What Fundraising Organizations Can Learn From Trusted Leaders
The most productive philanthropic partnerships are built on trust. Trust is built on shared convictions and candor, not self-promotion or…
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The Key to Improving Fundraising Results: Improve Your Posture
So many ill-conceived ideas about metrics and other means of evaluating fundraising performance are rooted in the terribly false notion…
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A Fundraising Process That Builds Donor Trust
The “ambush ask”—luring donors to meetings under false or veiled pretenses, then asking for “a gift”—has done significant damage to…
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The Best Long Term Fundraising Strategy: Recruiting Volunteers
If you recruit the right volunteers (those with giving histories) and give them tasks worthy of their talents almost 80…
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Why The Affluent Give
The most common and persistent reasons for giving, as documented in the top two bars of the chart below, underscore…
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The Leadership Attribute We Need Most: Master Weaver
We will not build better advancement operations… – or sustain fundraising success – or build stronger cultures of philanthropy –…
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Fundraisers Need to Be Passionate About More Than Mission
Many job descriptions claim to be looking for a fundraiser who will be “passionate about our mission.” That’s a good…
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Fundraising Boss vs. Advancement Leader
Fundraising bosses want you to get gifts; advancement leaders want you to build partnerships. Fundraising bosses want you to solicit…
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The First Commandment of Advancement: Show Don’t Tell
A donor once shared with me why he had given so generously to an oceanographic institute on the far coast…
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How To Irritate Good Donors
Want to know how to get under your donors’ skin? Ask them to do something small after they’ve made a big…
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Moves Management: Misunderstood and Misapplied
In his recent article in APRA’s Connections, Tim DeCelle reveals, “In a 2019 interview, the now-retired David Dunlop reflects on…
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The Power of Calm Leadership: Why Desperation Deters Progress
If you’re desperate, I can’t help you raise money. Nor can anyone else, though some may claim they can. Desperation…
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Unheard Voices That Come Back to Haunt Fundraising
Too infrequently, unheard voices and various levels within our organizations include: Lapsed donors, whom we too rarely seek out, even…
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Impact: How We’re Being Short-sighted in Responding to What Donors Want
As fundraisers, we’re being short-sighted as to what donors really want. Here’s an example. The Juilliard School of Music replaces…
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Why Aren’t You Raising More Million-Dollar Gifts?
Have you ever wondered why you aren’t raising more million-dollar gifts? There’s plenty to go around, right? Why aren’t you…
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A Philanthropy Quiz: Test Your Knowledge
1. What famous philosopher is considered one of the first philanthropists and estate givers in Western history? Plato directed that…
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The 10 Most Common Assumptions That Lead to Fundraising Struggles
Here is a list of the 10 most common assumptions that fundraisers make: We should go into another campaign shortly…
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What It Will Take to Secure More Major Gifts
Major gifts, if they are to prove to be more effective philanthropic conversation starters and, ultimately, investment worthy will have…
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The Request That Donors Almost Always Agree To
Can you guess what one request donors always agree to? It is, “May we run an idea by you from…
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The Most Important Philanthropic Ratio
It’s a huge and costly mistake to seek support from the wealthiest. Some are philanthropic; most are not. Within the…
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The Root of So Many Fundraising Miseries
An organization posts an open fundraising job. They’re looking for a miracle worker. The expectations are wildly unrealistic. The person…
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Don’t Ask for Support, Allow Donors to Share Something of Themselves
Asking for support is a weak philanthropic proposition. Here’s what “support” means, right from the dictionary: bear all or part…
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The Pathway to Significant Giving Is Not Paved With Just “Visits”
A common Key Performance Indicator (KPI) used to evaluate fundraisers is the number of visits they pay to prospects in…
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Two Basic Schools of Fundraising: Hunters and Growers
Hunters believe, “The more we get out into the field or commit ourselves to being ‘road warriors,’ and the more…
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