You’ve probably heard the common expression in fundraising: Ask for money, you’ll get advice. Ask for advice, you’ll get money. In other words, if you simply ask for money, you won’t get much more than advice. But if you ask for advice (and engage your donors in the process) you can raise a lot of money. Unfortunately, most … [Read more...]
Raising Major Gifts Takes Accountability: 3 Ways to Stay on Track
Major gift fundraising can be hard for a variety of reasons. One reason is that it’s intimidating to ask for money. And human nature dictates that we delay things we fear. For that reason, major gift fundraising often gets relegated to the bottom of your to do list. Unfortunately, there are no natural deadlines when it comes to raising … [Read more...]
Assess Yourself and Your Fundraising: 5 Profound Questions
As we head into the fall fundraising season, I thought it might be interesting to do a personal and professional assessment of where you are and where you'd like to go. There’s no reason to wait until January for New Year’s resolutions -- you can make changes right now. Personal and professional improvement should be ongoing. The good news … [Read more...]
12 Ways to Become a Better Listener and Raise Larger Gifts
Becoming a better listener and knowing when to stop talking are essential skills for effective communication and fundraising. It’s always a good idea to work on self-improvement. I’ve been surprised recently in meetings where senior level colleagues couldn’t seem to stop talking. In other words, they didn’t listen well. Yet, I’m sure they … [Read more...]
Improve Board Meeting Attendance and Fundraising with Two Key Changes
Board members, like all people, want to feel appreciated. They want to feel that their time is valued. If any board member sits passively during a meeting and doesn’t contribute -- for any reason -- that meeting was a waste of their time. To put it another way, you know you're wasting their time if your board meetings are jam-packed with … [Read more...]
Eat Your Frog Yet? 2 Ways to Keep Up with Raising Major Gifts
Has keeping up with the raising major gifts been a challenge for you this year? If so, you’re not alone. But if you’re serious about raising major gifts this year, now is the perfect time to recommit with everything you've got. Now is the Perfect Time to Recommit We're about to round the corner as we head toward the fall and therefore, … [Read more...]
Exercise at Work? Walking Your Way to Raising Major Gifts
Last week, my partner at Capital Campaign Pro, Andrea Kihlstedt, and I went to Maine on a planning retreat. We walked, thought, and talked our way to a breakthrough. The change of scenery and change of pace got us out of our “heads” and out of our routine, and therefore allowed the ideas to flow. Sometimes sitting at your desk can be … [Read more...]
Major Gift Readiness Assessment: 10 Questions to Ask and Answer
What would it mean to your organization if you could raise 5, 6, or even 7 figure gifts? If you’re not currently soliciting gifts in-person for specific amounts, it could be a game-changer for your organization. With just a small handful of gifts, you could raise an additional $50K, $100K or even $500K. That’s what makes major gift … [Read more...]
4 Ways to Find a Fundraising Mentor or Coach to Raise Major Gifts
Many development directors struggle to raise major gifts. If this is you, you are not alone. The best way to learn the ropes is to have a mentor or coach to show you the way. Mentors vs. Coaches for Major Gift Fundraising The most basic difference between a mentor and a coach is that a mentor is generally pro-bono, and a coach is paid. A … [Read more...]
Simple Stress Relief for Busy Development Directors
Have you ever been so stressed that you can’t get any work done? It’s a refrain I hear from development directors all the time. It’s like overload paralysis. The more work you have, the less you get done. I know how that feels. This week is especially busy with end of school activities, graduations, kids funning in and out, etc. A few … [Read more...]
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