Training Archives | Copley Raff

It’s About Confidence…Personal and Professional

By Larry Raff In _CRI Blog Post, Insights, Training Posted April 18, 2016 0 Comments

I just spent a four-day weekend with 35 highly motivated and talented advancement officers who are working to become Master Gift Officers. As I both trained and observed them, I came to the simple realization that the key to their success, and that of most people for any endeavor, is the necessity to have and […]

Boots on the Ground

By Larry Raff In _CRI Blog Post, Major Gifts, Planning & Strategy, Training Posted March 21, 2016 0 Comments

Having “boots on the ground” has become a metaphor of late for – if you need to do the hard work, you need be all in. The military reference is obvious, as is the commonly used term “campaign”. Merriam-Webster’s first definition of campaign is: a connected series of military operations forming a distinct phase […]

ROI Redux…Return On Involvement

By Larry Raff In _CRI Blog Post, Major Gifts, Planning & Strategy, Training Posted February 15, 2016 0 Comments

Return on Investment is one of those gross measures many boards and CEOs focus on as an overall measure of effectiveness. Generally speaking it is a useful tool except if you are in a growth mode. While the ROI might suffer, your top line revenue should grow significantly rendering your added expenses justifiable. My […]

Philanthropy: The means for sustaining population health programs

By Larry Raff In _CRI Blog Post, Emerging Ideas, Healthcare, Major Gifts, Training Posted February 1, 2016 0 Comments

If a population health initiative gets initial funding from a foundation, health insurer, or a hospital, and shows strong results…will it get more funding to maintain its good work? Likely not. Public health leaders are often frustrated by having to shutter outstanding community health programs when the start-up funding from foundations, insurers, hospitals, and […]

Turning Gratitude Into Gifts

By Larry Raff In _CRI Blog Post, Major Gifts, Planning & Strategy, Training Posted January 11, 2016 2 Comments

Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts. Henri Frederic Amiel Those acts can be volunteering for a nonprofit organization, helping a friend or a stranger, or making a financial contribution. Giving is an act born from emotion. You […]

Fundraisers Want Tools Too

By Larry Raff In _CRI Blog Post, Major Gifts, Planning & Strategy, Training Posted November 13, 2015 0 Comments

Call me nuts (upon fear of bodily harm), but as I conduct more and more trainings and consult with more and more advancement shops, the clamor for effective and simple tools is becoming overwhelmingly apparent. There are plenty of ever emerging social media channels to distract us, but few useful tools to help get […]

It is Time to Revisit Charitable Gift Annuities

By Larry Raff In Emerging Ideas, Insights, Major Gifts, Training Posted October 26, 2015 0 Comments

I was skeptical at first. A colleague introduced me to a strategy that removes all risk to the nonprofit organization (NPO) when writing a charitable gift annuity (CGA), and reduces significantly the risk of default to the donor. This is especially true for smaller NPOs and younger donors. Larger NPOs can tolerate more risk […]

New Gift Counting Standard… Self Serving?

By Larry Raff In Insights, Major Gifts, Training Posted October 5, 2015 0 Comments

My jaw dropped when I read the latest edition of Healthcare Philanthropy, the publication of the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy(AHP). Under the heading of “The Climate of Integration” AHP says its recent gift-reporting standards recommend that charitable institutions show total productivity of fundraising efforts by recognizing revocable bequest commitments and life-income gifts at the […]

Doing the Right Thing…Even if It is Hard

By Larry Raff In Insights, Leadership & Management, Major Gifts, Training Posted September 19, 2015 0 Comments

Every now and then I construct a case study about a situation that applies more broadly to our work in the non-profit sector and has many potential paths to the outcome. While this particular case is personal, it has application to the advancement field; for example, the dilemma of legacy naming opportunities that may […]

Justifying the Hire of Another Gift Officer

By Larry Raff In Insights, Major Gifts, Planning & Strategy, Training Posted June 15, 2015 0 Comments

I get this question often…when is the right time to hire another gift officer? Perhaps a better question is how do I justify hiring another gift officer so I can get the position in the budget? You and your CFO/CEO will need some idea about the return on the investment (ROI) and the time […]

Do They Trust You?

By Larry Raff In Insights, Major Gifts, Planning & Strategy, Training Posted May 30, 2015 0 Comments

“Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” Albert Einstein The success of fundraising and advancement depends upon your credibility, and that of your organization and leadership with your donors. Donors have an overwhelming number of choices for use of their philanthropic dollar. So the slightest reason for them to […]

Campaign Confusion

By Larry Raff In Insights, Major Gifts, Training Posted May 19, 2015 0 Comments

Campaigns come in many flavors. · Capital Campaign · Annual Fund Campaign · Direct Mail Campaign · Employee Campaign · Endowment Campaign · Comprehensive vs. Targeted Campaign For advancement professionals, these different campaign constructs are generally understood, but not so much for volunteers and donors. I have found over the years that there is also […]

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