Nonprofit groups must avoid adopting a hunker-down mentality in the face of the current recession, urges Roger Craver, a veteran fund-raising consultant.

Writing to members of The Chronicle‘s new forum on the networking Web site LinkedIn, Mr. Craver says fund raisers will win big after the recession if they view the current economic troubles as an opportunity.

“Sadly, the economic and financial crisis will continue to dominate the minds of non-profit boards and executives,” Mr. Craver writes. “‘Sadly’ because fear masks opportunity. The opportunity that comes from being aggressive when others are pulling back. The opportunity that comes from experimentation when times are tough.

“The winners — and I mean big winners for 2010, 2011 and 2012 — will be those NGO’s [nongovernmental organizations] who use the current crisis in 2009 to sharply focus on the ‘best’, ‘most loyal’ segments...

What were Chronicle readers’ favorite posts on the Prospecting blog?

Here were the most popular, in order of the number of people who read them:

1. Charitable Giving Might Not Melt Down — Amid all the doom and gloom about the economy, John J. Havens, a researcher at Boston College’s Center on Wealth and Philanthropy. said that unless national incomes drop sharply, the decline in giving may not last long or be significant.

2. Bad Fund Raisers: Why Do Charities Keep Hiring Them — Why do normally well-run charities hire notoriously poor fund raisers? This September post offered some explanations — and prompted many readers to chime in with their views.

3. What Are Your Favorite Fund Raising Blogs? — Roger Carr, a fund raiser took note of what he considers to be list the top 10 blogs about fund raising.

4. A Blah Fund Raising Appeal Backfires — It turns out that jokes about the...

Local newspapers have always raised money for charities during the holiday season, but now many of them are increasingly using their Web sites to help their readers make better decisions about their giving.

The Washington Post, for instance, today unveiled a new page on its Web site that offers readers an interactive map showcasing charities in the Washington region.

Other newspapers are taking a different approach.

The Chicago Tribune is collaborating with the Web site Good2Gether to create a searchable database of charities in the Chicago area.

The Austin American-Statesman, meanwhile, has given a fresh online look to its 10-year-old series Season of Caring.

Are other newspapers and TV stations attempting similar efforts to stimulate giving in their cities? Click on the comments link below this post to share your favorite examples.

The fund-raising consultant Marc A. Pitman offers a humorous take on The Fundraising Coach about how the Big Three automakers might approach a nonprofit fund-raising campaign.

Here are some of the “strategies” he says the Big Three might use: “lose touch with your donor base,” “don’t spend too much time figuring out strategy,” and “assume everyone’s going to fund you.”

While it might sound funny to think of fund raising in these terms, Mr. Pitman offers a more sobering thought — too many nonprofit groups actually use these approaches.

“Admittedly, these were thought up with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek,” Mr. Pitman writes. “But it’s scary how often we do the same thing.”

What are some other misguided fund-raising practices that are common in the nonprofit world? Click on the comments link below this post to share your thoughts.

Kat Rice, a Web designer in Dallas who recently founded the social media Web site Give Cheerfully, is planning a fund-raising event for the new organization.

The event, which features a wine tasting and silent auction, takes place Saturday.

And Ms. Rice is looking for advice on how to get potential participants to commit to attending.

She recently posted a short item to the Chronicle‘s Twitter page seeking advice.

“Having trouble getting people to make a firm commitment to attend my event,” she wrote. “Any suggestions?”

What tips can you offer to help Ms. Rice get more people to participate in her event?

Click on the comments link below this post to share your ideas.

Roger Carr, the founder of the Web site Everyday Giving, recently created his top 10 list of favorite fund-raising blogs for the site Blogs.com.

Mr. Carr listed his favorites in this order:

• A Small Change

• AFP Blog

• Behind the Button

• Beth’s Blog

• Donor Power Blog

• Fundraising for Nonprofits

• Katya’s Non-profit Marketing Blog

• Prospecting

• Step by Step Fundraising

• The Fundraising Coach

The Chronicle‘s blog Give & Take also offers a comprehensive list of blogs about fund raising and other topics related to philanthropy.

What are your favorite blogs on fund raising? What topics do you wish fund-raising blogs covered more frequently?

Click on the comments link below this post to share your thoughts.

Jed Margolis, executive director of Maccabi USA/Sports for Israel in Philadelphia, is looking for advice from readers on a draft of a direct-mail letter his organization is planning to send to potential donors in the coming weeks.

Below is a draft of his letter. Readers are encouraged to offer their ideas for improvements by posting a comment. As always, we ask that your ideas be constructive.

Dear Maccabi Supporter,

If you have flown anywhere recently (and, I suppose, even if you haven’t), you know what’s happening to air fares.

Fuel surcharges … security and baggage fees … airline pricing schemes. Today’s inflated air fares are having a tremendous impact on our getting Team USA to Israel this summer.

I’m writing to ask for your help.

Here’s the bottom line:

Roundtrip air fare to Israel for the 2005 Maccabiah Games was $1,400....

Lara Kalwinski is looking for advice from readers as she drafts an appeal for the Sojourner Truth House, a ministry program in Hobart, Ind.

In the past, the organization had mailed the appeals the form of an upscale invitation to an event. But there is no event — donors are urged to make a gift and “stay at home and put your feet up.”

“This year it will be sent as a tri-fold mailer and I’m concerned it will get thrown away as a piece of junk mail,” Ms. Kalwinski writes. “I hope I’m wrong.

“I’m looking for feedback about the language of the appeal and the switch from upscale invitation to tri-fold.”

Here’s what the invitation looks like:

You are invited to post your constructive feedback on the invitation by posting a comment below. Readers are also encouraged to send their own draft appeals for critique on Prospecting by sending an e-mail to peter...

Households that describe themselves as conservative tend to give more money to charities than moderate and liberal households, according to a new survey.

In a survey of 3,300 households that donated money to charity in the past 12 months, the company Campbell Rinker, in Valencia, Calif., asked respondents about their political ideology.

Of those surveyed, those who live in conservative households donated an average of $3,255 to charities outside of places of worship during the past year. By comparison, moderate households donated $2,926 and liberal households donated $1,879.

Conservatives also give significantly more money to their place of worship than liberals and moderates.

The survey found conservatives gave, on average, $1,841 to their places of worship during the past year — compared with $1,115 for moderates and $499 for liberals.

But while conservatives give more than ...

Catherine L. Endicott, a fund raiser at PATH, a Seattle medical charity, has submitted the following direct-mail appeal so that readers of Prospecting can offer suggestions.

We invite readers to offer constructive recommendations and we’ll post Ms. Endicott’s second version after she revises the appeal.

Dear First name,

What would you give to change fear into hope for a young woman carrying her first child?

In the poorest regions of India, too many women give birth alone, facing a terrible risk of death and disease for mother and newborn alike. But support from people like you helped make the difference for Pranita Ingole, a young woman living on the border of one of India’s largest cities.

Last year, 20-year-old Pranita became pregnant with her first child. The exhausting work required to help support her family—a husband and the six relatives who...