Bruce Berglund

If you were welcoming guests to your home, you most probably would clean and de-clutter to make sure it was ready for visitors. Let me challenge you to do the same in your office these first few weeks of 2019. More than just cleaning off your desk, use the time to do a real inventory of the state of things before you launch into the new year.

It was day two of the Global Leadership Summit and the first speaker of the day was Rasmus Ankersen, a young soccer team owner from the Netherlands. Our expectations weren’t high. What could he have to teach us about leadership or how to help our clients succeed?

Every August the Donor By Design team sets aside two days to tune-up our leadership skills at the Global Leadership Summit (GLS). Once again, the GLS didn’t disappoint.

One of the most important decisions you will make as you embark on any fundraising effort is the recruitment and selection of volunteer leadership.

When people think of fundraising, they usually are thinking about The Ask – and that can be very intimidating. This month, the Donor By Design Team is taking on How to Ask. Today, Bruce delves into a better way to approach the ask.

This January, the DBD Team is making resolutions to help us be better. Today Bruce vows to get personal. 

Happy New Year! If you are like me, the first few days back in early January consists of cleaning up your office, creating new files, and maybe even cleaning out the dreaded emails that grow like weeds in your inbox!

So much has been lost in the terrible fires burning in Oregon, California and Montana. Lives lost. Thousands of acres have been lost. Beautiful vegetation gone.  Homes gone. Family treasures gone.  Sacred hiking trails won’t be the same for years. It’s terrible.

A couple of weeks ago, I took a long hike. I shut off my phone, music, texts and just enjoyed the varied scenery and wildlife that crossed my path. As I turned a corner I saw two trees standing majestically side by side.

This summer, the Donor By Design Team is considering new ways grow the relationship with our donors… moving beyond the thank you note to a deeper connection. Today’s topic: how do you learn your supporters’ stories? 

Over the years I’ve had the great joy of working with hundreds of non-profit CEOs/Executive Directors (EDs) and development staff. A few years ago, a young executive director called me. He was frustrated and worried that he wasn’t doing his job. Why? He wasn’t bringing in enough big checks.