Author | Lightnews

Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 1d

No cold calls. Just clear, focused reminders.

“Today’s the day.”

That tactic alone can change your numbers – and your stress level.

Comment “Pledge” and I’ll reply with more practical, small-shop friendly tips from my latest blog post.

#fundraising #npsky

Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 1d

📣 Small shop fundraisers: Want a Giving Tuesday tip that actually saves you time?

Pre-load your pledge list.

Ask board members and loyal donors for early commitments in October. Then, on Giving Tuesday, all you’re doing is following up.

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Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 3d

Start the conversation this month. Not in November.

Comment “Early” and I’ll reply with a link to my new article on this topic.

#fundraising #npsky

Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 3d

Here’s what they can do:
🔹 Seed momentum with an early gift
🔹 Fund a challenge match
🔹 Share a short video about why they give
🔹 Recruit others to step up with them

When major donors feel ownership, they show up differently.

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Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 3d

💡Want to get your major donors more involved in Giving Tuesday?

Don’t wait until the week before to ask for a gift.

Invite them in early – as collaborators, not just check writers.

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Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 5d

I just wrote about six specific things you can start doing today to make this Giving Tuesday work harder for you.

Start early. Plan with purpose. And make the day more than a hashtag.

Comment “Launchpad” and I’ll reply with a link to my new article on this topic.

#fundraising #npsky

Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 5d

The moment you can:
✔ Re-engage lapsed supporters
✔ Activate major donors
✔ Build real energy heading into December

But only if you start now.

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Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 5d

📅 Giving Tuesday isn’t a one-day campaign. It’s your launchpad.

When you treat it like a one-time push, you miss the real potential: momentum.

This is the moment your donors start paying attention again.

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Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 8d

That’s why I created The Real Deal Fundraiser’s Quick Guide to Donor Questions.

Not a list of canned lines.
A framework for staying grounded, kind, and real when donors hit you with something that stops you in your tracks.

Comment “Guide” and I’ll send you the link.

#fundraising #npsky

Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 8d

“Why do you need my gift if you just got that big one from [insert donor]?”

That question hurts.
Not because it’s mean.
Because it’s valid.

And if we dodge it, we lose trust.

#fundraising #npsky

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Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 10d

And now it’s your move.

I’ve heard that question so many times – so I built the resource I wish I had back then.

It’s not a script.
It’s not spin.
It’s a toolkit for how to respond with honesty, warmth, and mission-alignment.

Comment “Guide” and I’ll send you the link.

#fundraising #npsky

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Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 10d

🚨 Donor throws a curveball.
Your brain stalls.
You think:
“What do I even say to that?”

If you’ve worked in fundraising for any length of time, you know the feeling.

That one question that’s a little awkward. A little skeptical. Maybe even a little aggressive.

#fundraising #npsky

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Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 12d

And if you want to see what that sounds like in real conversations?

I put together a free guide with real examples, honest answers, and zero fluff.

DM or comment “Guide” and I’ll send you the link.

#fundraising #npsky

Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 12d

When a donor asks something tough, here’s my go-to:

Listen. Acknowledge. Support. Continue.

It’s not a script.
It’s not about smoothing things over.
It’s how you move through the hard stuff without losing the relationship.

#fundraising #npsky

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Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 15d

Need more help? Get told to “prioritize.”
Drowning in tasks? Just “work smarter.”

The result?
Burnout becomes the baseline.

I wrote about this – how humor has become our coping mechanism when the system won’t budge.

Comment “Admin” and I’ll send you the full blog.

#npsky

Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 15d

This was one of the responses to a TikTok meme I adapted for fundraisers.

I expected jokes.
What I didn’t expect was how many of them would sting.

Because they weren’t just funny – they were true.

We’ve normalized a level of self-sacrifice in nonprofit work that borders on absurd.

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Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 15d

“Hang in there.”
“We’ll get you an admin soon.”
“It’s just a busy season.”

You’ve heard it.
So have I.

And deep down, we all know what it really means:
You're going to do the job of three people, with one salary, and no support.

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Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 17d

And honestly? It’s one of the few things holding us together right now.

I wrote a piece about this – the way humor hides the real pain in nonprofit work.
If you want to read it, comment “Laugh” and I’ll send you the link.

#npsky

Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 17d

This is how fundraisers cope.
We make jokes. We post memes.
We laugh so we don’t cry.

It’s not just a sense of humor.
It’s a survival skill.

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Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 17d

You ever see a meme and think, “Oof. That’s too real”?

I shared one on TikTok and the responses from my fellow fundraisers were funny.

People laughed. Hard.

But under the humor?
There was something else.

Exhaustion.
Resignation.
The quiet ache of doing too much for too long.

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Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 18d

It filled up with fundraisers saying, “Same.”

This isn’t about one person burning out.
It’s about a system that rewards silence and punishes boundaries.

Fundraiser burnout isn’t a failure.
It’s an occupational hazard.

Comment “Search History” and I’ll send you the full blog post.

#npsky

Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 18d

• “Jobs where I don’t go to bed anxious”
• “Easy six-figure grant”
• “How to plan a gala on $250”
• “Work from home jobs where no one yells at me”

It was funny.
But not just funny.

It hit a nerve.

These aren’t punchlines. They’re quiet cries for help.
And the comment section?

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Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 18d

Recently, I turned a TikTok meme into a nonprofit fundraiser reality check.

I said, “Let’s pretend the comment section is the search history of a burnout nonprofit fundraiser”:

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Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 22d

Donors don’t want more noise.
They want connection.

That’s why analog is making a quiet comeback in #fundraising.
Mail’s getting opened.
Phones are getting answered.
This isn’t ditching digital – just rebalancing.

Reply “Send it” for the full post.

#npsky

Jessica Cloud, CFRE | Real Deal Fundraising @jcloudrealdeal.bsky.social · 24d

Fundraising’s next edge isn’t in your subject line.
It’s in the mailbox.
On the phone.
With a real human voice.

The digital pile-up is real.
Analog isn’t nostalgic.
It’s profitable.

Reply “Real” for my full take.

#fundraising #npsky