Thomas J. Stanley, author of The Millionaire Next Door just penned another thought-provoking work entitled, Stop Acting Rich . . . and Start Living Like a Real Millionaire. In “Stop Acting Rich,” Stanley observes that wealthy Americans ($1 million in assets excluding the home) who give away at least 10% of their incomes to charity…
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What Should We Give Donors?
Donors give us financial gifts – both big and small. But what do we give them in return? More and more I see organizations providing donors with transactional gimmicks. Make a gift, get a calendar. Make a gift, get a ticket to an event. Make a gift, get a magazine subscription. Not only do such…
Value-Added Discovery Calls
Clients regularly ask me what they should be accomplishing during major donor prospect discovery calls. Most understand that leaving a discovery visit with a clearer sense of financial capacity and a gauge of closeness to the institution are important. However, many clients want to know the other areas that are important to probe. In addition…
Being Self-Sufficient Is a Losing Strategy
The Ancient Chinese were known for their trading prowess (the early uses of The Silk Road) and for their technological and scientific advancements (the development of writing, a calendar, gunpowder, silk, paper and the compass, for example). They impacted cultures, knowledge, customs, and ideas well beyond their borders. At one time, the Chinese were the…