Nov
15
2019
Showing the True Cost of Events
I have long had a love/hate relationship with events. Perhaps it’s because of the inherent risk of running an event (you can potentially lose money), or...
Philanthropy
Nov
08
2019
Giving Tuesday — Does it Work?
I should preface this article with the statement that the views contained herein are solely my own. Personally, I have huge issues with Giving Tuesday. I actually...
Nov
01
2019
It’s a Matter of Perspective
I came across this visual a while ago and it really resonated with me. It made me re-examine my perspective. Look at the image on the...
Oct
11
2019
Creative Recognition
In my 20-plus years of fundraising, I have never had a donor tell me that they were thanked too often. As a matter of fact, I...
Oct
04
2019
The 100th Article
It’s hard to believe that I have hit this milestone. One hundred articles. (I’m not counting the couple of times that I say ‘no article’.) Thank...
Sep
27
2019
Smart People Say the Darndest Things
I have often heard cute/funny/interesting quips about fundraising (and life in general). For some odd reason, I have been writing some of these down (electronically) and...
Sep
13
2019
What if customers controlled their own data?
This is really a fascinating question. We all know (at least in Canada) that a customer (donor) has the legal right to look at the data...
Sep
06
2019
Data — What is it Good for?
Edwin Starr wrote the song “War (What is it good for)” which included the answer — “Absolutely Nothing”. So, I won’t regale you with my singing,...
Jun
28
2019
Enjoy the Summer
Everybody needs to decompress a little over the summer. For me, it means that there will not be a weekly article again until after Labor Day....
Jun
14
2019
Third-Party Events
All fundraising organizations have some sort of event portfolio. It may be a ‘thon’ (walk-a-thon, cycle-a-thon, bowl-a-thon, etc.), it may be a gala or it may even be...