Recently, I gave a keynote called “The Future of Fundraising: Top Trends Impacting Nonprofit Leaders, Today and Tomorrow.” (If you know of an upcoming conference, I’d love to be considered for the keynote.) You might assume I focused on technology. Of course, technology is an important piece of the future of fundraising, but probably not in … [Read more...]
The Power of One Hour for Fundraisers and Nonprofit Leaders
Recently I spent one hour with my speaking coach. A power-hour. I'm working on some new speaking topics and keynote talks scheduled for later this spring and summer, and I want to make sure I am as prepared as possible. I hadn’t done my homework in advance of our meeting, so I nearly canceled. And that would have been a HUGE mistake. We … [Read more...]
Want to Raise More Money for Your Nonprofit? Learn to Say “No”
The number one complaint I hear from development directors is that they don’t have enough time to do their job. They have too many responsibilities and not enough hours in the day. Sound familiar? What if you could say “no” to some of the things currently on your to-do list? People-Pleasers Lose Productivity One common character … [Read more...]
7 Ways You can Use AI to Boost Your Fundraising Right Now
I recently attended a local fundraising conference and sat in on a session on AI (artificial intelligence). One of the participants raised her hand and said she didn’t understand how AI could help her. She bravely admitted she had never tried ChatGPT. The speakers smartly asked the audience to help give the woman examples of how and when … [Read more...]
How to Hire a Great Consultant for Your Nonprofit
As a fundraising consultant, I often sit across from nonprofit leaders, staff, and board members, who are struggling to determine whether to hire Capital Campaign Pro (my capital campaign consulting firm), another consultant, or no one (i.e., do it themselves). Luckily, sitting on a nonprofit board enables me to get a sneak peek at the … [Read more...]
7 Things You Learned in Kindergarten that Apply to Fundraising
Robert Fulghum’s bestselling book, All I really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, is close to 40 years old and is still as relevant as it was when it was written. Many of the credos below, which I’ve taken directly from Fulghum’s book, can be applied to fundraising. As the fall fundraising season gears into full swing, I thought it … [Read more...]
How to Create a Development Plan that Catapults Your Fundraising
I often remind people of the definition of insanity -- doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. What are you going to do differently down the road to try to raise more money for your cause? You must have a development plan for your nonprofit. And if you already have one, you should take the time to reevaluate and … [Read more...]
How Nonprofit Executive Directors Should Support their Development Director
Occasionally I like to share different perspectives on my blog. For this post, I connected with Canadian colleague Larissa Stoddart, Founder and CEO of Growth & Co., for her insights on effective nonprofit leadership. Executive Director and Development Director: A Critical Relationship AE: Larissa, let’s start with a relatively easy topic. … [Read more...]
Fundraising is Not Always Fun: 7 Strategies to Help You Cope
You don’t need me to tell you that fundraising isn’t always fun. Sadly, many fundraisers are miserable at work. I hope you’re not one of the miserable ones, but I imagine your days aren’t constantly filled with joy either. I know fundraising can be a drag, which is why I’ve written several posts over the years about putting the fun back in … [Read more...]
6 Nuggets of Fundraising Wisdom I Wish Someone Shared With Me
It feels like yesterday that I was the youngest professional in the room. But the reality is that that’s not been the case for many, many years. In fact, today I’m probably closer to the end of my career than the start of it. As I look back, there are a number of "life lessons" I picked up through personal experience that I wish someone had … [Read more...]
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