Blog

I met with an experienced Major Gift Officer recently who shared a story about a donor he’d been close to for many years. That donor had made a transformational gift to the organization he represented within his first 3 months on the job. The CEO, management team and the board were awestruck that this new guy magically pulled in one of the biggest gifts they’d ever received. The prevailing thought was, “Wow – this is what fundraising should be! Just find the rich people and ask them for money.”

Summer is in the rearview mirror and that can only mean one thing: budgeting time is here.

Might we suggest you take a moment to move those antacids back to your desk?

Recently my family of four sat down to a "friendly" game of Monopoly.  My two competitive sons and husband were eager to gobble up any property that became available to dominate the game and thereby be proclaimed Monopoly champion.  

Do you have a friend or a colleague who is GREAT at asking questions? You know, the person who always seems to just know more about the people and circumstances in their lives than others? They don't just draw you into conversation, they help you build a stronger connection through the interaction.

I had just started work as the new CFO of a major not for profit.  For me it was a dream come true - a job that I interviewed hard for and prayed it would be offered to me.

Guest post from Bruce Scott of Westfall Gold. 

All of us were new to fundraising at some point. Even if you have a long tenure as a development professional, on-boarding new staff and volunteers can be a good reminder to look with new eyes on your organization. Keep this list of nine ways to get started as a fundraiser close to hand as you build your (and your team’s) fundraising muscle.

"Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant"

I recently had an enlightening conversation with two smart, ambitious high school graduates. They were ready to take on the world. Both had a positive attitude towards planning and fulfilling future goals.  One of the things we discussed was the transition from high school to college. When I asked the about their pre-college summer plans, the graduates’ response was they were going to have a “chill summer”. 

In recent years, nonprofit leaders have shown an increasing interest in developing collaborative relationships with other organizations. Several factors motivate this interest, including: encouragement from major funders, a need to conserve resources, an opportunity to eliminate duplication of services and a strategy for increasing overall capacity.