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teddy roosevelt

Leadership… Be Careful

Leadership is the essential ingredient to successful fundraising and advancement, and must come from both staff and volunteers. Much has been documented and validated about the qualities and character traits of great leaders as well as the fabric of leadership. Far less has been written about the art and science concerning the process of choosing the right leader to raise ...
/ Leadership & Management
telephone ice

Warming Up to a Cold Call

Cold calls. Even the moniker of these usually dreaded method of outreach is, well, cold. But the best gifts, and relationships, always emerge from conversations, and they’ve got to start somewhere. I was recently asked address a meeting of chief advancement officers representing specialty post-graduate colleges. When asked what they would most like to learn about, the group came ...
/ Insights
sunset in the palm of hand

Destined For Mastery

Master Gift Officer. Just the words alone conjure up confidence, optimism, energy, and success. And the phrase embodies what we all strive for: demonstrating the highest level of ability, talent, and dedication within the development profession. Today, the job title isn’t on the tip of the tongue of most nonprofit fundraising professionals or organizations, and hasn’t been spotted on a ...
/ Uncategorized
bird sign

The “Who’s Asking?” Paradox

Philanthropy - especially very successful philanthropy - always requires just the right “personal touch.” But what happens when relationships appear to close doors instead of opening them? Here’s what I mean. We’ve heard it from volunteers, and even from other advancement professionals: ”I’m too friendly with her to ask her for a contribution.” It seems that many people feel uncomfortable ...
/ Insights, Planning & Strategy
decision

Economic Uncertainty or Deflection

The United States, arguably, is in its fourth year of the "great recession." Fallout from the country’s debilitating economic environment has created grueling financial, professional, and personal hardships for millions of people. A complicating factor bottlenecking recovery includes the shroud of “uncertainty” that continues to be cited as an obstacle to renewed hiring by the private sector. Many non-profit organizations ...
/ Planning & Strategy
eanie means

Desperation or a Good Idea?

Just what catalyzes your prospects and donors to give? What channels grab their attention, heartstrings, and in turn, their checkbooks? Every few years, a hot new fundraising concept seems to emerge - one that “promises” to breathe new life into your advancement efforts. The past two decades have provided us with fundraising “salvations” including… These traditional and newer techniques ...
/ Planning & Strategy