There are a lot of resources out there to help fundraisers think about, plan for, and execute a year-end appeal. But if you’re not a full-time fundraiser or someone who thinks about this stuff all the time, then you may find yourself getting anxious once you start reading any of the extensive how-tos available online. (Especially since many will tell you that you should have started planning 2–3 months ago.) Today, I’m giving you permission to accept what you can do for a year-end appeal with limited time, money, and resources. But first, what’s a year-end appeal? In general, a year-end appeal is a letter that reminds your donors and patrons of the important work that you do while encouraging them to send a contribution by the end of the year. As you may already know, making a charitable donation by the end of the year can be compelling for tax purposes, but it’s possible that some of your donors have access to a matching gift program through their employer that may also have a year-end deadline. In addition to these financially-motivated reasons, most donors give because they truly believe in the mission of an organization or project, and many make donations to celebrate the holidays.

Party On, Artists! Warmer weather brings many social events: why not use some of those events to support your fundraising! Before you do, however, Fractured Atlas would like to remind you of some of the best practices for planning your fundraising events. We’ve talked about planning, marketing, and running a fundraising event before, so now felt like a great time to revisit some of the best tips and tools for your reference.

When you’re setting up a crowdfunding campaign, one of the first decisions that you’ll make is setting your goal, the amount of money that you want to raise. This decision can have far-reaching consequences and is often where the campaign lives or dies.

On Wednesday May 4th, Fractured Atlas fiscally sponsored artists hit an unprecedented milestone: collectively, they have raised over $100 million dollars since the program launched in 2002. These artists, groups, and organizations shared a belief that their work had value, and that their communities would not only welcome it, but also financially support it through fiscal sponsorship. And they were right: their patrons, fans, and institutional partners were right there with them, contributing the funds necessary to create and share their work.

by Fractured Atlas Fractured Atlas is seeking a full-time Development Associate to serve as a member of its External Relations team. The position provides the primary support for a growing individual giving program and also assists with administrative tasks related to fundraising from all sources. The Development Associate processes and acknowledges gifts to Fractured Atlas and helps to maintain the sophisticated customized donor database.

Big news from this weekend: Kickstarter has decided to become a “public benefit corporation.”

This blog post is sure to get a ton of hits because here’s where I’m talking about the world’s sexiest tax document of all time: Form 990!

It's easy to get excited about the prospect of grant funding : grants carry with them a certain amount of prestige and the assurance that your work is (at least somewhat) funded, not to mention the fact that, if a funder is willing to give you a grant, they respect your work.