Category: Leadership

In development circles we don’t talk much about trust.  We when talk about donors we focus on words like “asking,” “strategies,” “engagement,” or “building relationships” (which, oddly, never seems to involve the concept of trust).   But we don’t regularly focus on the need for trust.  There are few, if any, conferences focused on “building…

Remember the sound of the dial-up modem? “eeeee-awwwwwww-eeeeeeeeee?”  For a major donor I interviewed recently, that sound was music to his ears. During the “dial-up” period of our internet life, you may also recall that new modems with faster and faster speeds were being introduced about every 2 months.  Everyone wanted to go faster so…

Recently, I listened as a well-respected higher education advancement leader say that using volunteers in the advancement function was mostly ineffective.  Today’s advancement shops, she argued, are staffed with professionals who are well-trained with specific skills making the use of volunteers obsolete. Even during campaigns, her position was that campaign cabinets and other volunteer groups…

Recently, the Harvard Health Blog published a summary of a new study from Arizona State University that looked at how your friends influence the size of your waistline.  Turns out that humans are incredibly (and subconsciously) social beings who will “mirror” the behaviors of others naturally. One of the Arizona State researchers gave an example:…

The roles of your governing board or foundation board are not always easy ones to explain. Are the members of these boards simply supposed to be effective stewards of the institution, fulfilling their fiduciary responsibilities and protecting the value of the many assets of the institution?  Or, are the members supposed to be much more…

Development leaders talk with donors each day about “leaving a legacy.”  Typically, this legacy talk involves a major or planned gift.  It may involve naming a building or establishing an endowment.  We position the gift as transformational for a program, a service, or our entire institution. Our “leaving a legacy” pitch can be very compelling….

Development practitioners pride themselves on their professionalism.  Certifications like Certified Fundraising Executive or the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy Fellows program are growing in prominence.  And I can understand why.   In our world today, education is almost universally viewed as a good investment. And I’m all for education.  But, I have a problem with our…

Are you more invested in developing new skills or developing new perspectives?  Many development professionals seek to acquire new skills.  However, developing new perspectives makes you a truly valuable professional. Developing a skill may help you write a tighter, more effective phonathon script.  Developing a new perspective would encourage you to integrate your social media,…