Campaign or Initiative…What’s in a Name
Campaign vs. Initiative…is this a distinction without a difference? This question seems to be coming up more and more with organizations we interact with. The issue seems to be driven, in part, by the visceral reaction volunteers have to the notion of a campaign. Seasoned volunteers have lived through campaigns in the past and may not have fond memories of ...
Do You Work to Live or Live to Work?
Your answer to this provocative question may very well depend on whether you are a member of the Baby Boomer generation, the X generation or if you are a Millennial. Of course, each group has its individuals who go either way or somewhere along the continuum. But understanding whether you tend toward "working to live" or "living to work" can ...
The Case for Gray Hair
The advancement profession is a rare sector where there is advantage to being “older” - a member of the gray haired workforce. This designation most applies to those 55+ men (who still have hair of course) where our female colleagues often find more stylish alternatives. The logic goes that most of our best donors are, themselves 55+ and find it ...
It’s a New Year…Stop Procrastinating
Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday. Don Marquis Procrastination is not reserved for only individuals. Boards of directors and organizations also procrastinate, and often to their detriment. I want to share two stories about organizations that inexplicably waited to the brink before facing what needed to be done. I’ve changed their name to protect the guilty. The ...
Top 5 GivingTake Blog Posts
What better way to find out what is on the minds of our advancement colleagues than to see what they are reading about on blogs. Rather than conduct a survey, let’s look at what topics are being read most by thousands of advancement professionals. The Copley Raff GivingTake Blog has been publishing for three years now (hard to believe), and ...
The Power of a Lead Gift
The ingredients of campaign success are like real estate…leadership, leadership, leadership. It comes in many forms, the most tangible of which is the stretch gift by your most prominent volunteers. It is not hyperbole to say that the commitments made by your most loyal supporters, who are known to be wealthy, will “set the pace” for others to follow. And ...
