Have you made New Year’s resolutions? And failed to keep them? It's ok... we all have. And if you've done that too many times, you may not be inclined to make new goals this year -- but I urge you to reconsider. Goal-Setting Should Be Motivating and Exciting Setting goals doesn’t have to be a disappointing or a self-shaming … [Read more...]
Fundraising Habits: Can You Really Create New Habits?
According to Mirriam-Webster, a habit is: a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior. Good Habits vs. Bad Habits vs. New Habits I like to think about habits as something a person does regularly without thinking about it. For example, brushing your teeth. Another habit many people have is biting their nails. There are good habits … [Read more...]
Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Technology: 3 Keys to Future Fundraising Success
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...]
The Book that Changed My Professional Life Like No Other
Can you point to ONE thing (a book, a person, a workshop, etc.) that made you better at your job, or even a better person? Although there are many wonderful fundraising books available these days, my all time favorite book, one that changed the way I work, is The Success Principles by Jack Canfield. NOTE: I'm not receiving any … [Read more...]
Above All, Raising Major Gifts Requires Deadlines and Accountability
Setting goals and meeting them is important -- especially when it comes to major gift fundraising. In fact, I'd argue that it's impossible to raise major gifts well if you don't: Set deadlines Keep yourself accountable Why Accountability Matters -- for ANY Goal In early January, I shared some of my New Year’s Resolutions with my … [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...]
9 Soft Skills Every Fundraiser Needs and How to Improve Them
Like most professional careers, fundraising requires a set of hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are the fundraising techniques and best practices learned through schooling, trainings, webinars, and at conferences, as well as on-the-job experience. Soft skills, on the other hand, are often harder to learn if they don’t come … [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...]
