I admit it. I like to move at a good pace. Perhaps it is my Attention Deficit Disorder, and that I get bored quickly. I guess it is just my working style. But, I have encountered others who are the exact opposite. They labor over tasks. In a former life, if I asked a...
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Calling out Bad Fundraising
Perhaps it has been the fact that we are into year two of this crazy pandemic. Maybe it is because I have seen many charitable organizations totally botch their fundraising lately. Or, it could even be that I am a fifty-year-old curmudgeon. The fact remains that after decades of being a professional fundraiser, I...
Continue reading...Budget for 2021 — an Educated Guess
Many charitable organizations have a fiscal year-end of December 31. To say that 2020 has been a year of unpredictability and uncharted territory is an understatement. But, as all organizations must, you need to report on 2020 and budget appropriately for 2021. In a year that saw most events furloughed, doors potentially closed and...
Continue reading...Recommended Reading
I have to admit that I wasn’t always a reader. Perhaps it was my ADHD, but I couldn’t wrap my head around the concept of staring at pages for hours. While I am proud to say that it is no longer the case (long live the pills), I am still very judicious when reading...
Continue reading...8 Mistakes that Hurt Fundraising
Everybody makes fundraising mistakes. Hopefully, everybody learns from their mistakes. But, wouldn’t it be nice if we could learn from others’ mistakes without having to endure the error ourselves? Here are eight fundamental fundraising mistakes: 1: Treating Donors as ATM’s This is my number one pet peeve and I have written many articles about...
Continue reading...What are we (Marketing) Asking for?
I admit that I am not a marketer. (I happen to have worked alongside great marketers, however.) Marketing is a highly-honed skill set that often works in collaboration with the fundraising department. Far too often, though, I have seen these teams merged as the uninitiated will proclaim that fundraising is marketing. (It could also...
Continue reading...Is Using a Sad Photo Manipulative?
I have spent many blogs writing about emotions — how you need to have emotion in your case, your direct mail letters, and your canvasses. I have written about what part of your brain lights up when dealing with emotional issues and that donating is indeed an emotional exercise. But, are using emotions manipulative?...
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