Category: Development

Listening to the critic can help you get better. That special event reception was too short, perhaps.  Or, that annual report did contain too few pictures that emphasize diversity.  Or, our phonathon callers probably could be more engaging. But, there are times when listening to the critic is wrong-headed. When the critic sends back your…

If your aim is to secure fundraising success for tomorrow, there are 3 commitments you should make today:  1. The Commitment to Encounter – in our hyper-linked, liked, and shared digital world, it is easy to believe in an illusion of human connection, in a misimpression of relationship, in a counterfeit version of knowing others….

There are 3 standards advancement programs can be measured against: The Standard of Averages – this compares your program results to an aggregate of other institutions which may (or may not) be similar to your institution and advancement program; The Standard of Specific Institutions – this compares your program results to a set of specifically…

Driving on a highway recently, I saw this sign: As I continued to speed down the roadway, I wondered what I was supposed to do in response to this new information that I, apparently, was entering a “blasting zone.” What did that mean for me?  Was I in danger? Should I get off at the…

“Asking for the gift” – instead, use “Inviting the gift” “Targeting the donor” – instead, use “Engaging the donor” “Donate” – instead, use “Give” “Small gifts” – instead, use “Modest gifts” “Donor appointment” – instead, use “Donor visit” “Hit rate” – instead, use “Proposal success rate” “Pushing donors to give more” – instead, use “Inviting…

Nothing much of significance happens in advancement through solitary effort. That gift the development officer is credited for soliciting?  One colleague worked on the design of the proposal.  Another colleague provided valuable insights about the gift amount through research.  And, yet another helped arrange the lunch meeting where the donor was invited to give. That…

Snaking throughout all of human history, the biggest lie rears its hissing head time and again.  It’s the lie that begets all other lies.  It’s the lie that leads to indescribable atrocities and the lie that encourages and flames violence in all its forms. The biggest lie enables the “us versus them” lie.  Because, the…

Stay with any hotel that’s part of a major flag since the beginning of the pandemic and one change that has stayed constant is the end of the daily housekeeping service.  No fresh towels and no room cleaning each day, unless requested. The impetus for this change, of course, was the concern early in the…