February 19, 2012

Emulating St. Jude’s Fundraising Prowess: Lessons for Charities of All Sizes

Lessons From St. Jude’s Fundraising 1

Courtesy of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

The new Game Day Give Back campaign broadcasts appeals on Fox Sports during football events.

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Courtesy of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

The new Game Day Give Back campaign broadcasts appeals on Fox Sports during football events.

By Holly Hall

In more than 30 years as a leading fundraiser at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, David McKee says he’s never had to report a drop in donations. Among the lessons from his career for charities of all sizes:

Pick the right person to solicit donors. When St. Jude first decided to start an annual radio fundraising drive 23 years ago, it relied on a single disc jockey from Atlanta who taped its initial three-hour program for 800 stations. But that was a