Communication. A word that is so recognizable and easy to define, yet so hard to accomplish. Businesses close, marriages fail, and families are estranged every year due to communication issues. Surely we can do better. I started working in healthcare philanthropy in 2013. Fast forward to 2020. I really enjoy the opportunity to help connect Read More →

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As I spoke to colleagues in preparation for this article, similar versions of the same question came up a couple of times. “Why are you writing about cannabis, you don’t know anything about it?” It is true – I do not use cannabis and so my knowledge about the specific product is limited to what Read More →

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Have you ever had a donor get mad at you and/or your organization? I have and I can tell you that it is not fun. I do not like conflict or “drama” and so I don’t like having to deal with these situations. I have learned throughout the years, however, that it is always better Read More →

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http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2015/02/19/how-elderly-heiress-lost-her-300-million-fortune/ I read this story about Huguette Clark, the copper heiress and philanthropist, last month on Fox Business and it really struck a chord with me. There are a variety of “issues” in the piece, but the part that I want to discuss today are the concepts of communication and donor intent. As small nonprofit Read More →

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Unless you have been under a rock for the past several weeks you have undoubtedly heard about the Ice Bucket Challenge. According to Forbes, the ALS Association raised $100M from the successful online campaign. This is great for the ALS Association, but those of us who work for small organizations have few options to raise Read More →

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I was meeting with a colleague last week when the topic of that Comcast Retention Agent viral phone call came up. Surely you have heard it by now, if not you can go here: https://t.co/5TRpDmWQBU. After you listen to it you will assume that it was a hoax but I guarantee you it was real. Read More →

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A guy was driving across town and he saw a billboard. The billboard read “Do you abuse alcohol? Call 555-1435.” The man, who had a drinking problem and had been considering getting help, decided to place a call to the number in order to access assistance. He grabbed his iPhone and dialed the number. “Leroy’s Read More →

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Last weekend I was at a birthday party for a friend. I met a guy there who told me that I look like Samuel L. Jackson. Now, I am not really a “celebrity look-alike” guy. Back in the 80’s, my longtime friend Jeff Barkema swore that I looked like David Robinson, who was at that Read More →

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How many of you have played on a team? I, for one, have always played team sports. From Little League baseball to soccer, volleyball, basketball and kickball, I have always played team sports. Last year I took up skiing, which is my first and only solo sport. I enjoy skiing, but even though you are Read More →

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Organizations today rely heavily on donors who make one or more gifts each year either through the mail or online. These donors are often critical to nonprofit success because they can often be used to keep the lights on, pay for support staff, and defray overhead costs. Sometimes we make the mistake of failing to Read More →

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