Giving is Good
Remember the sound of the dial-up modem? “eeeee-awwwwwww-eeeeeeeeee?” For a major donor I interviewed recently, that sound was music to his ears. During the “dial-up” period of our internet life, you may also recall that new modems with faster and faster speeds were being introduced about every 2 months. Everyone wanted to go faster so…
Recently, I listened as a well-respected higher education advancement leader say that using volunteers in the advancement function was mostly ineffective. Today’s advancement shops, she argued, are staffed with professionals who are well-trained with specific skills making the use of volunteers obsolete. Even during campaigns, her position was that campaign cabinets and other volunteer groups…
Recently, the Harvard Health Blog published a summary of a new study from Arizona State University that looked at how your friends influence the size of your waistline. Turns out that humans are incredibly (and subconsciously) social beings who will “mirror” the behaviors of others naturally. One of the Arizona State researchers gave an example:…
The roles of your governing board or foundation board are not always easy ones to explain. Are the members of these boards simply supposed to be effective stewards of the institution, fulfilling their fiduciary responsibilities and protecting the value of the many assets of the institution? Or, are the members supposed to be much more…
Development leaders talk with donors each day about “leaving a legacy.” Typically, this legacy talk involves a major or planned gift. It may involve naming a building or establishing an endowment. We position the gift as transformational for a program, a service, or our entire institution. Our “leaving a legacy” pitch can be very compelling….
Are you asking donors for something? Or, are you inviting donors to participate in something? Asking suggests a power imbalance and that you hold the donor’s giving capacity in high esteem. Inviting suggests a partnership and that you hold the donor in high esteem. Giving has significant benefits for both the giver and the recipient….
The fiscal year for many institutions is quickly coming to an close. Like the calendar year end, the fiscal year end gives development leaders an opportunity to increase the giving urgency factor, especially in the annual giving program. “Give now so your gift can be counted,” is the overarching message. Every institution should create a…
You can complete tasks and cross off items on your to-do list. Success. You can implement an event that participants evaluate as a wonderful evening. Success. You can accurately claim that giving to your institution over the last year increased by some huge percentage. Success. But. But, while you may claim success, can you also…
Why do Millennial donors give? According to a new study just released by Achieve and Johnson, Grossnickle, and Associates, 3000 donors age 20-35 reported a preference to give to organizations with a compelling mission and in whom they trust. Once they’ve made their decision to give, they prefer to make their gifts online. A couple…
Development practitioners pride themselves on their professionalism. Certifications like Certified Fundraising Executive or the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy Fellows program are growing in prominence. And I can understand why. In our world today, education is almost universally viewed as a good investment. And I’m all for education. But, I have a problem with our…