I have to tell you I’m tired of it. I’m tired of hearing from major gifts officers (MGO) who claim they don’t have donors on their caseloads that can give high five-, six- and seven-figure gifts. If you are an MGO with at least 75 to 100 donors on your caseload (remember, 150 is a full caseload), you have at least five to 10 donors who can give you gifts in the high five- to seven-figure range. ...
Content is the heart of your successful fundraising strategy. If you don’t sell it, you won’t connect with your audience. And if you don’t do that, you haven’t got a snowball’s chance in you-know-where to persuade folks to give to you to further your mission. ...
A recent study indicated that the average development director lasts just 19 months in his or her job. Having just passed the 19-month mark in my first development director job, it seemed like a good milestone to take stock of the factors that helped me find success and satisfaction. So, here are five things I’ve learned, firsthand, that are integral to being a successful development leader...
To achieve long-term success as a major gifts officer, you have to understand how complex your world is in reality. You are an explorer as you set sail to build new relationships—internally with staff, administration and volunteers, and externally with prospects. You must have clarity of purpose and focus as each relationship and fiscal year is different...
Whether you deliberately set out to be a fundraiser or you simply “landed” in a position, if you enjoy the work of fundraising, you probably hope to get ahead in the field. That may mean you switch organizations or that you take on more responsibility where you currently are working....
Brian and I had a delightful conversation last week. Brian is the CEO of a faith-based charity in the Southwest. He wanted to talk about the age-old conundrum of whether to ask for a specific amount when you solicit a gift....
Separating mission work from fundraising work is a deeply rooted practice in nonprofit. I challenge that. I challenge the idea that there is any scenario where a complete separation is necessary or more productive than collaboration. Here is a good illustration of what could be....
“Four coming in” the manager shared with his team, alerting them of the arriving guests. I am forever impressed with the customer service at my favorite Chick-fil-A in Athens, Ga. I can’t recall the last time that I wasn’t offered repeated drink refills at my table or I carried my own tray to the trash can. When I was on crutches after surgery, I was offered the opportunity to sit and order at my table....
When one of my best friends lost her son to a form of pediatric cancer, I sent flowers, spent hours on the phone with my friend, and, when she became involved with a charity dedicated to fighting this particular form of childhood cancer, I became a regular donor. Years later, when my friend confided that she herself was no longer supporting the charity, I finally ended close to 20 years of support because of the organization's shabby treatment of donors...
Sixteen nonprofits came together in late 2015 and developed 10 key components for successful moves management for mid-level to major giving...
