4 min read
When Jeff sent me this letter I took a little trip in my mind. I went to this lady’s home and sat beside her as she was writing. It was a very sad experience. Take a moment to read what she wrote. I have faithfully reproduced it here, with some slight edits for clarity:
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3 min read
You know that when a donor gives a gift, your first job is to say thank you, as quickly as possible. Amazingly, colleagues in our industry, (and that includes Richard and myself), have written,...
2 min read
A few weeks ago I was in a meeting with a non-profit development team and their CEO. The CEO came into the meeting, sat down, and with a big smile on her face, said, “Team, I want us to dream big. I...
2 min read
Let me say, right at the top, that the MGO gets all the credit for revenue from any donor on his or her caseload with the exception of planned gifts IF a PGO was involved. There are a lot of people...
3 min read
It never fails. The MGO is stuck in his relationship with the donor. He can’t seem to get her engaged. He even knows what the donor is interested in, but nothing seems to be working. So I ask: “Did...
4 min read
In 2004 the Sony Corp came out with a revolutionary product. It was the LIBRIe, the first e-book reader with electronic ink display. It was impressive back then and technology experts saw it as a...
3 min read
One of the most difficult words to hear is “no”. It cuts to the core of our being. It is immediately personal. It often feels bad. When I was younger the word “no” caused me a great deal of anxiety....
2 min read
I can’t tell you how often I see a headline in a fundraising magazine, e-mail or tweet about “Landing the Big Donor.” It’s infuriating. What’s even crazier is that fundraising professionals and...
2 min read
The worst thing you can do as a major gift officer is to get involved in the Giant Hairball. What is the Giant Hairball? My good friend, Jeff Brooks, writes about it in his Future Fundraising Now...
3 min read
The subject of caseload composition is a hotly debated topic in major gift circles, just like the subject of how many donors should even be on a caseload. What kind of donors should be on my...
