
The Latest eCommerce Trends
We bring you an update on where the world of eCommerce sits, a recap of Retail industry changes in an eventful past 12 months — and how your nonprofit can increase donations more than ever before by following eCommerce’s lead.

Why Events are Critical to Your Organization’s Success
For many nonprofits, events are essential to engage supporters and build excitement around the mission — and provide a smooth ask within the event’s positive atmosphere (and a bit of friendly peer pressure!). While undertaking events is certainly a significant investment requiring vital resources from both your staff and volunteer supporters, outcomes routinely show that events deserve a seat at the table for the long-term health of your nonprofit.

The Annual State of Fundraising Report – 2023
After the whirlwind we’ve been through the last few trips around the sun, we certainly hope the new year brings stability for your nonprofit. Read on for tips on what will make the biggest difference for your organization in the coming year….and hopefully allow you to spend your time, energy and money in the smartest manner possible.

Creative Year-End Appeals
Here are some examples of inventive year-end fundraising appeals that tell the nonprofit’s story, demonstrate a donation’s impact to the cause, and convey urgency to donate before the year is up.

A Creative Twist for Year-End Giving: Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Ideas
Peer-to-Peer campaigns can be launched with very little startup capital, and with comparatively little effort on the part of the organizer. Simply set up an easily-understood initiative — and let your cause champions run with it. Here are some Peer-to-Peer ideas to re-invigorate your Year-End campaigns — and allow your most engaged stakeholders to do some of the lifting for you.

Why This Year’s Giving Tuesday is More Critical than Ever
Now more than ever, communicating that the need of the populations you serve is just as great — and likely GREATER due to economic hardships — and that their support is critical to allow you to continue to go to bat for those who need assistance. Without support from constituents like them, your mission may falter. And what better time to leverage their support than on Giving Tuesday — a day specifically earmarked for giving to charitable causes?

Tips for Ensuring Compliance & Data Security….for You AND Your Partners
How can you ensure that your vendors are as careful with their data as you are with yours? As recent events in

It’s Not Too Early to Plan for Year-End Giving
After two COVID-plagued years that have turned fundraising upside-down for many nonprofits, the stakes for 2022 are as high as any time in recent memory. We’re here to help you plan an impactful campaign to reach your fundraising goals.

Optimism Abounds at United Way Great Rivers 2022 Conference!
DonorPoint recently had the privilege of being an exhibitor at the United Way Great Rivers 2022 Conference in Madison, WI. The sense of community and energy in the room was apparent, and we met so many great people who dedicate their careers to helping their communities under the guidance of the UW mission.

Why We Take an eCommerce Approach
Lots of people ask us ‘What’s so special about DonorPoint?’ We’ll take you step-by-step through how — by using best practices from eCommerce — we can help you raise money more effectively than ever before.

Getting Donors Engaged Year Round
Making the leap from a donor who is engaged only around major campaigns to one who’s engaged year-round? That is what nonprofits (yours included) aspire to. This month we offer some ideas on how to get your donors down that path….and involving them 365 days a year.

Planning for a Successful 2022
In last month’s blog, we showed you how to use the triumphs and missteps from your 2021 experiences to your advantage in 2022. Now that you’ve (hopefully) identified just what those successes and challenges were, we can move to the next step — putting together a rock-solid 2022 plan for your nonprofit!

Lessons Learned from Your 2021 Plan
After an eventful 2021, what lessons can you learn to plan for a successful 2022? Use the triumphs and missteps you experienced to your advantage. Here are some takeaways that will prove fruitful for your 2022 business plan.

More Year-End Appeal Success Stories
We received such a positive reaction to our first installment of Year-End Appeal success stories that we’ve decided to add a second collection of shining stars for your eyes!

Year-End Appeal Success Stories
Here are three year-end appeals that really hit their mark, resonating so well with their constituents that they shattered their fundraising goals.

What’s YOUR Year-End Giving Plan?
The third quarter of the calendar year is the most critical giving season — especially December, where nearly one-third of the year’s giving occurs.

A More Appealing Annual Appeal
Twenty-twenty-one — like its predecessor — has certainly had its share of challenges. The continuing threat presented by the COVID-19

It’s Not Just YOUR Compliance That Matters: Tips for Ensuring Third-Party Data Security
How can you ensure that your vendors are as careful with their data as you are with yours? As recent events in

8 Easy Steps to Turn Storytelling Into Successful Fundraising
Shortly after we learn to speak as toddlers, we start telling stories. It’s a fundamental instrument to us as humans,

Platform Updates – January 2021
Here are new features released this month. If you have any questions regarding them, contact us at info@donorpoint.com New Menu

Free Virtual Event eBook
It’s more apparent than ever that waiting for “normal” to return is a sure way to fail. And an essential

Big River is Now DonorPoint
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Big River Renamed as DonorPoint Company Directs Focus on Scalable Nonprofit Software and Donor Experience Cleveland, OH

I was Told There Would Be a Light at the End of This Tunnel
As Fall becomes Winter, and clocks “Fall Back” now is as good a time as any to look at your current work-from-home situation and see what tweaks you can make to benefit your productivity and mental health.

Give Directions – Little Ideas for Big Impact
When you run a physical event the first and most important thing is to effectively communicate to your audience where

It’s Not Just Your Compliance that Matters
It’s Not Just Your Complaince That Matters Tips to Ensuring Third-Party Compliance For Data Security As recent events in the

The Change-Up, and the Pitch – Little Ideas for Big Impact
We’ve all been asked a lot in the last few months; change how we work, how we learn, how we

New Website, and a New Approach
One of Big River’s founding principals was to bring change. Not only to the way nonprofits approached fundraising, but to

Big River Helps Huntsville Museum of Art Reopen
Online Tools Help Ensure Physical Return The tagline for the Huntsville Museum of Art (HMA) is “Bringing People and Art

Contingency Planning Basics
Not to be overly cavalier, but I am willing to guess no one had “Global Virus & Civic Unrest” as

Harness Their Power
How to Utilize Volunteers in Virtual Events By now, just about everyone has had a physical event impacted by current

Do You Need All Thousand Words? Little Ideas for Big Impact
As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” But if that picture is stretched, pixelated, distorted or

Case Study – Big River Helps Shanerock Organize and Grow
Shanerock, like many nonprofits, is an organization born of passion and need. In 2010, Eric and Amy Haddad got the

Big River Helps Clients, Large and Small, Adapt Their Online Fundraising – Case Study
The Ryan Banks Academy is Chicago’s first tuition-free, co-educational independent school which opened in 2018. The United Way of Greater

Be a Source and an Outlet – Little Ideas for Big Impact
The rug has been pulled out from almost everyone. People feel like they’re overwhelmed with info and not receiving

Virtual Event Tools from Big River
In a continuing effort to help the nonprofit community, Big River is making a variety of tools available for reduced

Free Donation Software For Relief Efforts
These are truly extraordinary times, and in response to the efforts and obstacles so many nonprofit organizations are facing, Big

Kilter Rewards – Changing the Equation
Time, Treasure & Talent. It’s the phrase every fundraiser knows, and possibly the oldest saying in nonprofit history. But

Virtual Fundraising – Little Ideas for Big Impact
Current events have made abundantly clear what some nonprofits have learned the hard way in the past; events can sometimes
Creative Mind + Passionate Cause = Fundraising Success
I can feel like new ideas are hard to come by in fundraising. Galas, auctions, appeals, raffles – lather, rinse,

Change Your Year In Review – Little Ideas for Big Impact
Tell the Whole Story by Only Telling Part of It Its that time of the (new) year again. Time to
Linda Wetzel Joins Big River
Big River is pleased to announce the addition of Linda Wetzel to our team. Ms. Wetzel will be joining us

Case Study – Big River Makes a Huge Giving Tree Program Happen
Big River Makes Giving Tree Grow Bellefaire JCB makes Holiday Wishes Come True for Over 1200 Children Using Giving Catalog

Cover Your Fees, and Follow Up – Little Ideas for Big Impact
Make the Ask, and Follow-Up Your donors understand that there is a cost to doing business in today’s digital world,

Why it’s Time to Take Part in Giving Tuesday
It can be hard to believe that Giving Tuesday is only 7 years old. But rapid growth has made this

Meme’s For Good! – Little Ideas for Big Impact
Memes For GOOD!! Social Media has fundamentally changed our world, for better and worse. And we can wring our hands

Click Clack, Click Clack, Click….
I’m not the biggest fan in the world of roller coasters. I like them just fine, just not going out

Scottish Snowplows and You – Little Ideas for Big Impact
Scottish Snowplows (Really) So first an English lesson, since we are, in the words of George Bernard Shaw, “Two peoples

Giving Tuesday Is Coming; Are You Ready?
This year’s Giving Tuesday is planned for December 3rd, but you should be planning now to capitalize on this rapidly

Cyber Security and Compliance – More Critical Than Ever
Saying that digital security is important isn’t exactly a revelation. A recent look at the news features fake fundraisers, Cyberassaults