When You Can't Give It Away

A dependable revenue stream that grows—ah, paradise!

Have a fundraising challenge you want to crack? Weary of doing the same old, same old yet hoping for different outcomes? Do you want the over-the-top results that come from superior strategy?

Email me with your particular problem, and I'll arrange a quick consultation offering you a practical solution you can implement. I may even use your situation to share with my readers. Names are changed, of course!

I received a call recently from Alan, who is an attorney with the CAP® certification. Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® is a credential earned by attorneys, accountants, brokers, wealth advisors and planned giving officers.

More and more philanthropists are looking to these professionals to guide them in realizing their philanthropic goals—goals that are tied to their foundational values and beliefs.

Alan related to me the frustration is he is experiencing in working with some of his clients/philanthropists. These are people who want to give money away.

It's not the philanthropists who are driving him to distraction, however. It's some of the nonprofits that he's attempting to work with.

Alan really enjoys his job. He gets to work with some of the most generous, community-minded individuals out there. Listening to him made me a little wistful of my days as a principal gifts officer.

What other opportunity does an average Joe or Jill have to work closely with eminently successful folks who want to make a positive difference in the world?

The obstacle he's encountering is getting the attention of nonprofit leaders to whom he reaches out as potential recipients of his clients' largess.

Really?

I listened in almost disbelief as he recounted instance after instance of making contact with charitable organizations whose staff either seemed uninterested or didn't even bother to return his calls.