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The most important part of advancement is something we can’t measure. It’s the problem with all fundraising systems and process charts. They depict human decision-making… Read More
Recently a friend of mine was promoted. Now she is in a leader position at her organization’s headquarters. Yippee! I asked her, “What will you… Read More
Things look bleak. Fundraisers don’t stay. They don’t stay at the nonprofit. They don’t stay in the industry. They are stigmatized by outsiders. They are… Read More
This challenge had me angry for more than a week… “Pharmaceutical sales reps have 15 meetings per day. Why can’t you?” Many years ago, I… Read More
In fundraising, a gift results when motivation overcomes cost. Increasing motivation helps. So does lowering cost. These make the gift easier. But sometimes, these two processes conflict. Number problems… Read More
Fundraisers and donors are in a pickle. They have been unfairly subjected to a broken system for decades. It isn’t their fault, but it is… Read More
I taught my kids to avoid using the words job, work and can’t. To me a job is what some people get so they can work to get money; and if they fail to find one, they might say it’s… Read More
1. “I’d like to meet you to update you / tell you what we do / tell you what we’ve been doing, etc.” I’ve had… Read More
High-capacity donors aren’t altruistic. They want something from you just as much as you want something from them. At a high level, most simply want… Read More
Your job is not to come up with words and images that will persuade or convince people to give. No! Instead, your job is to… Read More
Often, I find that major gift (and legacy gift) fundraising education, training, and advice places too much emphasis on ‘the ask’. Yet, in many ways,… Read More
It ain’t about you. Unsuccessful fundraisers want donors to give on their timeline, not the donor’s. They think they can make the donor ‘move’ when they want them… Read More
“What did they do with my money?” “Would my money yield more impact if I gave it to another organization?” “Do they make me feel good or… Read More
First, what are we really talking about when we say moves management? Wikipedia says, “moves are the actions an organization takes to bring in donors, establish relationships,… Read More
1. Competition is fierce and everywhere. Nonprofits don’t only compete with other nonprofits. They also compete with private sector businesses and Uncle Sam (the tax… Read More
1. Always add value. The best way to ensure that you have a job all the time is to make it a point to consistently… Read More
I simply love inspirational quotes. Here’s one I recently came across from Thomas Edison. He once said, “The successful person has a habit of doing… Read More
Unfortunately just about all of us are capable of conceiving of people as just functions rather than human beings. I think this realization was first… Read More
I know, I disagree with many others on this issue. But the value proposition offered to donors by donor-advised funds is fair and good. It… Read More
A true story. I was talking to one of our customers two weeks ago. She had been working for an organization for almost two and a… Read More
I was intrigued. A few weeks ago one of my employees (Nicole) forwarded the following email to me from her beloved alma mater. It was… Read More
1. Abraham Lincoln famously said, “When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad; and that’s my religion.” 2. Booker… Read More
You might have known that Oprah was a philanthropist; but did you know why? Most people think they know Oprah Winfrey, one of the richest self-made… Read More
If you don’t know where you are going, you will never get there. Here’s how to start with the end in mind so you can be… Read More
Feeling like your job is getting harder because donor expectations have changed and competition for the charitable dollar is growing?
Finding that the old orthodoxies and conventions espoused by so-called experts in online echo-chambers and at conferences don’t work anymore?
Want to help more people make impact by facilitating their acts of philanthropy but feel like too many obstacles keep getting in your way?
Then this book is for you.
Engagement Fundraising was developed from the perspective of a donor who discovered firsthand that the impersonal, spray-and-pray approaches of his beloved charity were not only offensive but also wasteful and ineffective. So he took action. And now, you can too.
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