Blog

In last week’s blog by my colleague, Gary Laermer, he explored why it’s so powerful to present donors with a blended ask that connects immediate impact with long-term change. When donors can see both the urgency of today and the legacy of tomorrow, something shifts in the conversation. It becomes less about a single gift and more about the donor’s lifetime impact.

But many of you may still have questions.

Over the years I’ve lost count as to how many times a nonprofit colleague has asked “do we have a donor for this program?” My response is almost always the same: “Please send me 3 sentences on the societal problem you’re proposing to solve and 3 sentences on how your program or project solves the problem, and I’ll get back to you.”

“I need my volunteers to fundraise more.” I hear this often from nonprofit leaders around the country. My response is usually a series of questions to dig deeper into what they are really saying.

Would bringing in more cash (yesterday) be nice? Of course. Could every board member please fill a table at the gala? Yes. (And a table means ALL the seats, by the way).

But what’s really at the heart of what “I need my volunteers to fundraise more” is a need for connections to the organization. Fundraising is a relational journey, from identifying prospects to stewarding donors, and volunteers play a critical role from the very beginning.

Imagine it’s a starless, moonless night and you are in the flattest part of North Dakota. You light a small candle on the open prairie, and walk slowly away from it, backwards.

There’s always a beautiful moment when a significant gift is finalized. The commitment is made. The vision moves forward. The campaign number goes up! The excitement is real.

Recently I listened to a webinar filled with statistics.

• Repeat donor retention was down.

• New donor retention was down.

• Lapsed donor recapture was down.

(I was relieved to see overall giving is up slightly! Yay!)

The news made me think about what we can do to change the trajectory of the numbers and build operational security for our organizations.

The answer is stewardship. Intentional, meaningful stewardship can create lifetime donors with a strong attachment to our mission and cause.

Are your capital projects connected to your strategic priorities?

Let’s consider a new dining hall project at a resident camp. Is this project strategic, or simply reactive to growth in campers or the declining state of the building? This example drives home the importance of using a strategic framework to guide capital projects. Too often, nonprofits begin with a perceived need rather than a strategic imperative.

Capital planning and master planning for facilities flow from strategy… not the other way around.

I’ve been having conversations lately with several nonprofit leaders I trust. CEOs, Executive Directors, Development Directors who care deeply about their missions and take their responsibility seriously.

And even though their organizations look different, I keep hearing familiar observations and challenges.

Fundraising is moving. Fundraising is changing. And the question underneath it all is: How does our team change with it?

Congratulations!You have wrapped up annual giving for 2025. Whether you missed, met or exceeded your goal, it’s time to reset the clock and dive into 2026!Or is it?

Not so fast!

Over the last 12 months you invited hundreds of individuals, businesses and foundations into your amazing story of community need and critical impact.Through letters, posts, displays and conversation you educated everyone who would listen about your organization’s ability to solve problems and invited them to support your great work.

Well done. . .but you’re not done yet.

I genuinely thought this would be a five-minute fix.

One of the knobs on our gas stove broke, so I did what any reasonable person would do: I looked for and ordered a replacement. When it arrived, it wouldn’t fit. I checked the model number, confirmed it was correct, and assumed the problem was a manufacturing issue. So, I ordered another knob and returned the first one I ordered.

Same result.