Major gift fundraising is about helping donors achieve their philanthropic goals. Of course, it’s about achieving your mission, too. But it’s important to remember the purpose from the prospective of your donor. And many donors would like to do more for your mission than they think they can -- which would, of course, benefit your … [Read more...]
Overcoming Fear: Your Key to Better Fundraising (and a Better Life)
There’s nothing like fear to prevent you from getting what you want. And, it’s not only about fundraising. It applies to all areas of your life. Fear Holds You Back Fear holds all of us back from... Requesting a raise Asking out a romantic interest Applying for a new job Trying something new Soliciting a major gift Fear Leads … [Read more...]
How Raising Major Gifts is Like a Marriage Proposal… Slow and Steady
Heading into Valentine’s Day, there will be countless marriage proposals. However, most of these proposals will not be spontaneous -- they will be well planned, and carefully executed events. The “proposer” has probably made arrangements for a memorable occasion -- at a minimum, reservations at a favorite or fancy restaurant. It’s likely … [Read more...]
When Asking Goes Wrong: A Case Study in Communication Failure
Communicating by email and text can be tricky. You don’t have the advantage of vocal inflection as you do on the phone, or visual cues as you do in person. Not to mention potential grammatical errors -- which can sabotage the best of intentions. For example, “Let’s eat, grandpa” versus “Let’s eat grandpa.” When Asking Goes Wrong -- … [Read more...]
Women in Fundraising: 3 Keys to be More Successful
The vast majority of professional fundraisers are women (70-80% by most counts), and yet a majority of these women would not consider themselves “power askers.” On the contrary, many would describe their asking skills as weak, timid or even passive. In the age of #MeToo, it’s time for women fundraisers to stand up and take charge. We need … [Read more...]
Is Major Gift Coaching Even a Thing?
A generation ago, coaches were primarily reserved for athletes. Today, they're still valued for teaching the technical skills of any number of sports, strength training, endurance, focus, and so much more. If you want to be a professional athlete or go to the Olympics, you need multiple coaches. Now coaching is becoming mainstream for all … [Read more...]
Foolproof Way to Make a Compelling Case that Keeps Your Donors Giving
One of the challenges you may face when attempting to raise major gifts is struggling to “convince” donors to give. In reality, you shouldn’t have to convince them at all... they should want to give! So how can you create a compelling case for support? You do so by writing a compelling case for support, which focuses on benefits, not … [Read more...]
Asking for Donations with Ease – Part 4: You Can Do It! Here’s How…
Asking for Donations with Ease is a 4-part series that will help you overcome your fear of asking and gain so much confidence that asking will become second nature. In part three of this series, I explained why using a system for asking is so effective. In this post, you'll discover how you can apply this new Power Asking system to your own … [Read more...]
Asking for Donations with Ease – Part 3: A System that Works
Asking for Donations with Ease is a 4-part series that will help you overcome your fear of asking and gain so much confidence that asking will become rudimentary. In part two of this series, we compared the fear of asking to your initial fear of learning to drive. Today, driving a vehicle is practically effortless. Some of us even multitask … [Read more...]
Asking for Donations with Ease – Part 2: The Key to Crushing Your Fear
Asking for Donations with Ease is a 4-part series that will help you overcome your fear of asking and gain so much confidence that asking will become second nature. In part one, you learned about the seven deadly fears of asking and you were reminded about another fear you had that was just as daunting when you were younger -- learning to … [Read more...]
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