Category: Leadership

Why have you chosen a career in development, constituent relations, communications, advancement, or non-profit leadership?  Why are you here?  What is your purpose?  Heavy questions, I know.  But do you wrestle with these questions every once in a while?  If not, you should. This past Friday at lunch, I wrestled with these questions.  I was…

As a consultant, I’m regularly asked by clients and prospective clients a version of the question, “what would you suggest we do?” And while a satisfying answer to that question might seem sufficient or even helpful at the time, it really is neither in the long-term.  It’s really the wrong question. Instead, the better question…

I’m not sure what exactly will happen on January 1, 2013, should our esteemed elected officials in Washington, D.C., fail to pass some sort of legislation to avoid the “fiscal cliff.”  We are told that taxes will be increased, at least for those making over $250,000 per year.  We are told that large spending cuts…

In 2011, Americans spent almost $500 billion on entertainment – sports, movies, games, music, books, internet access, etc.  By 2016, that amount is projected to be almost $600 billion. Meanwhile, our friends at Giving USA, tell us that charitable giving totaled just under $300 billion in 2011. What if we saw it as part of…

Our friends in the engineering fields have a saying:  Don’t dig before you know what size shovel you need. Most folks like to do things.  They like to get results.  It doesn’t really matter what industry or profession you are in, most good folk want to make something positive happen.  Engineers may want to start…

What is the truth at your institution?  Is it what you believe about your institution and its work?  Or is it what your donors and constituents believe about your institution? If you are like many advancement pros, you spend a good amount of time and energy strategizing on how best to tell your institution’s story….

The sense among many development officers is that the primary purpose of calling a new major gift prospect is to get a visit.  The initial research on the prospect’s capacity has been completed and the next logical step, the conventional wisdom says, is to get the visit. But in this day of doing more with…

With all the ego, all the cross-talking, and aggressive posturing during the debates, you may find it surprising that both our presidential candidates agree on at least one thing – capping the charitable gift deduction is a good idea. As one might guess, non-profit groups – armed with studies that highlight how injurious such legislation would…

Most advancement leaders talk a good game. Most can tell you that the primary driver behind giving is the donor’s interest in the institution’s mission and vision.  They can tell you that building meaningful relationships with donors whose values and interests align with the mission and vision of the institution is the most effective way…

A vice president for advancement and a president recently were on a solicitation visit with a donor.  The president is new to his position (less than a year) and the donor is a long-time supporter of this institution and is a major philanthropist in the region.  The vp and president were there to ask for…