5 min read
Picture this (or maybe you don’t even need to): Your Monday morning calendar is stacked. There’s an event to plan, a grant deadline to meet, an appeal that needs approval, a board member asking for...
5 min read
“You hired a major gift officer. Where’s the money?” I’ve heard some version of this question many times over the years. An organization hires a new major gift officer, three months go by, and the...
3 min read
One of the phrases I hear most often in fundraising is, "I'm cultivating that donor." Usually, it's said with the best of intentions. A fundraiser has scheduled a few meetings, sent updates, invited...
3 min read
If you’re leading a major gifts team right now, there’s something important you need to pay attention to: Your best major gift officer may already be thinking about leaving, and you may not see it...
3 min read
Spring gala season has wound down, and if you're like most fundraising teams right now, you're probably tired. Really tired. Months of planning, coordinating sponsors, recruiting volunteers, managing...
2 min read
There’s a feeling almost every major gift officer has at some point, but hardly anyone talks about it honestly. You sit in a donor meeting wondering if you’re asking the right questions. You stare at...
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3 min read
Last month at AFP ICON in San Diego, I sat in on a session with young, emerging fundraisers, many of them only a year or two into their careers, and I walked away feeling unsettled.
2 min read
Do you have what it takes to be a great Director of Development? For a long time at Veritus, we’ve said one of the toughest jobs in fundraising is being a front-line fundraiser. And I still believe...
2 min read
When I was a development director, there were times I felt really alone. Especially when things weren’t going well.
3 min read
If you’re leading a non-profit, you probably didn’t sign up to spend a big part of your day worrying about whether your fundraisers are doing the right things.
3 min read
“I don’t have anything to present to donors.” A major gift officer said that to me a while ago. And before I could even respond, their manager jumped in, clearly frustrated.
3 min read
Hiring a Mid-Level Officer feels like a big step forward. And it is! You’re signaling that you want to build a stronger pipeline, not just chase short-term revenue. But here’s what happens more often...
