Eskin Fundraising Training Presents Trick or Treat

By working hard and working smart, passionate professional and volunteer non-profit leaders will secure gifts of time, talent and treasure.

SAN ANTONIO, TX, UNITED STATES, October 21, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- During the evening of Halloween, on October 31st, dressed in a variety of costumes children will travel from house to house, and continue a century old tradition asking for treats with the phrase "trick or treat". They will be generously rewarded for their efforts. Americans are projected to spend $3.9 billion on Halloween candy this year.

The nation's 1.5 million non-profits are also ramping up for America’s most generous period of donating to favorite causes. While donations and grants are given to charities throughout the year, 30% of annual giving is done in December and 10% occurs in just the last 3 days of the year.

Based on research, data, sound principles, proven strategies and best practices Eskin Fundraising Training highlights the following advice and counsel on the do’s and don’ts of successful resource development. This is the fundraising profession’s equivalent of trick or treat.

1. Treat: Asking in person. Face-to-face communication is 34 times more successful than other methods because persuasion has much more to do with emotions than with reason. In the post-Covid era, if a donor relationship is firmly in place video-conference solicitations clearly surpass e-mail, text call, phone or snail mail.

2. Trick : Not asking for a specific amount. This is a price tag-oriented marketplace and philanthropy is no different. When making a solicitation, always ask for a specific amount, a specific purpose to be paid by specific time. Open ended solicitations compromise gift potential.

3. Treat: Defining what makes your non-profit stand out from all the other good causes. Donors are forced to make excruciatingly difficult decisions not between the good and the bad but between the good and the good. Non-profits need to think long and hard what makes them stand out from all the other good causes.

4.Treat: Recognizing the power of volunteers. In addition to providing the precious gift of time, America’s 80 million volunteers are almost twice as likely to donate to a charity than those that don’t volunteer.

5. Trick: Waiting for the perfect time to ask. There can be thousands of reasons not to ask, but the quest for perfection limits progress. The chances of receiving gifts go way up the more solicitations are made. The only truly bad ask is the ask never made.

5. Treat: Asking for estate gifts. Donors can make gifts several times larger from their estates than their current wealth positions. The knocking on the door has never been so loud. The Baby Boomer (and Silent) generations are projected to transfer an unprecedented $124 trillion in wealth by the year 2048. Now is the time to ramp up legacy giving infrastructure recognizing that the most popular vehicles are wills and bequests, pension funds and insurance policies.

6. Trick: Expecting the Development Officer (or staff) to do all the lifting. Professional fundraisers are not Supermen or Superwomen and should not be expected to deliver results acting entirely by themselves. It takes the entire non-profit family to be actively engaged in spreading the story and impact, identifying prospective donors from their personal and civic networks, and expressing gratitude for gifts received. When the time is right, staff or board members comfortable with asking can step in and make the solicitation.

7. Treat: Thanking for gifts throughout the year. A good rule of thumb is 7X — meaning every donor should be thanked in seven different ways throughout the year. This can be achieved through a variety of effective ways both publicly and privately.

8. Trick: Writing the donor prospect off after hearing an initial no. There can be several reasons why a donor prospect declines a solicitation. They might mean not for this project, not at this time, or not for that amount. Winning non-profits continue to communicate and nurture friendships that can achieve handsome results in the future.

9. Treat: Concentrating on individuals. About two thirds of America’s nearly $600 billion annual philanthropic enterprise comes from individual donors, compared to 19% from foundations and 7% from corporations. When gifts from estates and family foundations are factored in, this share rises closer to 90% of all gifts.

10. Trick: Making false assumptions about giving capacity. America has more than 25 million millionaires and many have attained that wealth by living below their means. So major gift donors live next door and might very well be in databases. Research repeatedly indicates that giving is driven much more by passion than by capacity.

Fundraising is the ultimate continuous improvement discipline. Professional and non-profit leaders learn from every meeting whether the response is yes, no or we need more time. Carefully debrief after each donor prospect meeting to candidly assess what went well and what are the opportunities for improvement.

Just like children will be enjoying extra buckets of candy on October 31st, by working hard and working smart, America’s non-profits can and should reap the benefits of gifts of time, talent treasure that devotion to their noble missions that touch, improve and save more lives, especially helping those who are struggling, so richly deserve.

Jim Eskin
Founder
Eskin Fundraising Training
10410 Pelican Oak Drive
San Antonio, TX 78254-6727
Cell: 210.415.3748
E-Mail: jeskin@aol.com
www.eskinfundraisingtraining.com

About Eskin Fundraising Training
After a successful career leading advancement for three institutions of higher education, Jim Eskin’s consulting practice, Eskin Fundraising Training, launched in 2018, builds on the success of more than 250 fundraising workshops, webinars, webcasts, podcasts and board sessions, and provides the training, coaching and support services to equip non-profit leaders to replace fear of fundraising with comfort and confidence. He has authored more than 150 guest columns that have appeared in daily newspapers, business journals and blogs across the country. He publishes Stratagems, a monthly e-newsletter exploring timely issues and trends in philanthropy. Sign up here for a free subscription. You will also receive invitations to free virtual learning community programs. He is author of 10 Simple Fundraising Lessons, an 82-page common sense guide to understanding the art and science of fundraising, and How to Score Your First or Next Million-Dollar Gift, 104 pages filled with strategies, best practices and homework assignments to unlock exciting opportunities that elevate organizational impact to the next level. Both are available in print and digital formats through Pathway, the book distributor, and Amazon. Quantity discounts are available to non-profits who want to share books with teams of management, development staff, board and volunteers. Eskin is also available for customized virtual training for boards, staff, and fundraising committees. His newest customized service, Fundraising Urgent Care, offers 48-hour turnaround in addressing general strategy and tactical challenges that require immediate responses.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Jim Eskin
Founder
Eskin Fundraising Training
10410 Pelican Oak Drive
San Antonio, TX 78254-6727
Cell: 210.415.3748
E-Mail: jeskin@aol.com
www.eskinfundraisingtraining.com

Links
Website: www.eskinfundraisingtraining.com

Newsletter sign-up: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/36Wz1P1

10 Simple Fundraising Lessons purchase: www.pathwaybookservice.com/products/10-simple-fundraising-lessons

How To Score Your First or Next Million-Dollar Gift purchase:

http:// www.pathwaybookservice.com/products/how-to-score-your-first-or-next-million-dollar-gift?_pos=1&_psq=ho&_ss=e&_v=1.0

Jim Eskin
Eskin Fundraising Training LLC
+ +1 210-415-3748
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