Category: Constituency Service

There are 2 primary components that lead to effectively inviting people to engage more deeply. First, we have to have clarity in what we want them to do.  What, specifically, are we asking of them? Give for the first time? Attend an event?  Be a member of the governing board? Increase their giving to a…

There are two types of pressures gift officers can embrace. On the one hand, many gift officers can feel pressured to invite the biggest possible gift from a donor as quickly as possible. This pressure can cause gift officers to feel as if they have to “ask big,” and “not leave money on the table,”…

Last Thursday in the United States (back on October 9 for our Canadian friends), the Thanksgiving holiday was celebrated. This holiday has evolved into a time for pausing to feel gratitude, to count one’s blessings, and to focus on the positive, even when the negative may be surrounding us. Yesterday was “Giving Tuesday.”  A day,…

“We’ve gotten some push-back from the direct mail piece we sent.  People are saying we ask for money all the time.” “People complained that we sent too many emails on our giving day.” “We’ve had people hang up on our phonathon callers.” Whenever I hear these types of observations from advancement folk, I regularly ask…

Not when or where do you think best.  We all have stories of that a-ha moment while taking a shower or waking up with the solution to an especially thorny problem we are facing. But, how do you think best? Do you think best by bouncing ideas off of other people?  Do you think best…

What’s the 1 specific thing you want a prospective donor to do based on receiving your direct mail? What’s the 1 specific thing you want an alum to do based on their interaction with your social media campaign? What’s the 1 specific thing you want to accomplish with the prospective major donor during your visit?…

When we become so busy there isn’t a time to learn, we are too busy. When we become so busy there isn’t time to read, we are too busy. When we become so busy there isn’t time to relax, we are too busy. When we become so busy there isn’t time to plan, we are…

If you’ve ever been on an inspiring and engaging guided tour of a museum, a zoo, a historical site, a botanical garden, or even a city, chances are you were led by an experienced and talented docent. The word, “docent,” is defined most simply as a college or university teacher or lecturer (not at the…