Winning Strategy Group

A matching gift is one of the most powerful tools in year-end fundraising — and one of the most consistently misused. Here's how most organizations deploy it wrong, and how to fix it before Q4 ends.

Most nonprofit fundraising goals are set wrong — derived from budget needs rather than donor file analysis. Here's what that costs, and how to build a goal that's actually grounded in what your program can deliver.

Most organizations start building their year-end appeal six weeks before it needs to mail. By that timeline, it's already behind — and the campaign will show it. Here's what September should actually look like.

The annual gala costs more than most organizations calculate, cultivates less than they believe, and fills the room with the wrong people. Here's the honest case for reconsidering yours.

Mid-level donors represent 3–5% of your file and up to 40% of your revenue — and most organizations treat them like everyone else. Here's why they're your most valuable upgrade target and what a real mid-level program actually looks like.

We lost a congressional race by six points — and the post-mortem changed how we run every fundraising program since. Four lessons from a losing campaign that apply directly to how nonprofits raise money.