Feb
09
2018
What’s a Major Gift for your Organization?
The phrase Major Gift is fundraiser jargon. Personally, I loathe the term, but in our industry, it’s what we use. (Some fundraisers actually have the title Major...
Prospects and Donors
Jan
12
2018
Accountability & Impact — don’t be like George
As I was watching Seinfeld one evening over the holidays, I was doubled over in laughter at the Festivus episode. This is probably one of the...
Oct
27
2017
Year-end Fundraising — the big push?
It’s hard to believe it, but there are only 65 days left in the calendar year. That means there are only 65 days left to maximize...
Oct
20
2017
Should I start my own private foundation or charity?
Should I start a charity? This is a question that comes up all of the time. Let’s first address some nomenclature. When I worked for a...
Sep
29
2017
The times — they are a change-in’
It has now been over 25 years since I have been in this wonderful field as a paid professional (and probably an additional 6 as a...
Sep
15
2017
The elusive donor (or prospect)
Where are the donors and why are they hiding from us? There is a great theory that it is much better/easier to keep a customer than...
Aug
25
2017
How to Make Life REALLY Complicated for your Donors
Have you ever started to make a donation online and realized halfway through that this is going to be an overly arduous process? And all that...
Aug
18
2017
What does ENGAGE actually mean in today’s world?
I think that the word engage is one of the most overused words around. What the heck does engage actually mean? Merriam Webster defines this intransitive...
Jul
21
2017
Donor Fatigue — Fact or Fiction?
Donor fatigue has been defined as “a lessening of public willingness to respond generously to charitable appeals, resulting from the frequency of such appeals”. I think...