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…
Category: Leadership
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…
Motivating in the 21st Century
Daniel Pink, in his new book, “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us,” suggests that motivating people with the stick and carrot approach (i.e., you reach the goal and you’ll get a bonus, for instance), is an approach which actually squelches creativity and results in less productivity for many 21st Century work environments. Instead,…
Phileadthropy – The Integration of Leadership and Philanthropy
I have been thinking for a long while about the shared characteristics between effective leaders and effective development professionals. In fact, last summer I expressed a few early thoughts on the topic. Below are observations of effective leadership characteristics from 4 separate research teams. As you read each characteristic, think about how each applies to…
Increasing the Value Proposition for Your Donors
Here’s a simple little math formula: The higher the Gift Value Proposition, the more likely the donor is to make the gift. So, how do we make the Gift Value Proposition as high as possible? You could reduce the ask amount. If the top part of the equation holds constant, reducing the denominator (Ask Amount)…
Asking for Money or Educating?
Do you view your work as asking donors for money? Or do you view your work as educating donors? The difference, of course, is substantial. One question, the first, is focused on a transaction in which we get some of what the donor has. It also suggests that we are responsible for the asking. On…
Mission, Vision, and . . . Values?
Today, most sophisticated leaders recognize the need to begin with mission and vision when developing strategic priorities and campaign projects. Besides being a logical approach to organizational strategic planning, major donors want to know that your goals to raise significant dollars are aligned with the purpose (mission) and the future (vision) of the organization. The…
10,000 Hours
In his book, Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell posits the notion that it takes at least 10,000 hours of dedicated, focused practice to become “expert” at something. He holds that this time constraint is relatively constant no matter the endeavor. Want to become a professional athlete, a rock star, or a uber-successful…
The Most Important Prediction for the Next Decade
I’ve made broad and sweeping predictions on how technology, donor expectations and regulation, and major gifts will impact philanthropy and our work in the next decade. Now, I offer the final, most important philanthropy prediction for the next decade. . . 2020 Philanthropy Prediction 10: Institutions that thrive will systematically and regularly ask donors for…