Giving is Good
Katy Milkman at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania suggests that Mondays, first days of the month, New Year’s Day, birthdays, many holidays, and other “temporal landmarks” are a great times for humans to make changes. Dr. Milkman’s “Fresh Start” theory posits that moments in culture that we all celebrate (such as New…
When everyone worked from an office location 5 days per week, employers owned the results and employees rented out their services to their employers. “You have purchased my attention, energy, and work product for these hours on these days,” was the message from employee to employer. Of course, employees stayed late and came in on…
Effective altruism is a global research, philosophical, and social movement which, “advocates using evidence and reason to figure out how to benefit others as much as possible, and taking action on that basis.” In other words, effective altruists aim “to find the best ways to help others, and put those ways into practice.” But, there…
When it comes to fundraising results, the first, easiest, and most misguided focus is on speed: “How quickly can the money be raised for the new building?” “I needed more unrestricted gifts yesterday!” “When will we reach the campaign goal?” Instead, the healthier, more accommodative focus should always be on direction: “In our community, who…
When you are the hiring decision-maker, you are wise to seek and receive input on the final candidates for the position from a variety of sources: people who will be colleagues with the new team member, people who will report to the new team member, donors who are close to your institution, etc. Worth keeping…
Inviting gifts via direct mail is “not dead.” In fact, it is a vital, effective channel to invite gifts from all prospective donors, including younger prospects. Like direct mail, using the phone to effectively invite gifts is “not dead.” In fact, when we create a fun, engaging, high-energy event, we can gather groups of people…
The primary problem with position searches is that institutions view them as episodic and discrete activities. When a position becomes open, the response is to conduct a search. This doesn’t match a reality in which there are so many opportunities and benefits that employers are willing to offer and so few capable people. These opportunities/benefits…
The best advancement teams are an integration of role-specific professionals. From advancement services, to development, to constituent relations, to communications, high-functioning teams recognize both the specific functional roles of each team member as well as the integration among all those roles and members. On the other hand, focusing all team members, regardless of role, on…
Generous charitable support is consistently motivated by: being invited to give by someone the giver admires; believing in or having been personally impacted by the institution’s mission; trusting in the institution’s leaders to deliver on their vision for the future; having a personal connection with the institution today; believing that making this gift will be…
When he unveiled the original iMac computer in 1998, Steve Jobs told us that the “i” in Apple products stood for “internet.” However, as the spate of new “i” products from Apple emerged, one could also define the “i” as a stand-in for “individual” as well. The iPhone, iPad, iTunes, etc., have provided individuals with…