Cold calling, for many fundraisers who dislike it, sits right up there with public speaking, which some surveys have found…
The missing piece in the story A novel can have a perfect story. But it will still fail without one…
183 days. That’s how long it took Bob to mail in a check for $25,000 after I asked him for…
You can have it easy, or you can have it bigger. But rarely can you have both. That’s the nature…
Socratic fundraising Socratic inquiry uses questions. But just asking questions isn’t enough. To be Socratic, the questions must guide toward…
The word “advancement” connotes forward movement. That requires forward thinking. Responsible leadership at both the organizational and advancement level requires bifocal…
When gift officers try to reach out to supporters recently added to their caseloads, it’s usually tougher to get them…
“It’s very important not to know all the answers. Often we don’t know, and if we did it would be…
One of the great insights Robert Kiyosaki shares in the book Rich Dad Poor Dad is this: Poor people say…
As a gift officer meeting with donors and supporters, you face a great number of scenarios within different stages of…
The right metrics Fundraising metrics can’t do everything. But they can answer four key questions:[1] Are we focused on the…
What are the three characteristics that distinguish the best advancement practitioners? Integrity, Curiosity, and Discipline. Of the three, integrity is…
What’s the hardest thing about bringing up legacy giving with an aging and loyal donor or supporter? Death. Focusing on…
Fightin’ words Want to start a fight in a fundraising comment section? That’s easy. Start talking metrics. Opinions are often…
"Is now a good time to talk?" This is one of the worst ways to start a call to schedule…
Some gift officers have dozens of prospects in their caseloads. Others have over a hundred. Dunbar’s number aside, we all…
The Education Advisory Board, after analyzing donations to 1,217 major-gift officers at 89 colleges and universities in the United States…
Restricted giving doesn’t sound like a good thing, just from the sound of it. The idea of restricting anything, especially…
Monomyth steps The “one big thing” in fundraising is always the same: Advance the donor’s hero story. The universal hero…
A friend of mine recently asked for a $5 Million gift. THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY! But in terms of…
Why do too many major donor prospects not give, or give far less than their giving capacity? One of the…
Monomyth ending The universal hero story (monomyth) ends with the hero’s return. The hero returns to his original world. The…
A common KPI used to evaluate fundraisers is the number of visits they pay on prospects in their portfolios. It…
Major gift fundraising is hard work. It’s about growing a relationship between donor and gift officer, as they work together…