by Lauren Brownstein | Mar 7, 2024 | Fundraising, grants, Nonprofit, Philanthropy
I’ve completed hundreds of Prospect Research Reports, and probably reviewed thousands of foundation giving lists, over the 30+ years that I’ve been a fundraiser. When I started doing this work, most of the information was embedded in foundations’ IRS...
by Lauren Brownstein | Apr 2, 2020 | Nonprofit, Philanthropy
I don’t typically write about current events in this blog. These are not typical times. Today is April 2, 2020. My daughter is in her room “homeschooling” (or, sorta homeschooling and sorta singing show tunes) for the foreseeable future. I am...
by Lauren Brownstein | Jun 6, 2019 | Nonprofit, Philanthropy
Why won’t a board member make the ask? Lots of nonprofit board members are resistant to asking for donations. In my 25+ years working with nonprofit boards, I’ve heard scores of objections and hesitations from board members. Many objections are valid and...
by Lauren Brownstein | May 10, 2019 | donation, Fundraising, Philanthropy
Asking for a Donation – You CAN Do this! For many of us, asking for a donation is the last thing we want to do. It feels uncomfortable. It feels pushy. It feels intrusive. Or, as my middle school daughter might say, it’s “cringy.” These feelings are natural. In our...
by Lauren Brownstein | Mar 12, 2019 | Fundraising, Nonprofit, Philanthropy
Connecting with the Right Kind of Donors in the Right Way I recently listened to a great episode from NPR’s TED Radio Hour podcast. The episode, “Wired for Altruism,” features TED Talks that explore questions like: Are certain people biologically pre-conditioned...
by Lauren Brownstein | Dec 5, 2018 | Fundraising, Nonprofit, Philanthropy
If you are scrambling to finish everything you need to finish during December 2018, planning for 2019 could feel like an impossible dream! I sometimes find that making a huge, multifaceted plan can feel like an awfully big mountain to climb, but if I chip away at a...