Giving is Good
The word, generosity, comes to us from the Latin language. . . In the middle ages, generosity was used in connection with royalty. It was viewed as a role royalty played to care for those who were subject to them. Royals owed being generous to their subjects (or so the thinking went). Today we talk…
The physicists who study black holes tell us that nothing, including light, can escape the black hole’s “event horizon,” or that place where the edge of the black hole meets the rest of space. The gravitational pull of the black hole is so strong that all matter crossing the event horizon falls inward. The “gravitational…
It’s not to get people to show up, although that is part of it. It’s not to get people to engage, although that is part of it. It’s not even to get people to give, although that is part of it. Our real role is to create the conditions so that more people want to…
“Our calendar year end direct mail solicitation was not as successful as we had hoped.” Was it because the message was ineffective? Or, was it because too many reviewers delayed the production process and made the piece late arriving in mailboxes? “I didn’t have as many visits this year with my assigned donors as I…
If we start with the belief that volunteers can help advance our mission in important ways, then, we need to also realize that it is likely they won’t understand how to do that effectively without our guidance. It is unwise (and will be viewed as unprofessional, btw), to invite people to volunteer and, then, also…
. . . ensuring that others are included, even when it might be easier to do it ourselves. Which is one reason why leadership is far less about the title or position we hold and far more about the influence we create. Follow and share Jason’s Blog:
An alternative take on Seth Godin’s recent post on problems and situations. It’s easy to work on problems. Especially if they appear without warning and seem urgent. We stop and look for solutions. We put out fires immediately. It’s much more helpful, though, to have the discipline to ask whether an emergent problem is…
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…