Giving is Good
You may complete the task faster. The shortcut actually might get you there quicker. But there is a reason for the “longcut.” For many important life outcomes, seeking a hack, bypass, or a quicker workaround is wasting time and potentially derailing our progress. Eating better. Getting physically fit. Feeling better emotionally. Saving for retirement. Building…
Marketing colleagues talk regularly about breaking through the significant noise on social media, legacy channels, like direct mail, and even in face-to-face meetings. How can we capture attention? How can we keep attention? How can we motivate helpful action in others? Important to keep in mind, though, that some of the loudest, most disruptive noise…
That’s not bad news. In fact, it’s a huge, unspoken part of why humans can logically maintain hope for the future. We have the capacity to play a part in changing things – even important things – like a troubled relationship with a donor, a negative institutional culture, or low total giving numbers. All because…
Good morning and welcome to 2025! I hope the last evening of 2024 was an enjoyable one for you, your family, and friends. As many people establish resolutions for the New Year, I thought I’d share mine. I’m calling this “A Resolution for Generosity.” I hope I can keep it. In a world full of…
In any campaign or significant fundraising initiative, there is wisdom in practicing the maxim of engaging your potential donor segments in a “top down, inside out” order. This phrase, of course, refers to inviting both your highest financial capacity donors (i.e, the “top” in “top down”), and those donors closest to your institution (i.e., the…
How many data points would it take to prove to your CEO, your board, your major donors – anyone, for that matter – that your fundraising program is healthy and growing? If you think it would take at least 5 data points and probably 10 or more, you might not be using data as effectively…
Giving, I believe, is a spiritual act. I believe this, in part, because every major world religion points its adherents toward being generous to others: Judaism: Tzedakah is a Hebrew word that means “righteousness,” or “fairness.” In the Jewish faith tradition, tzedakah is operationalized as a obligation to help others and make the world more…
Here are some behaviors that point to a troubling financial future ahead for your institution: Your institution is investing more (more people, more financial resources, etc.) in “marketing” as opposed to investing more in traditional development efforts. During Board meetings, your institution’s Board is awkward about or doesn’t easily and regularly have open discussions about…
Traditionally, we hire for advancement positions with a core set of attributes and characteristics in mind. For instance, we want people on our team who are: Ethical Excellent communicators Relationship-oriented Attentive to detail, and, Goal-oriented Even though the above list is just a sampling, we typically don’t include “belief flexibility” as one of those core…
More often than not, it’s not another tchotchke. Nor is it public recognition. It’s not their name on a building, or even being told about the impact of their gift. Far more often, donors value an experience. And, donors value the good feelings that come with giving. Donors value the experience of access. Whether that…