2 min read
Every week, I talk with non-profit leaders who can eloquently articulate their organization's mission. They speak passionately about feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, protecting the...
2 min read
If you ask most CEOs or Executive Directors whether their organization is relationship-centered, they’ll usually say “yes.” But when you look closer, the reality often tells a different story. For...
2 min read
Let me be straight with you – I'm worried. I'm worried because I see too many good fundraisers getting distracted by the wrong things. And right at the top of that list is this obsession with donor...
3 min read
A three-part series to start the New Year right I love starting off a new year with goals, resolutions, and new ways of thinking. I love being inspired and pumped for the year ahead. In thinking...
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 (including Richard and myself) have written, conferenced,...
2 min read
One thing that’s difficult for me to do is to focus on the positive things people do. Jeff and my wife both tell me regularly that I am too problem-oriented. There is good and bad news to this...
2 min read
If your non-profit has done more than two capital campaigns in its history, it’s most likely because you don’t have a strong major gift program and/or you’re using it as a crutch not to develop...
4 min read
I was told about this experiment back in 1986, and it has stuck with me all these years. A teacher was given false information about the IQ and abilities of her classroom students. This changed her...
3 min read
I recently re-read an article in the Washington Post on the new phone etiquette. Their hot take? “Text first and never leave a voice mail.” And while I get the sentiment behind that, it’s not...
3 min read
You just had a meeting or phone call with a donor, and it went well. Until you said something that you think landed wrong. The donor didn’t say anything, but the “air” felt different.
