Avraham Lewis

You’re busy. Too much on your to-do list. Not enough hours in the day. Sounds familiar? If fundraising is just one of your responsibilities, having clarity of how much effort to make in your fundraising is key. Without that clarity, other urgent things will get in the way of your good intentions. The key to... Read more »

Asking a $3,600 donor to give $3,600 again is not much of a challenge. But, it’s going to take a different kind of effort to get that same $3,600 donor to give $36,000. Why is this? Explains Seth Godin, it’s based on an idea he coins ‘Pattern Match – Pattern Interrupt.’ With the $3,600 donor, you’re not changing... Read more »

The Ponevezher Rav had a large vision. Rebuilding Torah in Eretz Yisroel – after the decimation – was nothing but the need of the time. And many couldn’t comprehend how one man – after his personal loss – could have such a far-reaching vision. He was known to say, “I may be dreaming, but I’m not... Read more »

How can you raise significantly more in your next fundraising campaign? (or over the next x time period)? I call it your ‘Largest Possible.’ It works like this. Ask yourself… With my best efforts and all the right elements for success in place, what is my ‘largest possible’ $ (or £ or ₪) amount I could boldly imagine raising?... Read more »

The legendary Mike ‘Elimelech’ Tress impacted so many people in his short life. The Jews he saved during and after the war, together with his efforts at stemming the spiritual holocaust in the US, were the more well known part in an amazing legacy he left over. Mike was a master communicator. His communication skills were a major... Read more »

When done effectively, phone calls are a most powerful fundraising tool. But phone anxiety causes many to avoid using the phone – using email or text instead – which costs them lost income. Remember – it’s normal to have phone nerves before making important calls. And the good thing is, there are simple ways to get rid of... Read more »

More likely than mining a Bitcoin, here’s one way to get a new major prospect this week. I call it POP Mining. It works like this. With each and every major donor you already have – take this simple POP quiz.Ask yourself…  Who was the ‘Person’ who opened the door for this donor’s involvement? Or... Read more »

Princeton is the best fundraising university in the world. About 63% of their alumni give to their annual giving fund – compared to the US average of just 13%. Fundraising guru, Tom Ahern, asked the fundraisers at Princeton, “What’s your magic? What are you guys doing that works so well?” They told him, “We start right at... Read more »

You’re at an (actual live physical!) event or simcha and you have an opportunity to speak with a potential prospect. How can you engage them in a conversation about what you do – so they become a future donor? For some of us – myself included – there’s a tightening of the chest that happens... Read more »

You know who your biggest donors are. But who are your ‘BEST’ donors? This last year has seen a shift in the way we raise funds. Corona did not cause the shift, rather it sped things up. It’s become harder to do the job of fundraising. Declining donor responsiveness is making fundraising more time consuming... Read more »

Pages By: Avraham Lewis

How Much Effort?

Fundraising-ology

The Ponevezher Rav & Dream Donors

Your Largest Possible

Nonprofit Lessons from Mike Tress

How to Conquer Fundraising Phone Anxiety

A Nonprofit Lesson from Bitcoin

Princeton Does This. You Should Too!

Starting Conversations

2021 – What to Expect?

Top 50 Resource Topics