Today, I read a Chronicle of Philanthropy article focused on the new IRS data which suggests that Americans gave much less than “Giving USA” reported during 2008-2009. Ok. And what exactly should this mean for development professionals? I’m not a huge fan of giving projections. First, no one really knows how much is given. But…
Month: April 2011
Developing Perspectives or Skills
Are you more invested in developing new skills or developing new perspectives? Many development professionals seek to acquire new skills. However, developing new perspectives makes you a truly valuable professional. Developing a skill may help you write a tighter, more effective phonathon script. Developing a new perspective would encourage you to integrate your social media,…
Haute Couture Fundraising
The phrase, “haute couture” refers to the creation of exclusive, custom-fitting clothing. This clothing is made from high-quality, expensive fabric, sewn expertly by the most experienced of seamstresses, and form-fitted for a particular client. Haute couture emerged in the mid 1800s in France. You know the names of many of the official haute couture firms…
Communication Frequencies
At what communication frequency do you most comfortably operate? Do you resonate most on the email frequency? Or maybe it is the face-to-face frequency? Or the phone frequency? Or the text frequency? Or the social media frequency? Or possibly there are still a few out there who resonate most with the touch-intensive letter frequency. Most…
Tetelestai!
Tetelestai is a wonderfully rich Greek word. Somewhat poorly translated it means, “It is finished!” As part of my work as a consultant I conduct vice presidential-level searches for institutions. A first-hand observation I would make after looking at thousands of resumes – many people leave positions too quickly. Different studies place the average tenure…
The Law of Exclusivity
Recently, my wife and I celebrated 10 years of marriage with a long weekend in NYC. It was a fun and memorable trip. One of the memories we both will treasure was the night we saw “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying” on Broadway. The show was fantastic. But even more, one of…