Giving is Good
In the U.S. yesterday Thanksgiving was celebrated. Most people paused the routines of regular life to reflect on their good fortunes, to express appreciation and show gratitude, and generally, to give thanks. Now what? For most, it’s back to routines. Or, for others, it’s on to Black Friday, the official start of the holiday shopping…
With the 2021 Summer Olympics concluded, here are 5 lessons the Games can teach (or remind) advancement leaders: The Outcome May Be A Story, But Not The Only Story– On Saturday, Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge won the men’s marathon in dominant fashion, making him the second oldest winner and only the third to win multiple gold…
It takes birds – depending on species, materials used, construction type, etc. – between 2 days and 2 weeks to construct a nest. Most people, though, don’t pay much attention to the nest building process. Instead, we walk by a tree in our yard or in the park and are surprised when we find a…
That beliefs drive human decision-making has never been evidenced any more dramatically than we currently are witnessing in the United States – and elsewhere around the world – with respect to COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Reading stories about people who would rather be hospitalized (or worse) than receive a vaccine suggests that something different than knowledge…
In major gift philanthropy, we regularly talk about “helping donors align their values with their giving,” or “aligning our funding priorities with the donor’s values.” We regularly say we are striving to get to know our donors deeply and to engage them personally. These types of major gift donor engagement axioms are now ubiquitous in…
In general, folks can be curious in 3 ways: Curious about things; Curious about ideas; Curious about people. Typically, we all fall somewhere on the spectrum for each of these classifications. But, the most effective advancement pros lean heavily into the 3rd. (As an aside, some people are not curious about any of the 3…
Too often gift officers focus on the donor and miss the human being. Donors are conduits for gifts. Donors are assets to be managed. Donors are, God-forbid, “giving units.” Human beings, on the other hand, are holistic. They are complex and nuanced. They are souls with lived experiences and stories. When a gift officer shares…
Dollywood’s Wild Eagle is one of my all-time favorite roller coasters. The initial drop is a smallish 135 feet and, while the ride lasts only 2 minutes and 22 seconds and hits a modest speed of 61 mph, it does have 4 inversions. It’s the smoothness of the ride, though, that makes it so enjoyable…
How do you prepare for donor visits – either virtual or in-person? What steps do you take to identify the purpose of the visit? How do you go about establishing specific goals for the visit? What overall mindset are you bringing to the visit planning process? The most effective gift officers plan for donor visits…
One year ago this morning none of us had any idea what the next 12 months would hold. Similarly, today, none of us knows what the next 12 months will hold. All we do know is that we have limited control over all ways life will impact us. Some of you are waking today with…