Giving is Good
One of my favorite bloggers, Seth Godin, had a great riff recently about getting good at the important things in our work. Seth suggests that sometimes we “quickly jump ahead to the new thing, failing to get good enough at the important thing.” Good point – and I would add a bit to it. In…
We use the terms “donors,” “funders,” and, in some instances, “giving units” (yuck!) to refer to those individuals, businesses, foundations, churches, and other organizations that provide our institutions with gift income. Each of these terms is incomplete and, I believe, short-circuits our thinking about how we should relate to these important individuals and organizations. When…
What problems do your prospects and donors have? What concerns do they carry? What issues are they facing? Do you know? Do you seek out their problems so that you can help solve them? They might not want to tell you about their problems (or they may not even know they have a problem!). So,…
More and more I run across thoughtful and sophisticated advancement leaders who question the value of volunteers. I’m not talking about the volunteers who plan a charity auction or help out with a fun run. I’m talking about volunteers who help with personal solicitations on major and planned gift prospects. I’m talking about Campaign volunteer…
You can’t be in development today without at least saying that you aim to engage your donors. It’s the language that all sophisticated development professionals use. I sometimes wonder, though, how many who use the engagement language actually understand and practice it. If you look up the word “engage,” you come across the following synonyms:…
My friend and consulting colleague, Jim Langley, likes to talk about the principle of “giving through.” Here is a simple question for you to consider: Do you ask your donors to give to your institution? Or. . . Do you ask your donors to give through your institution to your students, patients, clients, etc? Simple,…
A growing body of research is forming around the role of exercise in heart disease and other ailments. Turns out, exercise alone may not be enough to keep a heart attack at bay. Today so many of us sit so much of the time that no amount of exercise can counteract some of deleterious effects…
Sometimes it seems donors tell us more than we want to know. But here are some important thoughts donors may not share with you. #1 – You set up a visit as if you only want to see me. You are making a mistake by not involving my spouse. #2 – My name is not “Friend.”…
When social science researchers who study successful marriages ask couples their secret to staying together for 40, 50, even 60 years, one of the key contributing variables which emerges is predictability. Specifically, couples will point to the day-in, day-out predictably dependable behaviors of their mate. He gets up at 6:00am, gets the paper and starts…
Donors expect your every direct mail letter to be perfectly personalized. They expect your special events to begin precisely on time, to last just long enough (but not too long!), to be inspiring and engaging. They expect to receive a gift receipt before the ink dries on their electronic check. They expect your website to…