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Rachel Burris Rodriguez on Jun 24, 2026 9:15:01 AM
Every nonprofit wants more donor conversations, better stewardship, and stronger fundraising results. Yet so much of the workday disappears into updating records, sending reminders, pulling reports, and managing spreadsheets.
This week is about getting that time back. From event workflows to data hygiene, we're looking at the systems and automations that help teams spend less time on administration and more time building the relationships that move fundraising forward.
The take-home template
Planning to automate but not sure if it's worth the investment? This ROI calculator helps you put real numbers behind the decision by estimating the time, revenue, and donor retention gains automation can unlock. It's a useful exercise for any team looking to spend less time on manual tasks and more time on fundraising.
Snackable snippets
How to use AI to plan your next fundraising event 📖
Between vendor coordination, attendee outreach, and post-event follow-up, fundraising events can quickly drain staff capacity. AI can help handle the operational side of planning while surfacing insights about donor behavior and engagement. The payoff is more time spent building connections and less time buried in administrative work.
Why data hygiene is the most underrated strategy 📖
It's hard to personalize donor outreach when your database is working against you. Outdated records and incomplete profiles can undermine everything from email campaigns to automation workflows. Investing a little time in data hygiene now can help your team raise more, waste less effort, and make smarter decisions throughout the year.
How to automate your fundraising event 📖
Fundraising events create a surprising amount of invisible work. Someone has to send reminder emails, track RSVPs, update attendee lists, process payments, deliver tax receipts, and follow up afterward. Automating those tasks helps teams spend less time chasing logistics and more time connecting with donors while the event is still fresh in their minds.
For your inspiration folder
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra was investing in direct mail and email to drive subscriptions, but it was hard to see what happened after someone expressed interest. By connecting its marketing efforts on a single platform, the team could retarget prospective patrons across channels, influence 42 new subscriptions worth $27,000 in revenue, and save nearly $10,000 in agency commissions.
Sometimes the biggest opportunity isn't finding new audiences. It's staying connected to the people who've already shown interest.
