If your goal is to increase the amount of gift income you receive, you can: Ask new prospective donors to give for the first time; Ask past donors to give again; Ask current donors to give more. Those, really, are the only methods (or some combination of these 3) to increase gift income. Developing plans…
Category: Fundraising
Believers vs. Everybody
Believers in your institution’s mission give consistently. Everybody won’t do that. Believers in your institution’s vision for the future invest charitably. Everybody won’t do that. Believers in the leadership and values practiced at your institution remember you through their estates. Everybody won’t do that. As advancement professionals, our job is not to invite everybody to…
The Day-Trading Boss
If you haven’t yet worked for him or her, you probably will at some point. He’s the VP who focuses more on metrics than on the relationships and processes the metrics are there to measure. She’s the President who wants to know why gift officers aren’t asking for major gifts during a first meeting. Day-traders…
3 Ways to Market Giving
“Marketing,” to an advancement professional almost always refers to the marketing of their institution’s programs and services. You market what you do. Or more importantly, the impact of what you do. You market your mission as a way to communicate the rightness and goodness of people giving in support of your institution’s efforts and outcomes. …
This Next Year. . . And Beyond
Today marks the first work day of 2020. And, while there is some measure of confusion, today also marks the first work day of the new decade – the decade of the ’20s. Every New Year holiday brings with it the time and opportunity to reflect on the past and plan for the future. A…
The Most Important “Impact” of Giving Is Not What You Think
With the dawn of another U.S. Thanksgiving holiday just days away, we will soon welcome the commencement of the official “season of giving.” The month of December will experience millions of donors acting with great generosity and each year at this time I am reminded of the concept of philanthropic impacts. Specifically, and, it seems,…
The Nuanced (But Key) Lesson Behind Robert F. Smith’s Gift
Amid all of the publicity regarding Robert F. Smith’s announcement to repay the student loan balances for each of the Morehouse College graduates a Sunday ago, there is a key lesson to ferret out, if advancement and nonprofit leaders are willing to look (and listen) closely. Yes, the gift is wonderful and should be applauded. …
It’s All About The Donor, You, and . . . Who?
Just recently I was consulting with a university president when, in a moment of personal and professional transparency, he shared his lamentation that he had “gotten too close” to one of the institution’s most generous donors. I asked him what he meant by that and here was his all-too-familiar story. “I’m not quite sure how…
Giving The Gift
Imagine with me for a moment that you are sitting with one of your most generous donor couples. It is a husband and wife who are now contemplating the 7-figure gift invitation you have just extended to them. In the past they have given significantly to your institution – but not at this level. If…
They Aren’t
They aren’t. . . your donors. You are one of their charitable recipients. your Board members. You are one of their volunteer priorities. your staff. You are one of the key factors in their workplace satisfaction. your Twitter followers. You are one of their social media interests. your prospects. They may not even be aware…