One lasting and successful quality of a nonprofit leader—I believe any leader—is being genuine, transparent and having a strong moral compass. Being genuine means being authentic and real. What you see is what you get. This is a leader who doesn’t have a public persona, and then one that his or her staff and family must deal with...
Jeff Jowdy
One of the benefits of having a fundraising plan—from a major campaign, to an annual campaign, to overall advancement—is that systems are in place to deepen donor relationships...
Too often, we see campaign strategy and development plans that are cookie-cutter. There are proven best practices in fundraising, as well as new and innovative strategies in communication and technology. We have formats for various plans with many variables and update these continually after every client engagement and through concentrated work groups comprised of our team members on a regular basis...
Seasons are an important reminder. As we transition through them, it’s a good time to pause, reflect and get away. Spring, as the season of rebirth and renewal, is an especially good time to get a fresh perspective on an opportunity or a challenge. With one-fourth of what I hope will be a stellar year for you behind us, take time now for some personal and professional reflection...
Too often, folks look at tactics and forget about strategy and leadership in fundraising. This happens at any size organization when you don’t have a plan grounded in research, with sound strategy and clear, accountable goals...
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For 30 years now, I have seen the incredible value of properly conducted campaign planning and feasibility studies. It is amazing what a leader who understands the concept and is trusting will share—and how then you can use that confidential insight to better the client organization and increase the success (both in dollars and in brevity) of a pending campaign...
The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics are over. As always, the Olympics were full of drama and excitement as athletes sought the “thrill of victory” and to avoid “the agony of defeat.” The gold medal is the ultimate Olympic victory and is also sought and coveted in many other competitions. What does it mean to have a gold medal fundraising program?...
I don’t write copy for clients. It’s just not the most strategic use of my time. If you’re the CEO or chief development officer at a nonprofit, chances are this is true for you, too. I have yet to work with a CEO or chief development officer who is fulfilling his or her potential or responsibility in fundraising by re-writing (vs. brief edits) a document...
Today’s Associated Press Style, used by most journalists and professional communicators, seeks to abbreviate copy and save valuable space—whether in print or online—knowing that readership and comprehension both increase with brevity....
There are some fantastic leaders in our nonprofit arena—CEOs, chief development officers and beyond. There are also some leaders who are underperforming and too often get passed from organization to organization...
Every contribution is important, of course, but major gifts are “stop-and-think gifts,” according to fundraising legend Bill Sturtevant. They’re different, for example, from those that might result from a direct mail piece or made as a reciprocal gesture to a friend...
At Lighthouse Counsel, we love creating the right strategy for a client. It makes a huge difference. Every project, every organization, every campaign is unique and requires a personalized approach and strategy, undergirded by proven best practices and an understanding of where the organization is and where it wants to go...
Too often, nonprofits don’t invest the time and capacity building needed to truly excel and maximize their potential in a major campaign. How much time is enough time? We’re talking years...
Fundraising communication is different—understand the variances, make it personal and consistent, and you will be taking great strides in deepening donor relationships...
One of the great fallacies in the nonprofit fundraising world is that fundraising professionals take donor relationships with them from organization to organization. It is not an effective strategy, and it is wrong and unethical. It is a significant way fundraising differs from other professions...
