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Verba docent, exempla trahunt. “Words teach people, examples compel them.” – Latin proverb[1] It’s simple. We want the donor to say, “Yes.” But how? How… Read More
I hear it often. I ask an advancement leader how a particular fundraiser is doing or ask a president how an advancement leader is doing… Read More
Here’s the situation: You’ve been tasked with finding a fresh batch of potential major donors to engage. You’ve been given an arbitrary and unreasonably short… Read More
Every industry loves to predict the future. We predict stock markets, sports outcomes, educational outcomes, climate change, weather, and performance in just about any business… Read More
Giving vs. sharing Are we asking people to give? Or are we asking them to share? This might feel like a trivial choice of synonyms…. Read More
❌ Average MGO: Shares lots of great information. ✅ Great MGO: Asks important questions and listens. ❌ Average MGO: Has a 10 day outlook…. Read More
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
If you are a fundraiser…. You are not a beggar or manipulator who twists arms. Rather, you are a caring, helpful, generous, joyful facilitator who… Read More
The noble dream Small nonprofits have needs. Often, it’s obvious. The furnishings are a bit ragged. The space is cramped. The conditions are spartan. But… Read More
❗ THE DONOR BEAT YOU TO THE ASK ❗ We’ve all been there. You’re in the visit. You’ve been planning this for months. It’s finally… Read More
Need help convincing the ‘powers that be’ to pony up the cash for the best and most valuable online fundraising eCourse on the planet? Even… Read More
Biologists model sustainable giving in nature with a simple game.[1] The heroic donation comes from an extreme version of this game. The numbers game In… Read More
Something’s missing. You might have noticed. The last few posts played the primal-giving game.[1] But they didn’t focus on heroes. Now, it’s time to get… Read More
In 2007, after listening to a lot of donors and conducting a lot of research, I advised, “Don’t just ask you donors to give to… Read More
It gets posted all over social media. Featured in books. Heard at seminars. Repeated on webinars. It’s hard to work very long in fundraising without… Read More
The “one big thing” in fundraising is this: Advance the donor’s hero story. The previous article set in this series explored this in detail. The… Read More
When choosing board members, so many nonprofits gravitate towards doctors, lawyers, and accountants. Why? I think partially because it’s easier to know that they have… Read More
As turnover in the nonprofit sector continues to plague so many organizations, and not just with major gift officers, it’s time to face a difficult… Read More
Donors are looking for a better philanthropic value proposition. They want to know how their dollars will be turned into differences. Traditional fundraising loses four out… Read More
“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. We hire smart people so they can tell us what… Read More
Lead with a gift: The primal-giving game Biologists model sustainable giving in nature with a game.[1] This primal-giving game models reciprocal altruism.[2] What’s the best… Read More
I didn’t know I should be asking this one question when talking to donors: “When would be a good time for me to follow up?”… Read More
Why do gift officers quit their jobs so frequently? Gift officer turnover is holding so many nonprofit organizations back. And not just in terms of… Read More
So much of standard fundraising practice is inconsistent with philanthropic partnership building. Would you enter into, feel comfortable with, or stay in a partnership if… Read More