Puzzled over finding the right illustration for that fundraising brochure due tomorrow? Babies – even just their pictures – bring out the best in us, according to a study first reported in Times Online, then picked up by various blogs including Neuromarketing and one of my favourites, Jeff Brooks’ Future Fundraising Now.

When researchers in Edinburgh included baby pictures in “lost” wallets, people were much more likely to return them to their “owners.” With a return rate of 88 per cent, baby pictures outperformed puppy photos (53 per cent), family snapshots (48 per cent), elderly couples (28 per cent) and no picture at all (14 per cent). Study leader Dr. Richard Wiseman told the Times that it all comes down to evolution. People have evolved to feel compassion towards infants because it ensures survival of our species.

Martin Scorsese knows it. Stephen King knows it. William Shakespeare knew it. And in just a few minutes, you’re going to know it too. The greatest filmmakers, novelists and playwrights have all mastered the creation of the moment – that singular page or scene where the audience’s attention gets pulled in so close – as if through a microscope.

When I think of these magic moments, I think of Frodo and Sam crossing the river in a small boat after leaving the fellowship behind in The Lord of the Rings. I think of Martin Luther King saying in a speech (the night before he was assassinated in Memphis) “I have been to the mountaintop and I have seen the other side.” I think of the scene in Taxi Driver where Robert De Niro admires his new Mohawk haircut in the mirror.

Great moments are the climax of great storytelling. And (if you’ve been paying attention to us over the months) great storytelling is the key ingredient of great fundraising.

You’ve checked out your prospective sponsor’s business needs and figured out where your opportunity fits with them. You’ve submitted a dynamite proposal and celebrated when you learned it was accepted. Now all you have to do is run with the event or program and make sure you thank the sponsor profusely, right?

Wrong, according to Brent Barootes of Partership Group – Sponsorship Specialists. Activation is the key, says this sponsorship and sports marketing veteran – a key that many businesses don’t know how to use. Lead your sponsors down the road of activation, he told a Toronto audience at a May seminar, and you’ll build a much more successful event for them and for you.

Effective planning is critical to any nonprofit’s success. Participation in sessions for activities such as mapping out annual action plans, organizing major events and developing strategic plans should be a priority. 

However, despite recognizing this, many organizations report low attendance by those who should be participating in planning sessions. This problem increases when volunteers are involved.

If you struggle with participation challenges for planning activities, here are eight tips to help make your sessions successful.

The Pay it Forward Bursary Program will offer five charities a free opportunity to send a staff member to one of Canada’s major sponsorship conferences, Strategic Sponsorship Marketing: The Canadian Summit® (the Sponsorship Summit), free of charge. This year’s Sponsorship Summit will be held October 19-20 in Toronto.

Canadian charities that seek corporate support must demonstrate a strong business case for investment. Charities compete with sophisticated sponsorship marketers from sports, arts and culture, but often find themselves overmatched when corporate sponsors weigh competing appeals.

Thanks to the Pay it Forward Bursary Program, a partnership between The Sponsorship Report and Canadian Fundraising & Philanthropy, the playing field is about to be levelled.