The topic this week is a bit of a bone of contention for me. These are my beliefs as to what it takes to be a great fundraiser. Boards and bosses may have a completely different set of qualities. At the end of the day, I have seen many great managers and many great...
Continue reading...relationship
UPDATE: Go Find A Great Board Member
Three years ago, I wrote about recruitment for a new board member (here). In the article, I focussed on managing expectations, as Joan Garry so eloquently lays out. Fast forward to Spring 2021 and, while still accurate, the focus on new board recruitment has become so much more. It is so essential to look...
Continue reading...UPDATE: Facts About Stewardship
A few years ago, I wrote an article that listed seven different truths about fundraising (here). The past 14 months have been quite a roller coaster ride for many charities, but I firmly believe that those that have succeeded are those charities that have focussed on stewardship. I address some of these points made...
Continue reading...After 27 Years, I had an “A-ha moment”
Have you ever had that feeling that something just “clicked” for you? Even after decades of working in the same profession? (This goes to reinforce my theory that you should be open to constant learning and improving). Well, this a-ha moment happened to me the other day. As many of you know, I am...
Continue reading...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...Thanks to the Women out there!
March 8 is International Women’s Day, and it’s a big thing. The statistics tell us that seventy to eighty percent of fundraisers are women. In my own career as a fundraiser, I have only hired a handful of men — the rest were all women! Moreover, the statistics tell us that women only represent...
Continue reading...UPDATE: The Relationship Needs to Change
A few years back, I wrote about the need to change the relationship with the prospect/donor (here). There, I quoted my good friend Jason Lewis as saying, “Once an initial gift has been received, the relationship has changed, and both sides of the relationship will have higher expectations of the other.” But, as we...
Continue reading...Noble Failure: An Update
I was a fan of the ACBF (Andrea & Charles Bronfman Foundation) before it wound down, specifically how Bronfman went about his thoughtful philanthropy. In his book, The Art of Giving, Bronfman speaks of noble failure (the ability for a project to fail in order to gain valuable learning experiences). I wrote about this...
Continue reading...Issues Raising Funds — Part II
Last week, I wrote about golf and fundraising — the advent of the graphite shaft amplifies your golf swing (good or bad), just as COVID has amplified fundraising (good or bad). In last week’s posting, I shared three issues in raising funds that you may encounter, namely staff turnover, the rainmaker, and the organization’s...
Continue reading...Signals that you will soon have Issues Raising Funds
Fundraising during COVID is like using a graphite golf club. Those things that go well go really well, and the things that go poorly go really poorly. Just as a graphite shaft will amplify your shot (good or bad), so too will fundraising in a pandemic. The donors seen as the 1-percenters have seen...
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