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 ...
Either… Or
There are few greater challenges in the profession than serving as the chief advancement officer (CAO) of a small to midsized shop. Your boss and board have high expectation for your department and yet have little appreciation or understanding of the true dimensions, complexities, and public exposure risks (think gala) of running a high performance advancement operation. Almost all of ...
Money Mishegas
There is a colorful Yiddish word, “mishegas” which affectionately refers to one’s “craziness” about something. Most of us have strong feelings when it comes to money; for some of us, those passions are what brought us to this profession. The spectrum of personal “money mishegas” extremes runs from spendthrifts to overindulgence, and everything in between. Most of these attitudes are ...
Hiding In Plain Sight
Opportunity is everywhere, and not just strictly in the form of donors and dollars. Sometimes it wears a mask, and it hides in plain sight. But most development professionals have the innate skills to find it, learn from it, and use it to help with future challenges. Here are two examples of what I mean. 1. Fill in the gaps ...
The Power of Pessimism
Henry Ford is famous for saying, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you are right.” Yes, attitude makes all the difference in the world. As development professionals, we are often the public face of the organizations we serve. As a result, it is especially important that we project optimism and hope – you never know who’s ...
Master Gift Officer… Shifting a Paradigm
Mark Twain, a true master of the written word, observed “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.” Yes, language is very important. And like most professionals, those of us in fundraising can get stuck in the inertia of our own dated vernacular. How many of you are ...
