Fundraiser Education

I made a presentation to a large church men’s club on a recent, chilly Saturday morning. I was invited as their breakfast speaker. As I was speaking, many individuals, now retired, were describing their retirement nonprofit volunteer adventures. It immediately occurred to me that we all have the opportunity to have a "fifth quarter" of service to nonprofits, and this tenure could last at least two decades or more...

Now is the time to think about what you want to do in the new year that will leave you a better fundraiser one year from now. I’m not talking resolutions—those are too often forgotten before January comes to an end. Rather, jot down some things you want to make a priority in the next 12 months as part of your professional growth. Here are a few ideas to help you begin your list...

Small shop fundraising is a tough job, and its difficulty is often underestimated or ignored entirely. Is it really any wonder that the turnover rate is highest among small shop fundraisers? Far too often, an organization’s board and executive director are focused on the right here and right now. But a smart development director is focused on the long-term sustainability of the organization...

Curiosity has arguably been the catalyst for virtually every significant discovery and innovation known to man. Curiosity led one man to a new world. It was the motivation behind another man’s decision to fly a kite during an electrical storm. And it was a curiosity for typefaces that resulted in one of the most innovative…

I’ve never been strong at prediction—I suppose just keeping up with what’s happening today consumes all my brain capacity. But recently, I’ve been thinking about five things that are impacting fundraising in specific and nonprofits in general. These aren’t going to go away no matter what happens in Washington, D.C., so I challenge you to think about them as you plan how you will make 2017 your best fundraising year possible...

Football brings about a lot of passion (and agony), especially this time of year. A few years ago, I was guest lecturing in my Lighthouse Counsel colleague Tom Landrum’s class on higher education fundraising. Many of the students had just returned from the annual Georgia - Florida football game in Jacksonville (also referred to as…

Great fundraising isn’t about you. It’s about creating careful communications that speak directly to donors, their passions and the positive change generated through their support. You know that what you do wouldn’t be possible without your donors, so you never want them to forget it...

I recently served on a panel for Women in Development in New York City called, “How to Ask for What You Want.” There was an insightful discussion among our panel, as well as with the audience members. Here are my key takeaways from the panel discussion: 1. Focus on adding value. What do I mean…

There are so many educational and training resources available to nonprofit leaders and fundraisers these days, one might wonder why more organizations aren’t doing better financially. What’s easier than participating in an online webinar and taking notes? Not much. But many people miss the most important step...

I've been hearing a well-meaning but fundraising-killing myth while talking to many groups and training many boards over the last few months. It boils down to: We need to do more education. If people really knew what we did, they would give money and our funding crisis would be over. Or more generally: If they…