Even though reimbursement rates are projected to increase alongside the industry need, philanthropy programs will have to scale at the same rate to support the out of pocket costs for nonprofit hospice organizations.

Their early success was surprising enough, but he then told me they had over the last year received thousands of dollars in anonymous donations without making a single ask.

We raise money for a service that everyone could need. Not that humane societies and community colleges are not important in our lives, but they may not be significant in EVERYONE’s life. Hospice, on the other hand, is a community service that any of us could need any given year.

Have your agenda be “action oriented”. This means decisions need to be made, tasks accomplished, objectives set, and problems solved. Sometimes even with the best of intentions, meetings become about reporting information, which can be put in written form and read at any time.

We must act as Internet detectives to sort through all the information in cyberspace to get to the meaningful and accurate nuggets of information that will be useful in profiling a donor. Knowing the full name (with the middle name, maiden name and any generational names), last known address and birthdate of your prospects as well as any business affiliations they may have or have had will allow you to drill through the vast amount of data that is out there quickly and efficiently.

Folks have a lot of choices of places where they could give of their time, talents, and expertise. If we are able to be the organization they select to give back to by volunteering and if we become their charity of choice, the impact they will have on our programs will be everlasting. Volunteers like to be successful and to be part of something positive for their community.

Fundraising events have been on the decline for years as a result of their low ROI compared to direct solicitation, mailings, and capital campaigns. It's no secret that the top performing organizations in the country hold only one or even zero "fundraising" events per year and focus on only recognition/stewardship for their in-person events.

Boldly launch a more visible, robust multi-year philanthropy initiative, keeping in mind that need dictates goal.

So, what does this mean for our donor recognition efforts? Some basic principals of human psychology are at play here.

While dollars raised will be the ultimate performance metric, in our work with clients we see success coming from concentrating a fundraising fitness program in four areas.

For nonprofits it’s almost impossible to assign a dollar value to the incredible benefits of strong volunteer leaders. Because the competition in nonprofits is often as much for leadership as it is for funding, volunteers who commit to support your nonprofit’s mission as proactive connectors, cultivators or closers of gifts are invaluable.

Where should we focus our time and efforts regarding philanthropy? We must focus on building and expanding authentic and meaningful relationships.