General Articles
The Difference Between Non Profit Development Officers and Outside Fundraising Counsel?
Each one of us has a story to tell, especially when it comes to why we become development professionals. I had hired an incredible campaign director who wrote an interesting story of how he first got into the fundraising business, and the impact it made on his career as a development officer, and later as a…
Read MoreFriends Soliciting Friends – Is Close Ever too Close?
When it comes to soliciting friends or family for gifts, is close ever too close? It is a regretful, but well established observation that we tend to underestimate those people to whom we are the closest. We are more keenly aware of their strengths (publicly exhibited) and their weakness (often hidden). We know more of…
Read MoreFostering Workplace Philanthropy
Surveys show that nonprofit organizations that are successful at fundraising fully embrace the value of philanthropy. They include it as part of their organizational culture. They understand it to mean more than simply “raising money.” They consider their volunteers to be part of the mechanism needed to fundraise, and they also view their employees in…
Read MoreBecause You Can
Success is relative, but perfection is precise! What for one organization or person would be an extraordinary performance, for another is disappointing. It is all relative to ‘the yardstick’ with which something is to be compared—the standard.
Read MoreLeading on the Frontlines with a Coach on the Sidelines
Both for-profit and non-profit worlds are changing more rapidly today than ever. With daily advances in technology the pace will only increase. Competition is fierce. There are more non-profit organizations scrambling for limited resources. Each management team is required to do more—with less people. Boards want better results with the same budgets and staff.
Read MoreBack to Basics – Keeping it Personal in an Age of Technology
Fundraising is the art of relationship building. People give to people, and people don’t give unless they are asked—that’s Fundraising 101. But in an increasingly technological world, these basic, indelible rules are sometimes forgotten.
Read MoreLeadership – The Sine Qua Non for Campaign Success
There are four essential elements to every successful capital campaign: the Case; Leadership; Prospects; and, the Plan. This article is second in a series addressing each element. This discussion will specifically focus on the critical importance of leadership in a capital campaign.
Read MoreAsking for, and Receiving Money!
You’re about to meet a donor that any capital campaign would welcome with open arms. The Rev. Alanson B. Houghton years ago “retired” from the Episcopal priesthood to the coast of South Carolina. There he keeps busy with activities for nonprofit organizations including the YMCA and United Way.
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