Category: Branding

New gift officers typically have many questions. Perhaps the question that dominates the thinking of new gift officers the most is some version of the following: “Do I know enough about my new organization/the program I’m assigned to/the campaign/etc., to answer questions from donors?” Framing the question this way puts the new gift officer at…

What if we took the time to. . . listen to the perspective of others who don’t live like us? talk face to face more often instead of using a digital medium? read something written from a serious writer that challenges our worldview? volunteer to serve others or in the service of something bigger than…

Most people work in the tactical realm.  To-do lists.  Deadlines.  Budgets. Some people lift their heads up and work in the strategy realm.  Planning.  Considering opportunities, strengths, and weaknesses.  Coordinating tactics. But few people pause to work in the generative realm.  Distinguishing which questions are most important to be asking and answering.  Identifying institutional values. …

You almost never hear someone say they are too busy to scroll social media. Or, too busy to play Words With Friends. Or, too busy to watch T.V. Or, too busy to shop online. Or, too busy to listen to the latest gossip. But, you will regularly hear people say they are too busy to…

Every day, I see advancement teams make decisions that discourage acts of generosity or involvement from others. The direct mail thank you note and receipt for the donor’s most recent gift that also includes an ask for another gift. The governing board or advisory council meeting agenda that only presents the wonderful and positive updates…

Recently, a gift officer said to me, “My biggest concern with donor visits is that I don’t want them to think I’m only visiting just for the money.” “What do you want them to think you are there for instead?” I asked. “I want them to know that we appreciate them and to thank them…

From a distance, you might be fooled into thinking a department store mannequin is a flesh-and-blood human.  The size is about right, the figure proportionate, the silhouette convincing. But, only from a distance. Get within just a few feet of the mannequin and you can easily tell that it is a lifeless pattern meant to…

Private educational institutions (either preK-12 or higher ed.) typically have a need for annual budgetary-relieving gifts.  These gifts can be either unrestricted and used however the institution wishes or can be restricted, but supportive of the institution’s operating budget.  However defined, these annual, “repeatable and replaceable,” gifts are typically part of the institution’s Annual Fund….