We are a society that values youth. We want to look young, feel young, be young—forever it seems. Billions of dollars are spent trying to recapture a youthful look. I would say our society is absolutely obsessed with it. And, as Richard and I meet major gift officers and fundraising professionals around the country, it’s…
The purpose of this post is to discuss how to close a gift in a golf outing. People pay to play in the outing and are typically asked to contribute additionally through raffles, auctions, etc., at the outing site. Another way to gain financial favor is to simply ask a prospect for a gift on the golf course. If I want to ask for a larger gift, I use the golf outing as cultivation time to match the prospect and organizational representatives who are responsible for priorities...
I read recently that some physicians are now suggesting patients come in for an annual “wellness check,” rather than a yearly physical. The focus of these exams is on staying healthy and may include screening tests that can resolve a problem before it becomes insurmountable. With just four months remaining in the year, it’s a…
Finally, someone said it! We need to realize that getting “attribution” right is going to take all of us, and we need to stop being afraid of it...
There are only four more months to make this your best year possible. Four months to raise money so your organization can do more to fulfill its mission. Four more months to build long-lasting relationships with donors. Four more months to share your story and gain new donors who will help make 2016 great. What you do in these next four months is vital. The letters you mail, your Facebook posts, your events, your newsletters, your face-to-face visits—all of these and more will have an impact on your final numbers for calendar year 2015...
Now that we are halfway through 2015, let’s take a quick glance at some of the trends in charitable giving and the impact that the U.S. economy has had on consumer benevolence. It’s been a rollercoaster for the U.S. economy thus far. 2015 started off looking pretty good: Consumer confidence was up, and many economists and the Congressional Budget Office projected as much as a 3.4 percent rise in the GDP. Since then, the news hasn’t been so rosy...
Whether you are thinking about high-level concepts or laser-focused components—the evolution of marketing and what it means to a brand is occurring. Overall, perhaps the most important thing to remember is that marketing must be rooted in what the company or organization needs to be successful. Additionally, the value of its role in driving customer relationships, revenue/profit is something that must be understood...
I don’t know much about fishing. And while it’s one of those relaxing things I do sporadically on vacation, I have to admit it’s not something I profess to be very good at. Each year, I stop by the local bait shop to pick up some supplies and get important intel from the locals—what type of fish are people catching, what kind of bait are they using and where should I go?
At last week’s Bridge conference, I was struck (again) by the many choices facing today’s fundraiser. Having a robust direct mail program and major gifts program, with a little planned giving and maybe an event tossed in, is no longer enough. Now, we need a website that is informative and optimized for mobile, and that has a user-friendly donation page. We have to frequently update our Facebook page and post a steady flow of videos on YouTube...
Within the last week, I have received three three calendars in the mail.
