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By Robert Yoo, Senior Grants Consultant January is a great time for your nonprofit to revisit its grant strategies for 2025. The process of finding and securing grants can be an emotional rollercoaster for many nonprofit fundraisers, especially given the increasing need for funding and the limited amount of grants available. It can be frustrating at times when you invest so much time and effort in grant submissions when you don’t hear back from funders or find out that your grant was declined.   This is why it’s important to review your grant strategies on an ongoing basis. Here are a few ways to help ensure your organization is well-positioned for the grant opportunities that you pursue this year. Remember, grant writing is not just about asking for money – it’s about building partnerships and demonstrating your organization’s impact for the individuals, families, and communities you serve.   Review your grants calendar Review your grant submission calendar to confirm all the LOI and proposal deadlines you’re planning on pursuing this year are up-to-date and set reminders to make sure you don’t miss any opportunities. Make sure you have a good handle on all your reporting requirements and communicate them with your program teams well in advance of report deadlines so that you have enough time to gather and analyze all the program data you’ll need.   Research new grant opportunities The institutional funding landscape evolves every year. Grantmakers often offer new funding opportunities and/or shift their existing priorities, so it’s important to stay informed. If you haven’t already, consider investing in grant search engines like Foundation Directory Online, GrantStation, Instrumentl, or Grant Watch to identify opportunities aligned with your organization’s mission and impact. Regularly check websites like the Washington Department of Commerce , FundHubWA  or Grants.gov  for public funding opportunities your organization may be eligible to pursue. Work with your board, peer organization networks, and other internal and external stakeholders to identify potential connections you may have with institutional funders. Grow and diversify your grant revenue streams so that you’re not overly reliant on a few funders. Ensure your organization pursues a balanced mix of foundation, corporate, and public funding opportunities to mitigate potential fundraising gaps.   Build cultivation and stewardship strategies for new and existing funders Develop concise and compelling introduction emails, letters, and call scripts for new funders that are tailored to their grantmaking priorities. Create a cultivation activity plan and calendar to track when and how you’ll engage your current funders. Some ideas include sending them your organization’s newsletter or annual report, creating quarterly program impact updates to share with them, or inviting them to site visits and special events.   Update and refine how your organization defines its impact Review your organization’s key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure they align with your mission and funder priorities. Collaborate with your program teams to develop a strategy and timeline for collecting impact data on a regular basis that works for your organization. For example, you can create a shared Excel spreadsheet for impact metrics that you or your program teams can update on a quarterly basis to help streamline the grant reporting process. Research funder grantmaking priorities and how other nonprofits in your field are defining their impact to generate new ideas for your organization. These strategies are always helpful for strengthening your organization’s case for support.    Create compelling narratives Revisit, refine, and reframe how you describe the who, what, when, why, and how of your organization’s work. Tailor your grant submissions to what funders are interested in supporting and make sure you’re answering the questions they’re asking in their proposals. When possible, try to connect with funders before submitting to get insights on their priorities and whether your organization’s programs and services align with them. Demonstrate your organization’s value through inspiring storytelling backed by data. Generally, it’s good to keep your narratives simple and compelling with a clear outline of how grant funding will help ensure your organization can achieve its stated impact.

By Mitra Karami, Senior Consultant As the new year rolls in, it’s the perfect opportunity to reflect, recalibrate, and reignite your fundraising efforts. The momentum from year-end giving can provide a strong foundation for the months ahead, but to capitalize on this, it’s essential to focus on stewardship, donor engagement, and planning. Here are several strategic steps you can take in the first few months of the year to ensure your fundraising momentum continues and your donor relationships stay strong. 1. Send End-of-Year Tax Receipts Promptly Start the new year off on the right foot by sending tax receipts to your donors as soon as possible. Many of your supporters will likely be expecting these receipts for tax purposes and getting them out quickly shows your organization's appreciation for their contribution. Make sure the receipts include all necessary information—such as your nonprofit’s tax ID number and donation details. Include a note thanking donors for their generous year-end gifts and briefly highlighting how their contributions made an impact. This is a great opportunity to reinforce the impact of their donation and make them feel appreciated and it also builds a foundation of trust and transparency that encourages future giving. 2. Steward Year-End Donors Donor stewardship is an ongoing process, but its particularly important following year-end giving when many donors have made their final contributions of the year. Now that the calendar has flipped, it’s crucial to prioritize stewardship for these donors. Stewardship isn’t just about saying “thank you”; it’s about showing them the direct impact of their gift and maintaining a lasting relationship. This is the time to: Personalized Thank You Notes:  A handwritten or thoughtfully crafted message can go a long way in reinforcing the donor's value to your mission. Donor Impact Reports:  Share a story or update on how their donation made a difference. This could be through a newsletter, email, or even a dedicated report. Include tangible results like the number of people helped, goals met, or new projects launched, so they can see the direct impact of their donations. Involve them further:  This could be as simple as inviting year-end donors to special events or sending them updates throughout the year about how their money is being used. By building a strong stewardship program, you increase the likelihood of repeat gifts, making these donors feel connected to your mission and appreciated. Show your donors that they are part of your nonprofit’s ongoing journey, not just a one-time transaction. Doing so helps nurture long-term relationships and can convert one-time donors into recurring supporters.   3. Reach Out to Donors Who Didn’t Give at Year-End Not everyone will donate during the busy year-end giving season, but don’t let these potential supporters fall off your radar. This is a great time to reach out to those who didn’t make a year-end gift. In your outreach, focus on why their support is important, remind them of the impact they’ve made in the past, and offer them an easy way to contribute. Framing the conversation around your new year’s goals or upcoming initiatives can also reinvigorate their interest. Craft an outreach campaign that: Expresses gratitude:  Thank them for their past support, even if it wasn’t recent. Provides updates:  Let them know what your nonprofit has achieved in the past year, and how their continued support can make a difference. Invites them to reconnect:  If you know that the donor might have missed the year-end giving season, offer them an opportunity to make a contribution now or provide other ways they can support your cause. In your messaging, make it clear that you value their relationship with your organization, and that their involvement—whether through donations, volunteering, or spreading the word—makes a real difference. 4. Meet with Your Board Members to Discuss Engagement Your board is one of your most valuable assets in any fundraising strategy, so it’s essential to engage them early in the year. January is also the perfect time to meet with your board members to ensure they are on the same page with your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts. Discuss strategies for board member engagement throughout the year, including: Personal giving:  Discuss their personal contributions and how they can lead by example. Networking:  Explore how board members can leverage their networks to open doors to new donors, sponsors, or partners. Fundraising roles:  Define clear expectations and assign specific roles to board members—whether it’s attending events, making direct appeals to potential donors, or securing corporate sponsorships. Getting buy-in from your board is crucial for creating a unified approach to fundraising and engagement. When your board is aligned, it can be an incredible asset to your fundraising efforts. A motivated and engaged board can be a game changer for your fundraising success, so take the time to set expectations and empower them with the tools and knowledge they need to succeed. 5. Plan for the Year Ahead: Set Clear Goals Now that you’re back from the holiday break, it’s time to evaluate your fundraising goals for the new year or second half of your fiscal year. Take a step back to look at where you are, where you want to go, and what you need to do to get there. Set specific, measurable goals:  Whether it’s increasing your annual fundraising total, diversifying your donor base, or growing a specific program, clear goals will guide your strategy and provide focus. Segment your donors:  Take a close look at your donor database to identify different groups (e.g., recurring donors, lapsed donors, major donors, new supporters). Tailor your communication strategies to each group based on their giving history and potential for future involvement. Create a fundraising calendar:  Plan out key campaigns, appeals, and events for the year, aligning them with major milestones for your organization. For example, if your nonprofit’s anniversary is in the fall, plan an event or campaign around it. The key here is to break your large fundraising goals into manageable milestones throughout the year so you can measure progress and adjust as needed. Ensure that you have a balanced fundraising strategy that incorporates multiple channels to reach a diverse audience. Once your goals are established, communicate them with your staff, volunteers, and key stakeholders so everyone is aligned and working toward the same objectives. 6. Start Planning for Spring and Summer Campaigns As you think about the new year, start planning for upcoming fundraising campaigns, especially those that will take place in the spring and summer. Whether it’s a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, a special event, or a targeted appeal, now is the time to lay the groundwork. Starting early will give you plenty of time to execute these campaigns successfully, without the stress of last-minute planning. 7. Focus on Donor Retention While it’s important to attract new donors, the cost of retaining existing donors is far less than acquiring new ones. To improve donor retention rates: Personalize communication:  Tailor your messaging to your donors, using their name and referring to their past support. Create a donor loyalty program:  Recognize your most loyal donors with special perks, recognition, or exclusive updates to make them feel valued and engaged. Be transparent:  Share the challenges and triumphs of your nonprofit. The more transparent you are with your donors, the more they will trust you, and the more likely they will stay with you for the long haul. Final Thoughts Starting the new year with a focus on strategic fundraising will set the tone for a successful year ahead. By prioritizing stewardship, setting clear goals, evaluating your fundraising channels, and meeting with your board, you’ll be able to build strong relationships with your donors and continue to grow your impact. Remember, consistency is key—continue to show your appreciation, communicate your needs, and provide ways for donors to stay involved. With a solid foundation, your organization will be well on its way to achieving its mission in the year ahead. Happy fundraising!

By Hal Abrams, Senior Consultant, Planned Giving I frequently hear these common misconceptions about planned giving : “We’ve been meaning to build a planned giving program just as soon as our capital campaign is over.”  “I don’t want to mention planned giving to this donor because he may take money off the table.”    “Mentioning death during a gift solicitation splashes cold water on the giving discussion.”    And these assumed rationales for not using planned giving throughout a campaign   “I would prefer not to raise too much money during the campaign.”  “I enjoy the challenge of fundraising with one arm tied around my back.”    Let’s reverse the order of words to better appreciate the power of Planned Giving.  Let’s just call it “Gift Planning.”  Keep in mind that any good fundraiser's ultimate goal is building a sufficient relationship with a donor that shows giving opportunities that compliments their goals.  Don’t we want to help our donors plan gifts that match their philanthropic and financial goals?  If we don’t fully understand the goals of the donor, our gift solicitations are simply shots in the dark. The successful solicitation asks the donor at the right time for the right amount of money.    Building a Gift Planning program can help a fundraiser better identify the best donors.  So let’s build a Gift Planning program!      What donor is better to focus on than someone who has already said your organization is in their will?      With this in mind, steps 1 and 2  to building a successful planned giving program are:    Create a Legacy Society that honors anyone who has made an end of life commitment (will, living trust, retirement plan, life insurance beneficiary or life income gift); and  Promote the heck out of the Legacy Society:  Include magic boxes on all reply mechanisms (“check here if you are eligible to be a member of the _____ Legacy Society because you have included us in your estate”);  Include Legacy Society promotion in all written and email communications (“PS Please let us know if you are eligible to be a member of the ____ Legacy Society”)  Send stand-alone post cards, buck slips, and emails (and include on the website) mentioning the ____ Legacy Society.    The immediate result after just taking these first two steps is to better steward your estate donors .  This increased stewardship results in (1) decreasing the chance that the donor will remove you from their will (2) building a strong relationship with a donor who is fully qualified as having a strong affinity. Can anyone have a stronger affinity than someone who is trusting their hard-earned wealth with your organization upon their death?   Charitable giving expert, Russell James, found that over 50% of all charitable estates change one of their charitable beneficiaries within the last five years of a donor’s lifetime. So, let’s make sure we are top-of-mind for as many estate donors as possible.    Russell James' research also finds that donors who join a legacy society give, on average, 75% more after their membership.    Once you've set up and have started promoting your Legacy Society, move to Step 3: 3. Train Legacy Society Ambassadors: Start with development staff, then train board members to advocate for your Legacy Society. Ambassadors should be able to identify potential legacy society members and spot potential issues. They should also identify donors that might benefit from learning about the tax-saving and income increasing aspects of planned giving.    At this point, your Planned Giving Program is well on its way.  Learn about common planned giving techniques. Train your development team to have a basic understanding of planned giving techniques and their benefits. Common techniques include gifts from retirement accounts, stock, and even real estate. A second tier of planned giving techniques include life income gifts, such as charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts.  You can gain basic familiarity with these techniques through independent study or 1-2 consultant-led trainings.      With this basic knowledge, the development team can keep solicitation alive. They can offer ideas and solutions to common donor concerns that cause declined solicitations. For example, if a donor is concerned that their assets are not liquid, or they won't have enough money for retirement, your team can offer solutions that help the donor shift looming tax bills into charitable gifts.      Your development officers can make provocative statements such as, “Some of our donors have been able to sell their real estate or diversify their stock portfolios without paying any capital gains taxes.”   This naturally elicits donor responses such as, “ I own 4 or 5 LLCs with real estate, tell me more ” or “ That's interesting, but I don’t own any real estate or stocks .”  The first answer can lead to better qualifying a donor than the best research department could uncover.  The second answer is equally illustrative in qualifying this donor as not as high a capacity as their zip code, car, or job title might suggest (which is usually the extent that research departments can uncover a donor’s assets).       In conclusion, promoting a planned giving program is full of ways to better qualify, steward, and cultivate donors that lead to more and bigger gifts.   Reach out to Ostara at any time for coaching and support with planned giving!

Most fundraising advice we see is a recycled mix of banal tips and things you already know. Today, the team from Ostara is offering you four specific, practical tips for end of year giving from our real-world fundraising experience that will help you strengthen your fundamentals and stand out to your donors this giving season.  If you are launching an annual appeal and/or online campaign, we encourage you to invest a little extra effort in these key strategies:  Focus on empathy and impact – connect with donors’ emotions and desire to make a real difference in the world. Help them personally relate to the people or causes that you serve through stories, testimonials and authentic program descriptions. Make your impact statements come alive with the “ so what? ” of the accomplishment their gift will support. Build trust and urgency by making the case that giving now is critical, and that you are the ones to invest in for solutions - but don’t project desperation where people are looking for inspiration.  Segment and personalize your asks  – go beyond the generic email or letter. Utilize your tools and donor records to build a segmented list and differentiate your approach for each group accordingly.   Major donors, board and past leaders . Make sure your leadership-level folks feel recognized and remembered by giving a personal touch from the Executive Director, a board member, or a program lead. Thank them for the impact they have made, and ask for support in the context of their ongoing relationship with the organization. Consider asking for a multi-year pledge if appropriate. Suppress them from the mass mailing but have a personalized version ready to send if needed, and track your efforts.  Tip: block time on people’s calendars to help with the effort!   Loyal and past donors . These folks should be flagged in your system and treated as part of the family, even if it has been a couple years since they gave. Consider adding a target ask   amount to the message that seeks an increase to their typical gift. And if sending multiple waves of emails, suppress the donors who have given since the beginning of the appeal.  Tip:  take time to scrub your data file salutations, duplicates and asks.   Potential donors.  Acquisition or conversion of new donors is tough, but if buttressed with a strong digital comms plan (see #3) a direct appeal is just one touch among many. Any gifts are a win, and success is measured more by donors than donations.  Boost digital media presence  – develop a “lifecycle communications plan” with social posts and emails around gratitude, impact, need and calls to action. Events like GivingTuesday (12/3), or paid Facebook & free Google Ads can help your message get to new audiences as well. Tip: Make mobile giving easy – test your forms and staff response time to ensure a positive experience for your donors. Thank and steward  – ensure your staff are equipped to acknowledge all gifts within 2 business days, and board & volunteers are organized to personally thank donors throughout the season. It sounds obvious, but when resources are tight this is where some teams get complacent as long as gifts are coming in – nothing will set you up for renewed and increased giving better than building connection through gratitude and engagement going forward.  If you are looking for more specific support of your annual fund work, grant writing, data management, planned giving or campaigns –  contact us  at the Ostara Group and we will be happy to discuss your needs.

How do you know you are ready for a campaign? It can be a transformational experience for the organization that is ready. Below is a short list of items to gauge your nonprofit's capital campaign readiness.   Campaign Readiness Checklist Strong Community Image: Is your mission relevant and meeting current community needs? Is the broader community (more than those you serve) aware of your mission impact? Experienced & Respected Staff Leadership: Is your CEO/Executive Director/Director respected and well known in the community. Do they represent the mission well? Loyal & Committed Stakeholders: Do your stakeholders understand the full depth of your mission and believe in it? Organizational Alignment: Is organizational leadership (Board & Staff) unified and aligned in belief and passion for the campaign project? Relevant & Current Strategic Plan : Do you have a current strategic plan that identifies short and long-term goals? Does it includes a sustainable funding/fundraising plan that will support the achievement of plan goals? Compelling Campaign Case for Support : Have you developed the campaign promise to the community? Have you answered the question why organization is best suited for the task, and why community investment is needed? Financial Stability : Are financial systems, processes, checks and balances in place and are reserves funded? Stable & Growing Donor Base : Is your annual support donor base strong? Do you have 6 willing prospects of whom 1-3 will commit 20% of the campaign goal? Adequate fundraising infrastructure: Do you have the staff, systems, and processes to sustain annual fundraising and take on a campaign? Board & Volunteer Leadership : Do you have an influential & committed Board and/or volunteer group willing to lead the campaign, recruit volunteers, & solicit campaign funding? The Ostara Group has over a decade of experience guiding hundreds of nonprofit clients through successful capital campaigns. Time and time again, the most effective campaigns have these key factors in place, creating a strong foundation for reaching - or exceeding - their campaign goals. Ostara can support your organization in assessing campaign readiness - drop us a note . We'd love to discuss your organization's unique position and needs.

When your organization is planning major capital work, it’s important to not overlook public funding resources. Public funding opportunities include grants, appropriations, and loans from city, county, state, and federal government entities. With so many potential public funding sources available, it can be difficult to form a coherent public funding strategy and keep track of the options.     Budget appropriations are an exciting funding opportunity that may be unfamiliar - and a bit intimidating - to your organization. In this article, I’ll cover the basics of appropriations (what the heck is that, anyway?) and how to position your organization to take advantage of this funding source.  A strategic appropriation can potentially be one of the largest funding sources for your capital project and is often an essential fundraising strategy to complement and leverage individual and private institutional giving.    Appropriation Basics   A budget appropriation is when a legislative body earmarks funding for your project in their annual budget. Budget appropriations can happen at any level of government; however, we most commonly pursue them at the federal and state levels. At the federal level, budget appropriations are made by both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives and signed into the federal budget annually. In Washington state, capital budget appropriations are made by State Senators and State Representatives and signed into the state budget annually.  Typically, each legislator has a set amount of funding per year that they can appropriate to the community projects of their choosing, which means they must pick and choose between many compelling projects.     Appropriations are a great funding option because they can be a source of significant revenue for your project and involve a less cumbersome application process than many other government grants. Having your elected officials support your project can increase overall confidence in your project from other donors and can spur donations from private funders, many of whom like to see funds committed to the project in advance. On the other hand, it’s important to recognize that appropriations are a political process, contingent on having support from your legislator, with the project aligning with their legislative priorities, navigating the sometimes-murky application process, and subject to shifting political pressures and budgetary constraints. Despite the challenges, budget appropriations can be a key factor in successfully reaching your fundraising goal and completing your capital project.    Building Relationships   Like most fundraising, appropriations are contingent on cultivating relationships. To get an appropriation for your project, you need to find a sponsor - a legislator you've built a relationship with - who supports your project and will advocate for it during the budget process. Ideally, you’ll have more than one sponsor - i.e., a Senator and Representative; or at a local level, a Mayor and multiple City Councilmembers.     If your organization wants to pursue legislative appropriations, start building relationships with your elected officials, at all levels of government, when the legislature is not in session. It is never too early to foster those connections, even if your capital project is a few years down the road. If your organization doesn’t have existing relationships with elected officials, start creating them by reaching out to their offices. This is also a great opportunity to engage your board and other community supporters who many times have large and diverse networks. These people can be powerful advocates for your organization and may have relationships that can help open doors. It is also important to remember that elected officials are politicians - it can be strategically useful to research their priorities in advance and to frame your project in a way that will be mutually beneficial to them.     Elected Officials to Contact:   Federal : US Senators for your state; US Representative for your congressional district  State : State Senators and State Representative for your legislative district  County : County Council Members (or comparable leaders)  City / Town : Mayor, City Councilmembers (or comparable leaders)    Once you reach out, it’s normal to not hear back - be persistent. If you don’t get a response in a week or two, follow up - repeatedly - until you do. Sometimes making a phone call is a great tactic, too. It’s also normal for elected officials to have dedicated staff members managing constituent relationships and appropriations processes, and it is OK if you primarily interface with those folks.    Once you get movement, focus on familiarizing the elected official (or their staff) with your organization, your work, and the impact your capital project will have on the community. Invite them to visit your organization for a tour. Or if geography is a barrier, set up a virtual meeting. Ultimately, your goal will be to ask them to sponsor your budget appropriation.     Application Process   Applications are available on request through your elected official’s office. It is normal for the application to become available on short notice and have a very fast turnaround time. It can be extremely helpful to find previous year’s application forms to use as a reference to prepare your proposal in advance. It is also common for different legislators to have different application forms, due dates, and submission tools (even within the same legislative body). And, it’s normal to get slightly different or inconsistent information from different elected official’s offices. The best strategy is to be in touch with legislative staff and ask to be alerted when the applications become available.    Timing   Budget appropriations happen annually in conjunction with state and federal fiscal budgeting.     In Washington State, appropriation applications open in early January, when the legislative session starts. Funding decisions are announced in the Spring, after the legislative session has concluded. That means you need to start your lobbying process in advance - the earlier, the better.      At the federal level, appropriations correlate with the federal budget process. Applications open between February and April, with awards being announced over the summer, and once again, it is advisable to lobby for support well in advance.    Planning for Post-Award Management   Appropriations awards are signed into law as part of the city, county, state, or federal budget. Budgets are set for the next fiscal year. For example, in 2024, the U.S. Congress is working on the Fiscal Year 2025 budget. That means it can take a full year between applying and being able to utilize funds - so planning and applying in advance is critical.     Awarded appropriations are typically administered via a contract with a government agency. In Washington State, they’re administered by the Department of Commerce and subject to state grant contracting guidelines. At the federal level, they’re administered by various government agencies (depending on the project), and subject to the Code of Federal Regulations Title 2 (which is typical of all federal grants), and other agency-specific rules and regulations. It can be extremely helpful to work with those agencies in advance to understand award management and compliance issues. It is also important to assess your organization’s experience and capacity for managing state and federal grants, and plan accordingly for capacity building in advance.     It’s typical for appropriations (like most public funding) to be reimbursement style. Your organization will likely not be able to execute the appropriation contract until you can show the administering agency that your organization has all other financial resources needed to complete the project on hand. Appropriation awards usually require that they be the last money spent / reimbursed - ie, you need to use other sources of funding first. That means it is crucially important to plan your cash flow and other fundraising needs well in advance.     In conclusion, appropriations can be a transformative source of funding for your organization’s capital projects. Success is contingent on building strong relationships with your elected officials, well in advance of making your request; being persistent in your outreach; anticipating a short application turnaround time with little advance notice; and, planning well in advance for your organization's cash flow and grant management needs. With cultivation, patience, and strategic foresight, appropriations can be a substantial, catalytic source of funding for your capital project with the impact to motivate private funders and reach your organization's fundraising goals.     Reach out to the team at Ostara to learn more about appropriations and to help develop a custom public funding strategy for your campaign.

As I write this, it’s been a week since the election and based on what our clients are saying and feeling, we’re all working very hard to understand this new world, and to figure out how this new political paradigm will affect us, personally, culturally and within the sector.  We know that individual, public and institutional funding will be impacted, but we can’t tell yet in what ways. The road ahead is uncharted territory, but history can give us some potential insights.  In my experience, the non-profit sector flexes to meet society’s needs, and philanthropic investment follows change. When Bill Clinton and Al Gore won the White House, I was working for an international conservation organization; donors presumed that with an ally in power their support wasn’t as necessary and, as a result, donations to our organization dropped.  Conversely, when the pandemic hit, philanthropic investment rushed to meet the increased need, especially in the human services sector.  In both cases, the fix was to lean into our donor relationships even more purposely and meaningfully.  Your donors support you for one reason: they care.  Meet them there.  Demonstrate how that caring creates change, supports people, builds our community. Be transparent, direct, and also cautiously hopeful.  Help them to understand how this larger societal change is affecting your organization’s ability to serve its mission but also share your solutions and invite them to be a part of that work.  I think, most importantly, we need to take care of ourselves.  We fundraisers and leaders carry a lot of weight on our shoulders.  We take it personally when we can’t serve our constituents as much as we hoped…. or if our organization is struggling financially. After all, raising the resources needed to carry on and thrive is our day-to-day. So, give yourself some grace.  Yes, keep working hard, being creative and doing the things you do to make a difference, but also recognize that life is about change, opportunities and challenges, and the test of us is how we meet the moment and persevere.  It's going to be an interesting road ahead with too many twists and turns to count, but Ostara will still fight for change and will continue to support each of you as you do too... together.

Do your fundraising reports make sense, at a glance? Do they help drive helpful discussions? Good dashboard reports can bring your results to life, educate your board and peers, and save you time every month.    From my 20+ years of building trackers and dashboards for all purposes, I have come to appreciate the power – and limitations – of bringing data into discussions. Here are my tips and the approach I take with clients:    Know your audience . What level of detail is helpful? Appropriate? Where do you want this audience to focus their energy in response to the data? Typically, fundraising dashboards are for regularly reporting to the board, a campaign committee, or an executive team.  Choose the metrics that matter . Dollars raised is the king, but that’s not the only way to prove success! My top four, which take effort to track but are worth it, are:  Donor retention : Measuring the number of last year’s donors making a gift this year is extremely useful. Set strong targets based on your past performance, and tailor your efforts with your renewing donors.  New Donors : The volume of donor acquisition is a sign of future fundraising success, especially when paired with good retention. Focus on a number of new donors to acquire each quarter and invest in the kinds of outreach and giving opportunities that will get results.  Response rate and average gift . In the high-volume world of annual appeals, even modest improvements in these metrics can make a big difference. Make sure to use custom donation links and business reply envelopes that allow your gift processor to code gifts as a response to the right appeal.  Asks and proposals made.  You can’t control if a donor makes a gift, but you can be sure you are pro-actively doing your part. Though most of your time may be spent relationship-building, it can be challenging to hold oneself accountable to execute on the critical step: asking. If you are committed to a certain number of major asks or proposals this year to ensure results, record the asks and tally the activities against a goal to demonstrate the efficacy of the hard work you do.    Measure progress against a goal!  Most reports tell you a result, but how does your audience know if a result is good ? Always measure against a goal, or at least performance over the prior year-to-date. Even better, set quarterly benchmarks so that you can identify when you are off track in time to course correct. Goals should be broken into buckets that are easy to track – so be sure your gift coding structure (Campaigns, Appeals, Designations) matches up with your goals and annual plan strategies.     Make it snappy . Especially when reporting to a board, ensure you are building awareness and trust by demonstrating (a) the scope of the development team’s efforts, and (b) that you have a solid system for tracking results. But don’t drown them in numbers – every report should be short and highly visual, have a few key takeaways, and pivot easily to the conversation you should be having: what can they do to help ?    Make it easy . Staff should not have to spend crazy amounts of time manually creating a report every month, and leadership should support their own needs by settling on the right metrics and investing in an appropriate reporting solution. If a fancy 1-click “AI generated” dashboard sounds like a fantasy, don’t fret. A well-written CRM report, or a custom Excel-type tool that takes standard CRM reports and generates a dashboard on a repeatable basis is entirely within reach for an average user, with a little help.    Are you ready to build a better dashboard? Many clients have made big strides in their reporting by investing in a professional data review and a custom dashboard project. You will gain clarity around your goals and strategies, alignment with your leadership, and useful hard skills to empower you to take control of your data. Reach out to The Ostara Group for a discussion about your reporting needs anytime, we would love to help.

In 2024, GiveBIG raised over $11 million for 1,429 nonprofits in Washington and GivingTuesday raised $3.1 billion for nonprofits across the U.S. But, numbers aside, our clients frequently ask us if the return on investment into these campaigns are worth the effort. As GivingTuesday approaches, we were curious to learn how organizations in our community approach these campaigns and the tactics and strategies they’ve found useful.  Through a survey of our network of past and current clients we found these common themes:    One third of our clients shared they only promoted one of the campaigns, primarily participating in GivingTuesday.   GivingTuesday often conflicts with their year-end giving campaigns.   The fundraising space seems crowded and noisy during these campaigns, with larger nonprofits attracting the majority of funding.  Limited staff capacity and resources led many smaller organizations to opt out or minimally participate - finding the extra effort outweigh the low return and the extra work.   A number of respondents shared they passively participate and send out minimal communications to promote the campaign(s).    A key takeaway from the survey was the challenge of limited resources and low ROI. To help your organization prepare and stand out, here are prioritized tips and strategies for GivingTuesday 2024 and GiveBIG 2025:   Use Digital Communications Strategically   Email is a cost-effective tool that played a major role in GivingTuesday 2023, accounting for 55% of total revenue, with an average of five emails sent during the campaign. A multichannel approach—combining email with social media—keeps your organization front and center before and during campaign days. Plan an email and social media schedule that highlights your goals, potential impact, and compelling stories. For optimal engagement, consider sending emails at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., catching your audience when they start their workday or after dinner. Organizations using this timing earned an average of 28% more than those that did not. Let your donors know about the campaign and share match details a week in advance, and again the day before to capture their attention.    Urgency-Driving Language   To boost engagement, use urgency-driving tactics like countdown clocks, thermometers, compelling graphics, and videos that emphasize deadlines. In your emails, highlight match opportunities and clearly convey the impact of each donation, turning the process into a meaningful investment in your mission. Keep supporters engaged on social media throughout the campaign by using Instagram Reels and Facebook Stories for shout-outs, progress updates, and reminders about matching deadlines.   Target Mid-Level Donors   If GivingTuesday or GiveBIG overlap with your annual campaigns, leverage these events to engage mid-level donors. Segment and tailor your messaging to highlight their unique role in supporting your mission, using matching incentives, impact equivalencies, and graphics that showcase how a mid-level gift can significantly boost your organization’s impact.     Compelling Creative   The power of storytelling lies in its ability to connect with the audience on a human level. Sharing stories helps donors see themselves as a part of your work and how their contribution impacts someone else. Share pictures or video clips in your email communications and on social media to demonstrate the impact of your organization and create a compelling story that motivates donors to give. Use this as an opportunity to highlight the community and people you serve and share their testimonials. This doesn’t need to be professionally done – you can repurpose footage from a previous year’s mission video or have a staff member or volunteer snap some pictures or clips on their phone. The goal is to connect with your audience on a deeper level and inspire and activate your donors to give.    Keep Track of More than What You Raised   Reviewing your campaign data lets you know what you need to change to get better results. You can use these campaigns as an opportunity to analyze your campaign metrics to determine what is working well, identify areas that could be improved upon and adopt a data driven fundraising approach going forward. When analyzing your donations post campaign, we suggest looking at:    Donation page and overall website traffic.  Email open rate, click through rate and unsubscribe rate.  Conversion rate.  Average donation amount.    This will help you identify how donors made their way to your giving page, how well your messaging is resonating with your audience, and what strategies can be adjusted to better engage your audience. You may find your emails generate less traffic than your social media posts or incorporating video testimonials increased giving. This gives you a better idea of where to focus your energy for the following year.     If you choose to participate in GivingTuesday this year or GiveBIG 2025, think of these campaigns as an opportunity to test out new communications strategies, reach a wider audience and build new or deeper relationships with those who choose to give. If you would like to talk through your GiveBIG, GivingTuesday, or annual fund strategies, the Ostara Group is always here!

As a nonprofit, it’s crucial to know whether your programs are making a real difference. To do that, you need to measure impact—but it’s not enough to just look at the numbers. You also need to understand the personal impact your organization is creating. That’s where combining quantitative and qualitative data comes in. By using both approaches, you get a fuller picture of how your organization is changing lives and creating lasting impact. There are several ways organizations can start building out core metrics and evaluation processes. A great place to start is by defining a Theory of Change (ToC) for your organization and for each program.  ToC is a tool that lays out how your nonprofit’s activities lead to your intended long-term outcomes. It’s like a blueprint that shows the connection between what you do and the outcomes you want to achieve. For example, if your ToC is designed to reduce homelessness, you can show how your shelter and ongoing support services are helping people find employment, permanent housing, and ultimately, financial stability. When measuring impact, it’s important to track both the “hard data” (quantitative) and the “personal stories” (qualitative) that help you understand the full scope of your impact. Measuring Quantitative Impact Quantitative data is all about numbers — the outcomes you can measure and track over time that demonstrate your ToC. These are useful for showing the scale of your work and for reporting to funders, stakeholders, and the communities you serve. For example, if your nonprofit is focused on education or workforce development, your quantitative data can include: Education Programs Participant Demographics:  Track the number of unique individuals served and their demographics (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender identity, free/reduced lunch status).  Participant Outcomes: These can include pre- and post-program gains in ELA/math, GPA, standardized test scores, and high school graduation/college enrollment rates. Workforce Development Programs Participant Demographics : Track the number of unique individuals served and their demographics (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender identity, age, disability status, income status). Participant Outcomes : These can include outcomes like the number of FTE/PTE job placements, year-over-year job retention rates, number of employers, and employer industries. Measuring Qualitative Impact Qualitative data goes beyond the numbers to demonstrate the personal impact of your organization’s work. Below are some ways you can collective qualitative data.  Interviews and Focus Groups Talking to people directly — whether through interviews or focus groups — gives you insights into the personal experiences and transformations that numbers can’t capture. For example, if your nonprofit is education-focused you can interview teachers to get insights on your program’s impact on individual student learning or facilitate student focus groups to ask them how their confidence, grades, or goals have changed because of your program. Surveys Surveys are great for gathering feedback. We recommend using a mix of measurable and open-ended qualitative questions. For measurable qualitative outcomes, you can use a Likert scale to gain insights on your program’s impact:  The program increased my confidence in my ability to excel academically. Selection options: Strongly Agree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree The interview skills I developed in the program helped prepare me for job interviews. Selection options: Strongly Agree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend this program to others? Selection options: 1 (very unlikely) – 10 (very likely) For open-ended survey questions, you want to make sure your questions generate answers that capture and demonstrate the personal impact of your organization’s programs. These can include a wide range of questions, including: How has the program helped you achieve your goals? What positive changes have you experienced through the program? What was the most valuable part of the program? What can we improve on to make the program better? Case Studies If you have the time and capacity, creating detailed case studies for individuals who have gone through your program can also demonstrate your short- and long-term impact on the individuals you serve in a way that statistics alone can’t express. For example, a case study might follow one of your participants through their journey from their first day in your program to graduating high school or securing a job.  Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Data: The Best of Both Worlds The real power comes when you combine quantitative and qualitative data. Numbers tell you the “what” of your impact, and qualitative data reveals the “how” and “why.” For example, if your workforce development program helps 80% of participants find work, qualitative data might show that participants feel more confident, valued, and optimistic about their futures. Funders and stakeholders will appreciate the hard data, but personal stories will help them connect emotionally to your mission. Tracking impact isn’t just about collecting data – it’s about understanding how your work is making a real difference in people’s lives. By measuring both the numbers and the stories, you’ll get a much richer view of your program’s effectiveness. This balanced approach not only helps you prove your success but also guides you toward continuous improvement, making sure your organization is always learning and adapting to better serve your community. Ostara specializes in helping nonprofits capture, track, and convey their key heart and head metrics. Contact us today to discuss your organization's unique needs!

Your case statement captures the need, logic, and heart of your capital campaign all in one place. It is a persuasive piece that serves as the foundation for creating campaign donor appeals, grant applications, and other campaign materials.  An effective case statement gives a compelling summary of why your organization exists and deserves philanthropic support; and then lays out your campaign vision, why your cause matters, and how donors can support you. Here are the key components of an effective case statement. 1. Determine your audience Before drafting your case statement, understand who your target audience is. Are they long-time supporters, new prospects, or community leaders? How much backstory and context do they need about your work? What are our shared values, interests, and priorities? What is their understanding of your work? Why do they care about your cause? How can you frame your message to align and resonate? Is there an opportunity for you to inform and enrich their perspective in a positive way? Be sure to tell affirmative stories and focus on positive solutions.   2. Illustrate community need This isn’t about what your organization needs - it’s about the needs of the community you serve. What challenges is your community facing? This is a great opportunity to use external data and facts to persuasively illustrate complicated problems and add credibility. This is especially important if your audience is unfamiliar with or even misinformed about your issue area.  3. Why us & why now? Position your organization at the forefront of addressing your identified community needs. Why is your approach the best solution to address the current and future community needs? Discuss your organization’s track record of success for meeting community needs and how, through this campaign, you will be able to better address them now and in the future. Create a sense of urgency! Why can’t this wait?  4. What’s our plan? This is where you get into the concrete, actionable details. What programs, services, spaces, or funding are you adding or expanding? Why is this plan best for addressing need and maximizing impact? What are your timeline, project, and partnerships?  5. Showcase the Impact Illustrate the positive outcomes of the campaign. Explain how the project will make a difference in the community or for the beneficiaries of your organization. How will the lives of individuals be transformed? Use testimonials, case studies, metrics or success stories to demonstrate the potential impact and the value that will be created for the community. How will the world be different because of the campaign? 6. Call to Action A strong Case for Support should always end with a clear call to action. Why do you need their support to make this vision possible? Why now? Encourage potential donors to take specific steps, whether it’s making a donation, attending an event, or volunteering. Make it easy for them to take action by providing clear instructions and contact information.  7. Refine & Revise As you develop your case, test it with key stakeholders to check that it is effective. Continue to refine your case to be clear, simple, and affirming. An iterative process will help you develop a strong, effective case statement that you will rely on for the entirety of your campaign! Need support developing your case statement? Ostara's seasoned team can work with you to craft an effective and compelling case. We'd love to hear from you - drop us a note .

The power of storytelling lies in its ability to connect with the audience on a human level. Sharing stories helps donors see themselves as a part of your work and how their contribution impacts someone else. The Edmonds Food Bank , an Ostara client, has done an incredible job of engaging their community through their social media efforts. Their Marketing and Communications Manager has completely revolutionized their social media strategy and has significantly increased their following by developing unique content that engages, entertains, and informs the audience of their organization’s work without always asking for donations. One day the food bank received several pallets of carrots that were delivered for distribution, but they looked past their prime and were droopy, having lost moisture while in transit. The Marketing and Communications Manager filmed their Distribution Manager as they conducted an experiment to try to save the produce. They filmed staff soaking the carrots in water and then did a taste test to show how the carrots perked up and regained the crunch, extending the life of the carrots that may have otherwise been discarded. They posted the video to social media and asked followers to share similar tips they know of. The point of the video was to show how the food bank often receives food that is not in the best condition, how they worked to revive the produce and shared how many families would ultimately benefit from having access to the produce. It was one of the highest viewed videos, had high engagement with followers and was widely shared.   Another great example of engaging content from this organization - a staff member took her convertible to pick up a food drive donation and when she returned to the food bank her car was completely full. She arrived with the top down; food piled up as high as it could be safely stacked. Another staff member pulled out their phone and filmed a video of the car pulling up to the building entrance and then volunteers helping to unload the car. This video, and the accompanying content, demonstrated the need for food donations as demand for food assistance continues to increase, shared how many families the food bank could feed with this single donation, highlighted a community run food drive giving recognition to the donor and provided information on opportunities to host your own food and fund drive and engage in volunteer opportunities.   As you think about creating content for your organization remember, not everything has to be professionally done and perfectly polished. Sometimes the most compelling and engaging content stems from something that may feel ordinary to you, but would be interesting to your audience.