Guides

Fundraising guides for nonprofits and associations.

Practical, plain-English guides on keeping donors, reaching supporters by phone and running outreach the right way.

All guides

Start here.

Phone fundraising

Who to call, what to say, how to measure results and the rules to follow.

Donor retention

How to calculate retention, the latest benchmark and eight ways to improve it.

Outsourcing vs. hiring

The real costs and trade-offs, plus questions to ask an outside partner.

Fundraising call rules

The FTC Telemarketing Sales Rule, the TCPA and state solicitation laws in plain English.

State registration

Charity and professional solicitor registration rules, state by state.

Free year-end call kit

Donor call scripts, a pre-call checklist and a tracking sheet. Free download.

Fundraising calendar

GivingTuesday, year-end deadlines, filing dates and conferences for 2026–2027.

Fundraising conferences

The 2027 conferences for fundraisers and association staff, with dates and cities.

Corporate matching gifts

Match ratios, caps and deadlines at major employers, and how to raise more from matches.

Largest US foundations

Assets and recent giving at the biggest private foundations, from their own reports.

Grant deadlines

Upcoming federal and corporate grant deadlines for nonprofits, updated weekly.

Phone fundraising companies

Ten donor calling firms compared, and what to ask before you hire one.

Fundraising call scripts

Free scripts for thank-you, monthly giving, renewal, event, sponsor and voicemail calls.

Donor retention calculator

Free tool: your retention rate and what a few more retained donors are worth.

LYBUNT and SYBUNT calculator

What lapsed-donor lists mean and what winning them back could raise.

Phone fundraising ROI calculator

Estimate contacts, pledges, revenue and cost per dollar raised for a calling campaign.

Charitable giving statistics

The key 2026 numbers: Giving USA totals, donor retention and GivingTuesday results.

Phone fundraising by sector

Who to call and what to ask for universities, hospitals, public media, arts and more.

Do-not-call rules for charities

The registry exemption, do-not-call requests, calling hours, caller ID and prerecorded calls.

Texting rules for nonprofits

Consent, opt-out words and the FCC's new opt-out rules that take effect Nov. 25, 2026.

AI voice fundraising calls

What the FCC's ruling on AI-generated voices means for nonprofit calls: consent, limits and opt-outs.

Fundraising glossary

76 fundraising terms defined in plain language, from annual fund to year-end giving.

GivingTuesday 2026

A three-week plan, phone scripts and the latest results for Dec. 1, 2026.

Non-dues revenue ideas

15 ways associations earn beyond dues, with 2026 benchmark data.

Membership retention benchmarks

Median renewal of 82% and first-year renewal of 72%, and how to improve yours.

Membership renewal templates

Six renewal emails, a call outline, voicemail, text and a timeline.

Phone fundraising in Washington, DC

Live donor and member calling for Washington, DC organizations.

Phone fundraising in Maryland

Live donor and member calling for Maryland organizations.

Phone fundraising in Virginia

Live donor and member calling for Virginia organizations.

Largest US charities

The 2025 top 10 by private donations, led by Feeding America.

How to find a nonprofit's 990

Free sources, which form each group files, what to read first and a free 990 filing lookup.

Our services

Need a team to make the calls?

Kensington Fundraising Group runs human-led outreach campaigns for nonprofits and associations.

Lapsed donor reactivation

Reconnect with past supporters, thank them and invite them back.

New donor acquisition

Turn event guests, volunteers and members into first-time donors.

Corporate sponsorship outreach

Reach the companies and decision-makers behind corporate giving.

Membership renewal

Renew members on time and win back those who lapsed.

Non-dues revenue

Sell sponsorships, exhibits and advertising beyond dues.

Event calling

Fill galas and donor events, then follow up with guests.

Talk to us

Let's start more donor conversations.

Book a 30-minute call or send us a note. We'll talk through your goals, your supporters and whether an outreach team is the right fit.

See how we'd approach your donor database
Talk through the campaigns that fit your goals
No commitment — just a straight conversation

Emailsales@kensingtonfundraising.com

Phone+1 202-997-8858

Office10605 Concord Street, Suite 440, Kensington, MD 20895

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