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…
Your next capital campaign feasibility study should assess internal readiness
Before a capital campaign is conducted, it is imperative to determine an organization’s capacity to succeed.Commonly this is usually done through an external feasibility study.However, I urge most non-profits that in tandem with conducting…
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,…
Giving USA releases yearly findings and donations barely grew at all last year
Shared from the Chronicle of PhilanthropyFor the second year in a row, charitable giving barely grew, rising by just 0.9 percent after inflation in 2011, according to today’s release of “Giving USA,” the annual yearbook of American philanthropy.…
No Stronger This Year
Slow fundraising growth in 2011 comes nowhere near to erasing record historic losses—the deepest ever recorded in the report’s five decades—caused by the recession.Total charitable giving last year was still 11 percent below what it…
Aid Groups Did Better
American charities that conduct development and relief work overseas were the only type of nonprofit to outpace inflation by a significant percentage, at 4.4 percent, while donations to environmental causes increased by 1.4 percent after inflation.…
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.…
How do you make new donors feel welcome?
If you say you don’t then you are missing out.Donors are like members of our family and they need to be treated like such.A welcome package for new donors is a great way to make them feel welcome and to show them that you are happy that…
How do you encourage your supporters to share your Facebook content?
How do you encourage your supporters to share your Facebook content within their own networks?When one of your Facebook fans clicks the “share” button under a wall post or a photo, that content will be posted to their own wall and shared…
