Too often fundraisers make assumptions about what donors want. Usually, this is driven by top leaders or board members. They…
You don’t have to poke too far into most nonprofits' fundraising results to see significant donor erosion, usually masked by…
Recently a friend of mine was promoted. Now she is in a leader position at her organization's headquarters. Yippee! I…
Things look bleak. Fundraisers don’t stay. They don’t stay at the nonprofit. They don’t stay in the industry. They are…
“I don’t want to waste your time.” Here is another common objection you will hear when trying to schedule visits.…
An old book filled with timeless lessons. I was cleaning out a cabinet last weekend and I came across an…
Good and bad stories Stories are powerful. They can provide meaning and motivation. They can be a source of personal…
What happens all too often when advancement leaders announce that they’re bringing in an expert to train their staff? Some…
There are eight components of my innovative fundraising methodology: 1. Accepting the Pareto principle We’ve called it the 80/20 rule,…
Philanthropy is powerful. It can do more for the donor than just consuming more stuff would do. It can provide…
“Major donors like to give in their backyard.” I call BS! One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that…
Wealth is becoming more concentrated among fewer people. You probably know that already. But what you may not understand is…
Reframing the hero story The Hero is a high-ego character. It is at one extreme of the ego-social axis. For…
Put the proposition in human terms. Imagine two people that you observe on multiple occasions: One seems to be playing a…
Imagine the following two scenarios. Scenario 1: You have 100 donors who have capacity to give a five-figure legacy gift,…
"I was on a mission from God." I met John the first year I started working in major gifts. John…
When it comes to 'how to ask for a gift,' you'll see there's a parallel between how we conduct sales…
The monomyth The hero is a fundamental human archetype. Jung describes an archetype as, “a spiritual goal toward which the…
When you think about the wealthiest of earners in the U.S., those who fall into the top 0.1 percent, who…
“I’m interested in your story” Beginning a donor conversation by showing interest in their story works very well because people…
As fundraisers, what exactly do we have to offer donors? Their gift goes away. Even if we call it an…
This challenge had me angry for more than a week… “Pharmaceutical sales reps have 15 meetings per day. Why can’t…
Story review A story progresses through Backstory and setting These establish motivation from the main character’s original identity. The inciting…
HOW TO BREAK DOWN THE SILOS! Learn to build a more functional organization with everyone rowing in the same direction…