Major Gifts
Initial Activities in a Capital Campaign: Doing Something at Once!
It is easy to feel overwhelmed when contemplating the enormity of undertaking a capital campaign. How to get it established? What to do first? Where to begin? Who to ask for what and when? Do I work on the case or find a leader? Don’t worry, this is normal. Take it one step at a…
Read MoreImprove Your Fundraising Focus
Let’s think about how we might improve our fundraising focus. Our concentration will be on growing the person, shifting the focus, managing the processes, and leading the organization from the heart and head.
Read MoreHow to Communicate Well with Major Donors
Learning to communicate well and at a deeper level with your major donors is important to grow your base of support. Do you know why your major donors and prospects would care about what you do? Consider Donor Motivation When it comes to what motivates your major donors, think about these questions: What relationship do…
Read MoreHow to Reach Your Potential – Delegate!
Are you a Chief Development Officer, Vice President of Advancement, or perhaps a Director of Development and Public Affairs? Are you being asked to help manage and direct other aspects of your institution? Is getting all your work done becoming more and more difficult, or even impossible? The answer may be closer than you think—perhaps…
Read MoreHow to Be an Agent of Change
I was surprised to see in recent weeks that a six-year-old book remains on the New York Times Best Seller List, recently at #3 among nonfiction paperbacks. The book is The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. It seems as though it has become its own best promoter, demonstrating what happens when…
Read MoreHelp 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…
Read MoreNightmare 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…
Read MoreHow 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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