Posts by Jeff Brooks

Fundraisingologist at Moceanic

Jeff Brooks is a Fundraisingologist at Moceanic. He has more than 30 years of experience in fundraising, worked as a writer and creative director on behalf of top nonprofits around the world, including CARE, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Feeding America, and many others. Jeff is the author of three books about fundraising and blogs at Future Fundraising Now. Moceanic blog readers can benefit from his experience by reading his articles or by joining his on-demand fundraising courses. He is also a coach and available for bookings in the Coaching+ program to help with your fundraising project and work hands-on directly with you.

Pop Art Older Donors

Does Your Fundraising Include or Exclude? (It Matters!)

Equality
Imagine this: a nonprofit arts organization that had a sign outside their venue saying: “Wheelchair users not welcome.” That would be reprehensible. And in many places, illegal. An organization that would do that would clearly have its basic values twisted…
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Pop Art Myths

2 Fundraising Myths You Can Easily Avoid

Fundraising Myths
Don’t believe everything you hear. I realize I hardly need to tell you such an obvious piece of advice. But there are a lot of beliefs about fundraising that can really hurt your program. These things keep getting repeated, year…
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Discover the Power of Inclusive Fundraising for ALL Donors

Demographics, Donor Love, Inclusivity
Here’s some good news for fundraisers: If you make your fundraising work for everyone, regardless of their visual acuity, reading ability, attention, or knowledge and expertise — you make it better for everyone else too. That means when you write,…
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12 Ways to Get “Unstuck” When You’re Struggling to Be Productive

Self-Care
It’s not just you! Feeling “stuck” while you are trying to get your work done is something everyone faces at some time or another. Here are some ways you can deal with that feeling and get back to that sense…
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Fundraising and Communications: How Not to Be the Cats and Dogs of the Nonprofit World

Branding, Workplace
Cats and dogs: We expect them to be lifelong enemies, always in conflict. That’s how it is much of the time. But in some cases, they peacefully co-exist. Sometimes, they really love each other. In the fundraising world, we have…
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12 Surprising Productivity Tips for Getting More Done

Productivity
I can only speak for myself, but for me, the big battle I fight day-in and day-out isn’t finding great stories, creating motivating offers, or persuading bosses not to damage fundraising … What really makes a difference is staying as…
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The Easy Way to Raise More Money by Being Relevant to Each Donor

Maths of Fundraising
Want to know something about donors? A large majority of them (around 70%) will give the same amount (or very close to it) every time they donate. The percentage of donors who upgrade to meaningfully higher levels is small. (But…
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Book Review: Improve Your Fundraising by Tackling Your Own Issues First

Self-Care
Book review: Get That Money, Honey! By Rhea Wong There’s fundraising, and there are fundraisers. Fundraising doesn’t happen without fundraisers. As much as fundraising might seem like a big playbook of strategies that generate a mass of tactics, that’s not…
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Donor-Centered Fundraising: What’s It About Really?

Donor Love
What is donor-centered fundraising? It’s something that fundraising professionals talk about, but not everyone is clear about what it is. I want to share a definition of the practice from my perspective and opinion. It’s an approach to fundraising that…
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Fundraiser Asks: How Do I Tell Compelling Stories When Our Cause Has No “Happy Endings”?

Storytelling
Question from the inbox: Do you have any tips on storytelling when there is no happy ending? The disease that I fundraise for is terminal, aggressive, and traumatic. Every diagnosis is a death sentence, and the average life span from…
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