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 →
The other day while I was at a stoplight I quickly reached over to my car stereo to change the SD Card. I keep different genres of music on different cards and I was in need of something different. As I did so, I had a flashback to 1990. In 1990, I had a big … Read More →
I was consulting for a small organization led by a new Executive Director who had no fund raising experience. Typically I try to stay away from going on solicitations as a consultant, rather I help devise strategy and provide training to build capacity. This particular ED was deathly afraid of asking for money so I … Read More →
Back in the day I had an executive director who did not like me to publicly announce large gifts to the organization. She felt that if the community and/or donors perceived that we had too much money, it would impact our fund raising negatively and we would encounter financial distress. She believed that donors want … Read More →
There is some disagreement in the fund raising world surrounding how to get meetings with donors. Every time I speak to a different development professional, I often hear a different strategy. Some people I have met would have a promising career as a Secret Agent with the NSA if they were interested in that type … Read More →