Is your fund development diversified?
“Different roads sometimes lead to the same castle.” - George R.R. Martin
Are you diversified?
If you have been a client of mine, you will know that I often talk about the need for diversity in fund development. Organizations should not…
The fund development professional as a reflective practitioner
I find myself sitting comfortably at St. Mary's University of Minnesota waiting for the start of my second year Masters program in Philanthropy and Fund Development.
I wanted to arrive a day early before everyone else. Unpack, settle in, and…
The fundraiser as a servant leader
Robert K. Greenleaf coined the term “servant leadership” through an essay that he first published in 1970. According to Greenleaf, “the servant leader is servant first…It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to…
The professionalism of development
It is almost two weeks now until I go away to school to complete my second summer residency for my Masters in Philanthropy and Fund Development.
As I reflect back on my career, I am in awe.
When I first started in development back in 1994,…
Fundraising is part art and science
This week was a very busy week in my world.
As I reflect back on it, the biggest "thing" that comes to mind over this past week is the question, "fundraising is it an art or is it science?"
I say, it is both.
A good fundraiser knows technique,…
Have you strategically planned?
Throughout my career, I have found that it is oftentimes not fund development issues that impact the effectiveness of fundraising, but, larger organizational ones.
After doing many development audits and assessments, I can say that the top…
Will I raise money with donor acquisition?
I often get asked by nonprofit organizations, what is the value of conducting a donor acquisition campaign?
Well, if you are looking to make money, you probably will not at first.
Donor acquisition mailings frequently do not pay for themselves.…
It’s elementary my dear, building your elementary school alumni effort!
I was recently approached by my local Catholic elementary schools to put together some thoughts about building an alumni base that could possible provide scholarship fund assistance.
Some elementary schools have very robust elementary alumni…
Budget cuts, oh budget cuts…how fair art thou?
It seems everywhere I turn these days, I hear of more budget cuts heading down the “turnpike” of non-profit funding. Just today, I read about the MA state House Committee on Ways and Means proposes yet another $1.2 million cut to arts, sciences…
How to attract donors to give on your website.
I am often asked questions about donation catchment pages for non-profit websites.
The questions range from: How can I make my donation catchment page on my website more appealing to donors? How can I get donors to take action once they are…
The fundraising consultants top ten list!
Consultants play multiple roles in fundraising. Here is the top ten list!
1. Facilitator
2. Strategist
3. Coach, mentor, and cheerleader
4. Educator and informational expert
5. Problem solver
6. Partner
7. Communicator
8. …
Government funding, stable no more!
Government funding was once the mainstay of many nonprofit organizations fundraising efforts. However, this has changed dramatically over the past several years as federal, state and local governments continue to struggle through the budget…
