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At Donor By Design, we are guided by a series of axioms: Core concepts that shape our work and have proven their worth over and over again. In this new series, we’ll dig into these axioms and clarify how they can help you achieve your development goals.

Read the first post in this series.

It’s no secret that personal giving pages are changing the nature of the way we ask for gifts. It’s highly likely that, if you’re reading this, you’ve supported a friend or family member in a walk or run to raise money for one cause or another.

Read the first part or second part of this series.

In July, a mentor in my life died: Senator Alan J. Dixon. A moderate Democrat from Southern Illinois, he would remind me that I never “worked for Senator Dixon.” Rather, I “worked with Senator Dixon and for the people of Illinois.”  His opponents dubbed him “Al the Pal” in an attempt to link him with typical Illinois political cronyism.

This is the second of a two-part conversation with my friend, Lee Heyward, as part of our What Matters podcast series. (Did you miss the first part? Listen to it now.)

I believe I have the best job in world. On a regular basis I get to meet with amazing leaders who care about their communities and the world. Many of these leaders also have the capacity to make community dreams, programs and campaigns successful.

Recently, I had a chance to sit down with my former pastor and dear friend, Lee Heyward, as part of our on-going What Matters podcast conversations.

There’s a popular meme on Twitter, challenging people to write a six word story. Recently, we challenged a group of development officers to write their own six word stories about the state of fundraising in their organizations.

How many times have you thought, “Boy, he is so lucky?” Truth is, luck is never really the reason; it’s the offspring. A mentor of mine, a brilliant physician, said this about luck: “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity… and I make my own luck by always preparing.”