5 min read
At this point in August, summer vacations are winding down, kids are heading back to school, and pumpkin spice is somehow already appearing on coffee shop menus. Which means, whether we’re ready for...
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.
