Things Major Donors Love/Hate: Thanking & Appreciating vs. Not Being Valued

You’ve had the experience – you do something for someone and nothing comes back. Silence. Crickets. I had the experience just last week. I honestly did not set out to GET something for taking an action that should have generated an appreciative response. I just did it...

Donors Want to Know It Works – #4 in Major Gifts: A Thing of the Heart

You’ve experienced it. Everyone has. In a meeting, on a call or via email, the person talking (or calling or writing) is blathering on about all the features and benefits of their favorite service or product. But you have a niggle in your mind. Something is not quite...

What MGOs Should Report: #5 of Measuring MGO Performance

One of the most frustrating things for managers and MGOs alike is when there is a misfire on performance reporting. The MGO is asked to report on one set of factors, finance is expecting information on another set, and the two ships pass in the night. This is a lethal...

Who Gets Credit? #3 in Measuring MGO Performance Series

In most every situation our team goes into, there is always someone who is justifiably concerned, sometimes obsessed with who gets the credit in the major gift program. Most often it is a person in finance who is worn down by development people who, according to them,...