3 min read
There’s a reason so many major gift programs feel busy but are underperforming. It’s not a lack of effort. It’s not a lack of talent. Most of the time, it comes down to what you’re measuring.
2 min read
If a donor could sit behind the scenes at your organization for a day and watch what happens after they give, what would they experience? Would they see a team that’s coordinated, responsive, and...
3 min read
I’ve got a question for you. Do you know exactly which donors in your pipeline are ready for a deeper relationship right now? If you had to name them off the top of your head, could you?
3 min read
Let me ask you something. A gift comes in today—maybe a $25,000 check from a longtime donor. Do you know, right now, exactly who’s reaching out to thank them—and when?
3 min read
You finally get the gift. The relationship has been building for months, maybe years. The conversation was right. The timing worked. The donor said yes. Hooray! That moment can feel like the finish...
3 min read
Your organization probably has a CRM. You log gifts in it, pull reports from it, and store donor contact information in it. That’s all good! But if you’re honest, you might still feel like something...
3 min read
If I had to guess, you probably didn’t become a major gift officer because you love spreadsheets, dashboards, and CRM data entry. You got into this work because you care about the mission. You wanted...
3 min read
Here’s a hard but useful question to ask yourself: if you had to hand one of your donor portfolios to a new Major Gift Officer tomorrow, could they step in and keep those relationships moving without...
3 min read
If you work in major gifts long enough, you can start to feel like your entire job is a spreadsheet. You know the buzzwords: Dollars raised. Visits logged. Performance comparisons. Attribution...
2 min read
I don’t have to tell you that crises change donor behavior. You saw it during the COVID-19 pandemic, and you see it anytime there’s a natural disaster, an economic shock, or a humanitarian emergency.
2 min read
What does a frontline fundraiser need to be successful—beyond qualified donors and a compelling offer that aligns with donor passions and interests? I’ve asked that question of managers and...
2 min read
I’ve been thinking a lot about equity in fundraising. Maybe that sounds like a buzzword these days, but it’s a real, structural issue that directly affects whether organizations actually grow. When...
