How to Avoid the Savior Syndrome

Many times in the life of an organization, recruiting just the right match of experience, skills, and attitude is a tricky, if not downright “your guess is as good as mine” process. Much concern and anxiety is likely to accompany the decision-making.

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Hiring for the Long Term

Most managers and senior executives would agree the task of hiring is one of the responsibilities with the most room for error in their organization. There are many reasons for this, including:

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Help Your CEO Become a Successful Fundraiser

Savvy fundraising professionals realize that for their organization to be successful in garnering funds, leadership must come from the top. It is also true that financial development is but one facet of a CEO’s overall performance profile. A beginning point in helping the CEO become a successful fundraiser is to understand what priority the board…

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Nightmare or Rosy Dream — Database Management for Fundraising

The Nightmare: All of the clothing you have ever owned in your entire lifetime is in piles on the floor of your walk-in closet, unfolded and disorganized. Socks, shoes, tights, jogging pants, underwear, pajamas, shirts, tank-tops, t-shirts, shorts, ties, earrings, rings, hats and coats, everywhere. The pile is chest-deep. You have to get dressed. You…

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How to Write a Great Apology Letter

Maybe you send a donor an acknowledgement letter for a gift in memory of his son—who happens to be alive and well. Or you mistakenly drop a longtime patron from the invitation list for a gala event. You might send a donor a thank-you letter for a $50 gift, but she gave $50,000. How do…

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Major Gift Solicitation

As fundraising professionals, we all want to get the biggest gifts for our client organizations. We want a major gift from every potential donor. The only way to accomplish major gift solicitation is by working daily to improve our listening and speaking skills and by practicing for each approach. Training and Preparation Solicitor training is…

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