Giving is Good
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…
It’s easy to talk about engagement and we do it a lot in our work. Donor engagement. Prospect engagement. Team engagement. Volunteer engagement. It’s more difficult to consistently behave in ways that engage donors, prospects, volunteers, and colleagues, though. And, it’s incredibly uncommon to consistently behave in ways that would warrant the addition of qualifiers…
No one can tell us if a particular direct mail package will succeed in encouraging more first-time donors to give. We can’t know – for certain – if the email announcing a matching gift will encourage giving from current donors to increase enough to meet the match. It is not a certainty that our off-campus…
One morning recently, I attempted to pull into a McDonald’s to grab a cup of coffee (McDonald’s coffee is the best, don’t @ me). I say attempted to pull into a McDonald’s because the particular entrance I was using to get into the parking lot was marked as a one way entrance and there was…