Focus … Major Giving
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle
A colleague here at Copley Raff constantly reminds me, and our clients, to “fish where the fish are.” By that she means to focus on the areas with the greatest potential payback and ROI. In terms of advancement “fishing,” for many NPOs, ...
A colleague here at Copley Raff constantly reminds me, and our clients, to “fish where the fish are.” By that she means to focus on the areas with the greatest potential payback and ROI. In terms of advancement “fishing,” for many NPOs, ...
Survey Results: How Boards Feel About Fundraising
As someone with key fundraising responsibilities, it is essential to know exactly where your resources - as well as deficits - lie within your organization. A constant, regardless of the mission of your NPO, is that leadership from an organization’s board of directors is a key ingredient towards advancement success. Thus, it is critical to understand how your board ...
Magical Thinking…Redux
I’m crossing my fingers here that this follow-up posting will really resonate with many advancement professionals. About a month ago, this blog featured an article about fundraising ideas so outrageous and/or inactionable that they appeared to come from a galaxy far, far away. We received a great deal of feedback that really brought the point home with examples from the ...
Focus On … Annual Giving
"In order to change something, don't struggle to change the model, create a new model, and make the old one obsolete." - Buckminister Fuller A commonality amongst high performing NPOs is a strong and well oiled annual giving program. Generally recognized as the foundation of advancement success, these essential efforts typically have two main objectives: raising net revenue and growing ...
Magical Thinking… Be On Guard
Give me a show of hands…how many of you have been in a meeting when a board member, boss, or colleague proposed a fundraising idea so outrageous or nonactionable that it appears to come from a galaxy far, far away? As consultants, we frequently find ourselves protecting our clients from falling into the trap of “magical thinking.” And ...
Occupy Advancement
These are wild and wooly times we are living in right now. The polarization of wealth over the past 40 years has become apparent to the masses, who are expressing extreme discontent clear across the country from New England to Hawaii. Political pressure is mounting to address this growing inequality. This economic and financial situation presents an unusual balancing act ...
