5 min read
Four Things Your Year-End Donor Call Needs
You know the hesitation you have right before you look up a donor’s name and get ready to dial their number?
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3 min read
How to Engage Donors Who Are Behind on Their Giving
How are you doing as you prepare for year-end? Do you feel like you have a clear strategy in place, or are you scrambling to figure out how to reach your goals? Are you confident in the ask amounts...
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5 min read
Fall in Love with Fundraising Again
I love the first day of fall when you can feel the weather change.
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8 min read
15 Open-Ended Questions to Ask Donors and Build Stronger Relationships
If you’re a frontline fundraiser, you’ve probably had a donor conversation where you weren’t quite sure what to say next.
6 min read
How to Build a Year-End Donor Plan
If you’re a frontline fundraiser, you can probably feel year-end getting closer. When the calendar fills up, you can practically hear the revenue expectations through your screen. And somewhere...
5 min read
Year-End Fundraising Season is Here! Are You Ready?
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
A Director of Development’s Guide to Prioritizing Major Gifts Fundraising in 2026
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
How Long Does It Take to See Results From a Major Gifts Program in 2026?
“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
The Difference Between Cultivating a Donor and Actually Building a Relationship With One
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
Why Your Major Gift Officers Are Quietly Thinking About Leaving — and What to Do Before They Do
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
What to Do with Your Major Donor Contacts After Your Spring Gala (Before the Moment Passes)
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
What No One Tells You About Imposter Syndrome in Fundraising
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...
