Special Events ALWAYS require enormous effort, more time than ever imagined, nail-biting stress until the last curtain comes down, and uncertain timing. They also, if you're lucky, mean a chance to work as a cohesive team, meet people you'd otherwise…
Fabulous presentation by Fun City Social Media at the recent National Schools Foundation conference. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIN cast in a new and doable light. The company has loads of informative information on their website http://www.funcitysocialmedia.com
Reading & Radio Resource's proposal to Dallas Social Venture Partners (DSVP) to partner with them in a social enterprise project for Recorded Books has advanced to the final selection meeting. Here's hoping!!
Winfree Academy,http://www.winfreeacademy.com, is a school for students who are at risk of dropping out of high school. They can attend school in a safe environment and work with staff members who have been specifically trained to work with at-risk youth.…
Elisabeth Dillon/DMN Staff Photographer From left: Donna Miller of Miller Consulting, Rob Slovak, Reading & Radio Resource board president, and Betty Hersey, executive director. The Dallas Morning News' Bob Miller writes Sunday, July 10, 2011, about Reading & Radio Resource's…
Reading & Radio Resource recently received a $25,000 grant from the Hillcrest Foundation in support of Reading's Vision 2050 Campaign. Vision 2050, a $500,000 campaign, addresses infrastructure, technology, and program excellence needs. The Vision 2050 Case Statement and proposals are…
I've conducted a couple of Major Donor Cultivation training sessions recently and was reminded of the best part of fundraising. I always begin my training sessions with a question, "How did you feel the last time you gave more money…
Reading & Radio Resource, a fundraising and public relations client, recently received a $20,000 grant from the Communities Foundation of Texas in support of Reading & Radio Resource's Vision 2050 campaign. You can hear more about the nonprofit organization's radio…
Proposal writing is a unique blend of systematic research, exacting processing, imagination, and artful writing. And, even then, success is not guaranteed. I love the challenge and the combination of skills and am always thrilled to teach beginning fundraisers how…
The best sales and fundraising lesson I ever received was during my first professional job out of graduate school. I was working in a one-person office, responsible for everything from filing IRS documents, to writing concert programs, to picking up…
One of my clients, Reading & Radio Resource, recently received a two-year $40,000 gift from The Hoglund Foundation. The gift supports the campaign Vision 2050. I wrote the case statement for Vision 2050, so it is doubly exciting to see…
Golf on one of the oldest courses in Dallas, also rated in 2008 as one of the top 100 courses in Texas. All this, and the course is in the coolest part of town, Oak Cliff. Reserve Monday, September 27…
One of my fundraising clients, Reading & Radio Resource, recently received a substantial grant from the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Foundation to support the organization's mission of "reading for those who cannot read for themselves."
Raising money for an established cause with a track record is one thing. Raising money for a new cause is another. An experienced fundraiser is invaluable in such a situation. I worked with the Oak Cliff Chamber’s Golden Oaks Awards…
For one organization a major gift may be $1,000. For another it might be $1 million. No matter the size of the organization, the process of identification and cultivation of major gifts prospects is the same – that magic confluence…
Reading & Radio Resource launched two successful special project campaigns in the past five years: one to update their audio recording systems and data storage systems to digital, and one to match a grant from the Department of Commerce to…
The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration launched a capital campaign to raise funds for their new South Building. Miller Consulting, in partnership with Global Images Design, developed a Campaign Communication Plan that communicated key messages through a series of postcards…
Governments of any size can award grant money. Writing government proposals can mean approaching a local, regional, state-wide, or federal agency with varying degrees of complexity. For example, proposals to the National Endowment for the Arts can be substantially less…
Working with private foundations is just as personal as working with individuals. If the foundation is large enough to have staff, then it’s almost always best to schedule a meeting to discuss your nonprofit organization and your project before submitting…
Writing a foundation proposal can seem an easy way to raise money. “If I follow all the rules, they’re sure to fund us. We deserve it.” But foundations are run by people with all the preferences, dislikes, and quirks that…