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A few years ago the comedienne Kathy Griffin had a reality show called “My Life on the D List.” Essentially she made fun of herself as a non-“A-list” celebrity and the lack of respect those celebrities get from the public. It was a funny show, but there were many cringe-worthy scenes of how badly...
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3 min read
In my last post, I talked about what it meant to have a strong brand for a non-profit. It’s giving your donors a great experience. Not just when they become a new donor to your organization, but all...
3 min read
I sat down with a major donor several weeks ago when I was in New York City. We started talking about her philanthropy, what she was trying to accomplish, what were some of her frustrations as a...
3 min read
If you have been trained correctly as a development professional, you are donor-centered, providing outstanding customer service and essentially striving to say “yes” to donors. I mean, just about...
2 min read
Whenever I attend a fundraising conference there is always at least one major gift seminar about how to find a donor who can give a six or seven figure gift. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago I was...
3 min read
People often ask us what we think makes for a really good major gift program. Sometimes this question comes from their frustration with how things are currently going. Often it’s about wanting to...
2 min read
I used to hate the word “no”. Everywhere I turned people were telling me no. I have to confess that I was a pretty rebellious kid. I had trouble with authority figures, which explains why they...
3 min read
It’s December, and you are coming down to the wire on whether or not you will meet your year-end goals. For major gift fundraisers, this is such an amazing (yet stressful) time.
3 min read
As a major gift officer, you are delivering two values. First, you are delivering value to the donor by helping her fulfill her interests and passions through her giving to your organization. Second,...
3 min read
2016 is just days away. It is not too early to start planning how you’ll be successful in the coming calendar year.
