Giving is Good
Do you care about the mission of your institution? Care enough to work beyond the end of the day without even noticing? Do you care about bettering yourself professionally? Care enough to read a book (or follow a blog!) about our advancement work? Do you care about the quality of your work product? Care enough…
Some years ago on Facebook, I friended my favorite history professor from college. She was kind enough to accept and even though I’m pretty certain she did not recall me from 30+ years ago, she traded some messages with me back and forth. During one of our first exchanges I called her the only name…
All effective advancement work, from fundraising and constituent engagement, to communications and back-of-house data systems, begins with an institution-wide, mission-centered strategic plan. Donors don’t give to your institution as much as they give through your institution because of your mission and your future plans to make a meaningful difference in the world. To create a…
It is not uncommon for someone new to the advancement field to hold strong assumptions about fundraising, giving, and the human spirit of generosity, that are at odds with the true state of reality. For example, if you ask people who do not have a history of working directly with donors a question like, “what…
Love is more productive than hate. Empathy is more unifying than self-centeredness. Generosity is more freeing than stinginess. Kindness is more healthy than indifference. Justice is more efficient than bias. These are values that we should lean into regardless of the circumstances or facts. Facts change. Every day we learn more about our world, our…
Bylaws can be helpful when significant change is afoot within an organization. Or, when a significant problem arises. So, they are needed. They can help guide organizational decision-making. But bylaws can also become the point of the organization – which is almost never good. The point of your organization is your mission and advancing that…
Almost everything gets better when you add patience. Patience is not synonymous with delaying. Or waiting because of fear or anxiety. Or “paralysis by analysis.” Patience is willing discipline. Patience is knowing the outcome you are seeking and not getting distracted by chasing something else. Patience is kindness in the midst of turmoil. Patience is…
We all have the right to speak. But there is no right to be influential. We all have the right to invite others. But there is no right to hear an affirming response. We all have the right to show up. But there is no right to get results. We all have the right to…
Effectiveness should never be confused with working with great effort or working fast or working long. The most effective magicians don’t appear to be trying hard to fool us. Their actions can almost seem minimal. The most effective athletes don’t appear to be playing hard. Their play can almost seem effortless. The most effective teachers…
My father will be 90 years old in January of 2025. For years he has told a story that dates back to the early 1950s when he was in his mid-teenage years. During the summers he would leave his home in WV and travel by himself to Cleveland, OH, to look for work. The story…