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PAUSE, STOP, RELAUNCH: PART II

Posted by Bruce Berglund

Last week, we started a discussion about what to do when you find your campaign at the bottom of the dip and stalled. There are four key elements to every campaign – case, leadership, prospects and a plan. Today we’ll consider the importance of prospects and a plan.

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Topics: Leadership, Capital Campaign, Donor Prospect

PAUSE, STOP, RELAUNCH: PART I

Posted by Bruce Berglund

Rarely does a week go by without a phone call from someone who is tired, frustrated and defeated. They’re worried their campaign is “stalled.” Before you can adequately diagnose the issue with your campaign, you must first have the courage to hit the pause button. Take the time to determine if you need to stop the campaign or simply relaunch. 

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Topics: Leadership, Capital Campaign, Case For Support

YOUR TIMELINE IS NOT OUR CRISIS

Posted by Bruce Berglund

I must admit that I am a bit impatient. My patience (or lack there of) has been tested in 2014 as travel delays due to weather (think polar vortex) have been maddening. I can’t wait for spring!

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Topics: Leadership, Major Gifts, Capital, Donor

THE OVERLOOKED VOLUNTEER

Posted by Peggy Vinson

As I travel around the country working with clients, I always emphasize the importance of finding the right volunteer leaders for your fundraising endeavors. These are usually outgoing “ring leaders” whom others rally around. They have a huge impact on campaign success.

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Topics: Leadership, Volunteers

RESOLUTIONS: DOES YOUR DOG BITE?

Posted by Jon Simons

Good fundraisers understand the value of asking questions in pursuit of answers. Great fundraisers aren’t satisfied with getting answers; they crave clarity. To understand a potential donor’s true interests, motivations and reservations we need to move beyond simple Q&A, taking the time to understand the deeper meaning behind their responses. To achieve greater clarity, we need to push past their initial response and invite them to share more. A few follow up questions can unlock a wealth of important information.

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Topics: Leadership, Clarity, Interviewing

RESOLUTIONS PART III: KEEP CALM

Posted by Bruce Berglund

Happy New Year from all of us at Donor By Design! We hope your first full week of 2014 is off to a great start. This is the final blog in a three part series. In the first blog, I reviewed John Norcross’s suggestions for keeping resolutions from his book Changeology, and Jim Collins’ concept of the 20 Mile March from his book Great By Choice.  In the second blog, I talked about firing bullets before cannonballs, and using SMART goals to assess the effectiveness of your ideas before you take them to a bigger roll-out.

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Topics: Leadership, Resolutions, Jim Collins, The Dip, Seth Godin, John Norcross

RESOLUTIONS PART II: BULLETS BEFORE CANNONBALLS

Posted by Bruce Berglund

Once again, Happy New Year from all of us at Donor By Design! In the second blog of this three-part series, I’m going to dig deeper into one of John Norcross’s suggestions for keeping resolutions, and some ideas from Jim Collins’ new book, Great By Choice. (Miss Part I? Read it now.)

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Topics: Leadership, Resolutions, Jim Collins, John Norcross, Ideas, Risk

RESOLUTIONS PART I: THE 20 MILE MARCH

Posted by Bruce Berglund

Happy New Year! This is the time of year so many of us make resolutions for the upcoming year — some of them we even keep!  Last year at this time, I decided to stop drinking any kind of soda. I had become convinced I didn’t need the diet or the sugary versions. And you know what? This was one I actually kept. I’ve been soda-free for a full year!

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Topics: Leadership, Resolutions, Endowment, Annual Campaign, Jim Collins, John Norcross, Resource Development

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