I’ll start this post by professing that I am neither a technological luddite nor hypocrite. I value and gladly utilize technology – in all its forms. Heck, I’m communicating with you via a distributed, social technology that makes our large world wonderfully and magically small. Technologies, especially social technologies, such as social media, wikis, blogs, […]
Browsing the archives for the Fundraising category
5 Oct 17
It’s easy to focus on “the gift.” What is the amount we are seeking? For what purpose? Over what period of time? We talk about the gift in strategy sessions, when we ask for it, and when we receive it – especially when we receive one of significance! We write proposals that answer the questions […]
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Posted in Advancement, Development, Fundraising, Uncategorized
Tagged #development, #Giving, #majorgift
Tagged #development, #Giving, #majorgift
4 Oct 17
Within the U.S. space industry, the term “go fever,” refers to the general idea that engineering teams sometimes rush to get a project completed or a program implemented without taking the appropriate time to assess problems or concerns. “Go fever,” was identified as a contributing factor in both the Space Shuttle Challenger (1986) and Space […]
30 May 17
In the April 1, 2017 edition of The NonProfit Times, Mark Hrywna writes about the challenges and opportunities large nonprofit organizations face in keeping employees engaged and feeling valued. In the article, Hrywna quotes Harry Johns, the President and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association as follows: “The thing that’s most critical is engaging people in […]
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Posted in Development, Fundraising, Leadership
9 Apr 17
We’ve all been in a social setting – perhaps a theatre prior to a performance – when a voice comes over the public address system and calmly states, “In the unlikely event of an emergency. . .” Or, if you board a airplane, you will certainly hear the phrase, “In the unlikely event of a […]
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Posted in Advancement, Fundraising, Leadership
Tagged major gift donors, major gift officers, Major Gift Solicitation
Tagged major gift donors, major gift officers, Major Gift Solicitation
30 Mar 17
One of the least-discussed, but germane mysteries of our advancement profession is the fact that too many gift officers shy away from asking prospective donors for specific gifts. I’m not suggesting that gift officers are not receiving gifts. But just about every institution I’ve worked with has someone (or more than 1) on the team […]
9 Feb 17
In all the years I’ve flown through Denver airport, I can’t recall ever having my shoes shined there. Earlier this week, though, I had a long layover and realized that my scruffy dress shoes were in desperate need of help. As I waited my turn at one of the chairs, I looked around but […]
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Posted in Advancement, Development, Fundraising, Leadership
Tagged #development, #donors, #generosity
Tagged #development, #donors, #generosity
7 Feb 17
Over the past year, I’ve read two thought-provoking articles – “Donation Inflation,” by Toni Coleman in CASE Currents and “Unplanned Obsolescence,” by Paul Clolery in the NonProfit Times – which focus on different topics but speak to a similar root concern for the future of philanthropy in the U.S. In “Donation Inflation,” Coleman highlights the […]
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Posted in Advancement, Development, Fundraising, Leadership
30 Jan 17
You may complain regularly that your database is deficient, inaccurate, or misused (or all three!). And because of your database shortcomings, you may get frustrated that you cannot consistently use it to improve and enhance your donor identification, solicitation, and stewardship. Here, though, is a database stewardship and solicitation strategy that all institutions can use […]
26 Jan 17
If you’ve ever been admonished to “grow up,” you know the sting of those words can linger. One of the reasons these words stick with us like they do is because they demand much more than a simple change in our behavior. Rather, they are meant to communicate a much deeper transformation – a maturation […]
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Posted in Advancement, Development, Fundraising, Leadership
