“The Ask.” Those two little words have more loaded meanings and feelings attached to them than perhaps any other phrase in development. Most volunteers don’t want to do it. And, sometimes, even seasoned development professionals will feel a bead of sweat trickle down the center of their backs when making “The Ask.” While I always…
Category: Fundraising
Why You Need A Case Statement
You need a case statement. Most development folk know this. They know they need a case statement which has been “tested” and is characterized by what I term the 3 C’s: clarity, concision, and compulsion. They know they need a case statement because: Every organization has a glossy, oversized, impressive case statement, and; Donors will…
The Preacher and the Sinner
If you’ve been to Santa Monica, California you are familiar with the Santa Monica Pier and the 3rd Street Promenade. Both are fun, bustling, outdoor gathering places which mimic ongoing carnivals, complete with barkers, street performers, and vendors of all sorts. Yesterday, on the 3rd Street Promenade I ran into one such carnival barker who…
Social Media Engagement Changes Everything. . . Except Engagement
I regularly get asked about social media donor engagement strategies as if social media (facebook, twitter, Google Buzz, etc.) is somehow so different from other mediums of communication so as to change the fundamentals of human-to-human interaction. True, the social media technologies provide free, powerful tools to reach, inform, interest, and engage almost endless numbers…
Flattery Will Get You Further Than You Thought
We know that the sound of our own name falls easily on our ears. We also know that receiving a sincere compliment brings a quick smile to our face. Apparently, all of us are physiologically hard-wired to enjoy both of these occurrences. Of course, in our work with donors, we understand the power of being…
The Luxurious and The Necessary
Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities. – Frank Lloyd Wright This quote from the inspiring American architect has always intrigued. Interpretations vary but it raises the following question for me: Can the sexiness of the luxurious, the newest, or the latest encourage us to dismiss the fundamental,…
Investors Invest In People
“When I buy businesses, it’s the same as investing in philanthropy. I’m looking for somebody who will get the job done and is in synch with my goals. You can have the greatest goals in the world, but if you have the wrong people running it, it isn’t going to work. On the other hand,…
Why Pepsi Will Refresh Nothing
Have you been following the Pepsi Refresh Project? It’s the latest in a line of cause marketing strategies in which Pepsi is planning to pay out $20 million in grants of $5,000, $25,000, $50,000, and $250,000. Submit your idea online and then watch the vote totals go up. If your idea is a popular choice…
Donors As Collectors
Humans collect things. We collect things of value (gold coins, vintage automobiles, rare art and books, etc.), and things that have little value (remember “pet rocks” and beanie babies?). If you’ve ever had the solemn job of cleaning out a loved one’s home after a death, you are reminded, again, that we collect things. It’s…
Micro-Signs
In the social sciences, a microexpression is defined as “a brief, involuntary facial expression” shown when one is trying to conceal or repress an emotion. Microexpressions occur within 1/25th of a second and most people report not being able to identify microexpressions in themselves or others. Simply put, microexpressions are those expressions that verify our true…