
đ Avert the pessimism spiral
Henry Ford famously said, âWhether you think you can or think you canât, you are right.â Or, as Yogi Berra put it, â When you get to the fork in the road, take it.â Between the lines: Getting sucked into a pity party when fundraising isnât going your way is easy. When the downside is all you talk about, that ...
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đ Fundraisers pleaseâŚ
SMILEÂ Â TALK A LOTÂ Â LISTENÂ Â THINKÂ Â WRITE PHONE ASKÂ Â DISCUSSÂ Â RESEACHÂ Â WING ITÂ Â BE RESPECTFUL BE BOLDÂ Â BUILDÂ Â RAPPORTÂ Â ASSUMEÂ Â ACTIVELY LISTEN ASKÂ Â QUESTIONSÂ Â LEARNÂ Â HURRYÂ Â ALIGN INTERESTS INQUIREÂ Â BE CURIOUSÂ Â JUDGEÂ Â RESPONDÂ Â DO BETTER WORK YOUR PORTFOLIOÂ Â CLOSE OFFÂ Â FIND BETTER WAYS VOLUNTEERÂ Â BE COMPLACENTÂ Â MISSION FOCUSÂ Â BE TIMID COLLABORATEÂ Â ISOLATEÂ Â WORK WITH TEAMÂ Â DOCUMENT OVER COMMITÂ ...
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đ¤šââď¸Campaign cabinets take new shape
The nature of campaign cabinets, the beating heart of a campaign, is increasingly decentralized. In addition to your core of volunteers who meet regularly, spot players willing to help with particular people but who donât want to attend meetings must also be considered part of the cabinet. Why it matters:Â While campaigns are more and more staff-driven, access to donor candidates ...
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đ Is it a campaign or initiative
Campaign and initiatives' fundraising labels bring visceral and practical baggage for volunteers and fundraisers. Campaign implies an extensive infrastructure, lots of meetings, years of work, and a big goal. Initiative implies less of all of the above. Campaign aversion:   Many volunteers have a visceral reaction to the notion of a campaign. Seasoned volunteers have lived through campaigns and may not have fond ...
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đşď¸ Source donor wealth
Wealthy people may not be as âliquidâ as you may think. The nature and location of their wealth can dramatically affect liquidity. Elon Musk showed us this when he had to liquidate billions in Tesla stock and then rallied investors to support his takeover of Twitter. Holders of Berkshire Hathaway stock, for instance, in an almost cult-like behavior, rarely sell ...
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đď¸ Donor âstreetâ research is essential
The go-to donor research tools are subscription services like DonorSearch, and Wealth Engine. They are the best tool you have - until they are not. We all have many examples of wealth estimates being wildly off, Â high, and low. Why it matters: There is no substitute for what I call street research. Find out all you can about the donor ...
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