You’re focused on inspiring donors to give today, right? It’s not surprising. It’s how we’re wired as fundraisers. Our organizations are tackling urgent needs, and we’re held accountable to make those budget numbers!...
How do we get donors and volunteers to take the actions we need them to take? It turns out the nudge may be the best way. Last October, University of Chicago economist Richard H. Thaler was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Thaler’s work has persuaded many economists to pay more attention to human behavior and many governments to pay more attention to economics...
When did telling donors “you’re a hero!” become the go-to theme for fundraising of all kinds—for any type of appeal and for any charity? The hero theme gets used (actually, misused) again and again...
Because the goals are high, capital campaigns feel risky. And few people want to be associated with something they fear might not be successful. So you have to take great care in building confidence right from the start. And that starts with getting the right people on board...
For the past few years, my husband and I have been escaping the cold and snow in Massachusetts for a week by visiting Arizona. We absolutely love it. Dry heat, desert, space and so many things to do! Time flies. One of our favorite activities is hiking the mountains all around Phoenix. (If you’re familiar with the area, this time we saw White Tank Mountain and Lake Pleasant)...
Most major gift officer job descriptions have everything in them, but the kitchen sink. And besides being really irritating, it actually hurts the MGO and what the organization is trying to do in major gifts...
How often do you have a bad day? At times, I must say I have bad days. I am human and strive for all days to be wonderful, but many do not turn out the way you want them to be through no fault of your own...
As we scroll through headlines and highlights triumphantly displayed on our social media feeds, it’s hard to feel that we who answer phones, enter gift records, clean office dishes and chip away at “To-Do” lists will ever arrive at greatness. Can you recall the feeling that, although your nonprofit has a meaningful mission, your workweek just feels like uneventful routines and ordinary tasks?...
Cultivating curiosity is essential in fundraising, yet it is an underutilized approach and hardly ever discussed within our profession. Some people think it’s rude to ask too many questions—I get that; but surely we fundraisers should be asking more questions than we do...
At Veritus, we have worked with many major gift officers who, when we ask how it’s going with meeting and deepening their relationships with donors, we get a response like this: “Well, I haven’t been having much donor contact. I’m just not finished with all my planning for my caseload, and I have to get my goals done. And I really need to get more understanding of our programs... then I’ll be able to visit and get to know my donors.”...
