Secrets to Securing Foundation Funding

Foundation funding is extremely beneficial to nonprofits. It can sustain an organization’s work, and is often the driver of growth. Foundation grants should be a healthy proportion of any nonprofit revenue portfolio. Grant-seeking is a complex process with many moving parts. Success requires, among other things, a healthy pipeline of funder prospects, proposals in production. Keeping the pipeline full…

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Tips to Avoid Resolution Failure!

How are those New Year’s resolutions working out for you? If you’ve already thrown in the towel, you aren’t alone. A study by Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol involving 3,000 people showed that 88% of those who set New Year resolutions fail, despite the fact that 52% of the study’s participants were confident of success…

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6 Essential Elements of Donor Thank-You Notes

When one receives a gift, there are certain rules of etiquette that must be observed when writing a personal thank-you note. Miss Manners very graciously clarified all of that for us in our formative years.  We are grateful for her illuminating guidance which continues to serve as a beacon of proper personal and professional protocol…

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Winter is Coming…Plan for Year-End Success!

In HBO’s Game of Thrones, the House of Stark warns us that “winter is coming…” Many a Stark family member has learned the hard way that not being prepared can lead to lethal consequences.  Like the Starks, nonprofit fundraisers must strive to be prepared for the coming winter, too (although the white-walkers are not our…

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Meetings: A POP Quiz

Summer is now just a memory. We miss the long, bright, and warm days. But perhaps most of all, we miss all of the unstructured and largely uncommitted days and weeks on our summer calendars. In autumn, the days grow darker and shorter, the air becomes a bit cooler, and our commitments and engagements steadily…

Finlay Awarded Fund Raising Executive Credential

CHARLES FINLAY HAS BEEN AWARDED THE CERTIFIED
FUND RAISING EXECUTIVE (CFRE) DESIGNATION.  


CFRE International
For Immediate Release:     

Alexandria, VA – CFRE International has named Charles Finlay as a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). Charles Finlay, Founder Principal Consultant for Finlay Consulting Services joins over 5,300 professionals around the world who hold the CFRE designation.

Individuals granted the CFRE credential have met a series of standards set by CFRE International which include tenure in the profession, education, demonstrated fundraising achievement and a commitment to service to not-for-profit organizations. They have also passed a rigorous written examination testing the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of a fundraising executive, and have agreed to uphold Accountability Standards and the Donor Bill of Rights.

“The CFRE credential was created to identify for the public and employers those individuals who possess the knowledge, skills and commitment to perform fundraising duties in an effective and ethical manner,” states Jim Caldarola, CFRE, Past Chair of CFRE International. “As the certification is a voluntary achievement, the CFRE credential demonstrates a high level of commitment on the part of Charles Finlay to himself, the fundraising profession, and, the donors who are served.”

CFRE recipients are awarded certification for a three-year period. In order to maintain certification status, certificants must demonstrate on-going fundraising employment and fundraising results, and continue with their professional education. Employers and donors who work with CFRE’s know they are getting a professional who is committed to the best outcomes for their organization and has the requisite knowledge and skills.

CFRE International is an independent organization dedicated to the certification of fundraising executives by setting standards in philanthropic practice. Governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and led by a small professional staff, CFRE International consistently meets the highest standards for certification excellence and is itself accredited by the National Commission of Certifying Agencies.

As the premier global credential for career fundraisers, the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation is endorsed and supported by the world’s leading professional and philanthropic associations, including:

Association of Fundraising Consultants (AFC)
Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP)
Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)
Association of Philanthropic Counsel (APC)
Boy Scouts of America (BSA)
Council for Resource Development (CRD)
European Fundraising Association (EFA)
Fundraising Institute Australia (FIA)
Fundraising Institute of New Zealand (FINZ)
The Giving Institute
Japan Fundraising Association (JFRA)
North American YMCA Development Organization (NAYDO)
New England Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (NEAHP)
Partnership for Philanthropic Planning (PPP)
Philanthropic Service for Institutions (PSI)
United Way Worldwide (UWW)

CFRE International congratulates Charles Finlay for achieving the CFRE designation.

For more information please visit CFRE International or call (703) 820-5555.

 

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5 Ways You Can Help a New Board Member Succeed

Whether you are the Board Chair, the Executive Director or the Development Director, you want to give your new board members everything they need to be successful. If they’ve never served on a board before, they will depend on your guidance. Seize this window of opportunity to help them be good board members (and you…

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Seven Scenarios To Consider Outsourcing Fundraising

Outsourcing is a welcome solution for many non-profits. Hiring a consultant can add value while reducing costs. Outsourcing IT, HR, Web, and other organizational functions makes sense.  But outsourcing fundraising sounds, well…totally crazy, right?   Yes and No.   You might feel strongly that it is a crazy idea, because fundraising involves cultivating, nurturing and maintaining…

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Pro-Bono Fundraising Opportunity

Finlay Consulting Services is pleased to announce a pro-bono award opportunity for non-profit organizations in need of strategic fundraising consultation. Pro-bono awards will be selected based on their potential impact. Requests are due no later than July 20, 2015. Awards will be announced in August 2015. This opportunity is geared to small to mid-size non-profits who…