Browsing the archives for the Uncategorized category
Time to make the call on the prospective donors. You know which call it is – it’s the ask. This is big. In fact, it’s the biggest ask you’ve ever made of a prospect. You’ve set up the meeting and a member of your Board will be with you. You’ve created a call script. You’ve [...]
Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday in theory. A day in which we pause collectively to reflect, commune, and return thanks for all the many blessings each of can count. For most people in North America, of course, we have much for which to be thankful. So, in theory, it’s an important holiday. Of course, [...]
Our pressurized, over-scheduled lives seem to demand efficiency in completing multiple items on our to-do list simultaneously. Whether it is sending an email, checking a website, and talking on the phone, it isn’t unusual to find that we are doing all of these tasks (and more) simultaneously. Most of us have convinced ourselves that multi-tasking [...]
So, the Food and Drug Administration published their Defect Levels Handbook some time back. The purpose of the handbook is to identify levels of natural or unavoidable defects in foods that present no health hazards for humans. In other words, if food manufacturers stay below these levels of ”unavoidable defects” in the products you [...]
My father ran a small heating and air conditioning company. Summer was his busy season. When summertime heat kicks in, people will do just about anything to get relief. And if the AC isn’t working, they want it fixed. . . and fast! During the summers of my youth I went to work with my [...]
Are you asking donors for something? Or, are you inviting donors to participate in something? Asking suggests a power imbalance and that you hold the donor’s giving capacity in high esteem. Inviting suggests a partnership and that you hold the donor in high esteem. Giving has significant benefits for both the giver and the recipient. [...]
As we steam toward another year end, full-tilt in the “Season of Giving,” it’s easy to let the busy-ness of development work become all-consuming. So much to be done. And, all on a deadline of December 31. During this hectic time, my hope is that you and the members of your team will take time [...]
The primary goal of advancement programs should be to create conditions which encourage donor generosity. Generosity producing conditions – be they through direct mail letters, phonathon calls, special events, or face-to-face visits – lead to donor experiences. If these experiences are inspiring, energizing and/or encouraging for our donors, generosity is more likely to follow. So, how [...]
Performance metrics in development are important. CEOs and Board members want clear indicators which depict the value of our work. Savvy donors expect to see institutional efficiency. Even the government is poking around in the finances of non-profits like never before. However, we make a huge mistake when we make metrics our focus. Much like [...]
It’s not uncommon for a gift officer to tell me that she knows very well the organization’s major donors. When I happily follow-up this assertion with a few questions, I sometimes learn what is really “known” is the origin of the donor’s wealth and little else. In some instances, very little of import is understood [...]
