (just like I did) that it’s easier to reach your goals and be successful!

Want more tips like this?  Stay tuned here for more!  We’re celebrating the launch of the Get Fully Funded books next week by sharing 30 days of tips right here on the Get Fully Funded blog.