Avraham Lewis

When you buy a gift for a loved one, you’re buying something for yourself as well. A meaningful experience. Maybe you’re buying the renewed closeness your gift will bring. Or the security of knowing you’ve made your loved one happy. Or the ability to fulfill their expectations. Whatever it is, you’re getting something out of... Read more »

<<Dial tone>> <<Dial tone again>> <<You’ve reached the voicemail box of…>> You’ve just called a donor. They didn’t pick up. What do you do now? So many possibilities. You could leave a voicemail. You could leave no voicemail, but call back later. You could try reaching them by email. By text. By whatsapp. But what... Read more »

For 15 years, the Minneapolis Community Kollel had been raising a nice amount of money at their annual dinners. Last summer, they ran their first online crowdfunding campaign. And raised $629,000 – almost double what their dinners had been bringing in. After the campaign dust had settled, Rabbi Avigdor Goldberger, CEO of the kollel, shared with... Read more »

What if you could raise $50k in a two-minute phone call? There was a Bais Yaakov who was gearing up for a matching campaign three weeks away. The year before, one of their biggest donors (at $25K) had been a certain impossibly busy businessman. This year, they wanted him to serve as a matcher. They... Read more »

Which of the following requests would you be more motivated to help with? “Tatty, I have a 10-question math homework sheet and I can’t do any of it! Help me!” Or, “Tatty, there are 20 questions on my math homework and I did 10 myself but I don’t get how to do the other half. Can... Read more »

What if 63% of your alumni donated yearly to your organization? Sounds unrealistic? Somehow, Princeton University has figured out how to get that amount of alums giving back annually. Compared to the US average university alumni giving rate – 13% – that’s downright incredible. Tom Ahern, fundraising guru, posed the question you’re probably thinking right... Read more »

It’s never a good time to prospect for new donors. Or, at least, it never feels like a good time. The economy’s down. You don’t have any recent events or accomplishments to show off. Your prospect doesn’t have openings for in-person meetings, and you’re worried a phone call just won’t cut it. But here’s a... Read more »

When my chavrusah was a kid, he used to ask his parents for things. Fancy this, cool that, you name it.When it got too much, they would try to turn off the requests by quoting Mishlei: “Sonei matanos yichyeh,” “He who hates gifts shall live.”His response (smart kid): “Yeah, but the person who loves gifts will REALLY... Read more »

How do you “inspire” someone to give big? How can we transition effectively from sharing this spectacular vision to actually making our ask? For those of you who’ve been biting their nails in suspense since last Sunday, allow me to take you out of your misery. Here’s how to transition smoothly and effectively from storytelling... Read more »

I can’t seem to attract enough of them. And the ones I do get on board give really small amounts. Why should I keep bothering? That’s how many Jewish leaders think about on-boarding monthly donors. And it’s true. It’s hard to get huge numbers of people signed up for monthly giving. And usually, those gifts... Read more »

Pages By: Avraham Lewis

They Give, You Give Back

Keep the Ball in Your Court

8 Thoughts for Better Campaigns

Make Your Point. Bullet Point It.

Healthy Head Start

“What’s Your Magic?”

When’s a Good Time?

The Gifting Game

Sealing the Deal

Go Monthly?

Top 50 Resource Topics