Giving is Good
The story is that “unrestricted” or “where needed most” or “comprehensive giving” is the most difficult money to raise. It’s the story we tell ourselves in meetings. It’s the story we tell our colleagues and bosses and Board members. It’s the story we hear at professional development conferences. But, why is this the story? The…
A donor has been making generous annual gifts consistently for years. Then, 3 years ago, the giving abruptly stops. No one on the team has a clear understanding why this donor stopped giving. You decide to reach out to this donor and see if you can set up a visit. The donor agrees. What would…
The most important part of leadership is deciding. Deciding which direction to go. Deciding which choice to make. Deciding what project not to put resources behind. Deciding what idea not to pursue. But making decisions isn’t the most difficult part of deciding. Each of us make decisions every day. We have preferences. We have interests. …
Development leaders often make the case that donors aren’t eager to give to the annual fund because its not compelling to support “keeping the lights on.” But, donors aren’t ceasing their giving to your annual fund because they want to, “give to something specific” instead. Or, because your annual fund, “is a black hole.” Or,…
In the sociopsychology world, the concept of diffusion of responsibility is well studied and researched. Basically, diffusion of responsibility suggests that when individuals are confronted with an emergency, they are less likely to help when there are more people around. This diminution of helping behavior occurs because each of us believes others in the group…
Board member engagement can be a tricky business. While we want (and need) the engagement of Board members in some ways (think opening the door to a generous friend), we don’t need (or want) their engagement in other ways (think telling you who to hire). We know, though, that appropriate Board engagement is healthy and…
Most of us want more of something. More dollars raised. More donors. More attendees at our signature event. More effectiveness. More communication. More quiet time. More peace. More time to think. More. . . something. Wanting more is natural for humans. It’s in our DNA. And, for teams of humans with an identified purpose, wanting…
“Young people today don’t love our country and they don’t want to work.” This statement was made by a major gifts donor I interviewed a couple years ago. The interesting thing about this quote is not that an older, white, U.S. citizen made such a statement. These types of statements from folks in this demographic…
Most institutions understand the concept of marketing – offer an attractive opportunity along with an easy way for people to respond. We market programs, special events, activities, athletics, ticket sales, annual giving opportunities, naming opportunities, planned giving, etc. But what comes before marketing – public relations – is at least as important as the marketing…
What is the purpose of giving? If I were to answer that question by analyzing the appeals for charitable gifts from a variety of nonprofits, I’d come up with a clear answer: The purpose of giving is to meet the important and various needs of others. Students need a robust education. Communities need the best…