3 min read
White Men, Wake Up!
How did DEI go from a clarion call for change to an acronym no one can even utter for fear of retribution in such a short time? The answer: White men felt they were losing their power — and became...
Passionate Giving BlogTM
3 min read
Strengthening Public Media: Turning Crisis into Opportunity
The health of public media is facing another crisis. Over the last couple months, the new administration has challenged the integrity of—and threatened to defund—a valuable national infrastructure,...
3 min read
The Worst Day of My Career: Making It About the Money
“I am truly awesome!” That’s what I thought on the way back home from a donor meeting after landing the biggest individual contribution in my non-profit's history. I was ecstatic and couldn’t wait to...
4 min read
The Six Steps to Using the Asking Model
Asking someone for a gift. It’s the most intimidating part of fundraising. But most asking strategies are focused on simply getting the money; some of them even border on manipulation. That’s not an...
2 min read
Turning Their “No” Into Your “Yes”
Every fundraiser has gotten a “no” at some point in their career. Sure, it’s part of the job, but it’s an experience that can make you feel frustrated and dispirited with your work and your...
3 min read
Why Developing a Major Gifts Program Takes So Long
Are you getting antsy? Wondering why money hasn’t started pouring in from your major gift program? We hear this all the time from leaders and managers and it feels like a crisis. Many non-profit...
3 min read
What Major Gift Success Looks Like
To create a successful major gifts program, it is essential for MGOs and their managers to establish clear plans and goals, and maintain strong communication. This approach forms the foundation for...
3 min read
Six Surprising Attributes of Extraordinary MGOs
When you’ve been coaching and working with major gift officers for as long as I have, you meet a lot of good ones and, unfortunately, some pretty bad ones. But throughout my career, I’ve also had the...
2 min read
Fear and Trembling: The Current Non-Profit Crisis
The non-profit industry is coming up against another crisis. With the latest freeze on government funding for many agencies, we will start to see a ripple effect down to the everyday non-profit...
2 min read
You’re Not as Unique as You Think You Are
If I had a dime for everyone that has said to me how their donors are different than other non-profit’s donors, I would be extremely wealthy. Let me begin by saying that I’ve pretty much seen it all...
3 min read
[Video] How Do You Report Back on Impact When Your Mission is Not Direct Services?
Reporting back on impact is THE key in retaining your donors. In fact, when donors are asked why they stopped giving, one of the top reasons is that the donor didn’t know the impact of their gift....
2 min read
Why Should You Care About Your Donors?
I remember sitting at my desk 36 years ago, opening reply envelopes from a mailing I sent out weeks prior. I was right out of college, and this was my first job… working as a fundraiser for a small...
