Tis the season to be scared! Think about it. Someone or something scares you… you freeze, your heart races, you sweat, your eyes widen. In a haunted house this might be exhilarating and exciting, but in our major gift work, (and in many areas of our lives) it is crippling. But realize this — THE […]
How many of your goals have you accomplished so far this year? Have your current strategies made you more successful, healthier, and happier? September 22 is the 265th day of the year. Yep…100 days to go and we’re face to face with those New Year’s resolutions again. If you continue doing what you’ve done these […]
In our major gift development work, we speak passionately about passion! The best staff, volunteers and donors are those who have PASSION for our mission. Have you ever noticed, however, that this passion can cross over to drama? And that can be a real challenge. Yes, drama! We say we hate it, but we create […]
“The secret to success is not to try to avoid or get rid of or shrink from your problems; the secret is to grow yourself so that you are bigger than any problem.” —T Harv Ecker Some days it seems everything is a challenge. Major gift calls cancel, the data base fails, you get bad […]
I’ve said it often, “I’m a face-to-face kind of girl” meaning I would rather sit down with a prospective giver and have a personal conversation. However, in fostering the engagement that leads to major investment, email can be a useful part of the mix for many prospective givers of ALL ages. So, here are four […]
I am a strong believer in coaching…and this is different than having mentors. Mentors are generally folks who help out other folks gratis…and that is a great thing. But sincere and deep change, I believe, happens faster and more effectively with a coach. Generally, you have invested some dollars into your coaching experience and this […]
What are you thinking about as you prepare to go on a visit to make a major gift ask? “He will probably not say ‘yes’ to this. There are just so many organizations after him to give.” OR “People love to give me money. I’m grateful to have this conversation!” As we journey with our […]
“Confusion and clutter are the failure of design, not the attributes of information.” Edward R. Tufte Something to consider as you do your major gift work — the power of one, or at most three. In our passion for not-for-profit work, many times we can actually drive prospective givers away with too many options. We […]
There seems to be a trend to “protect” major gift officers from getting “too involved” in the core work of the organization lest they get distracted from their donor calls. I get that. But I also get that the hard work of telling and re-telling the story — seeking that perfect fit for our prospective givers’ […]
This January, it’s time to celebrate, no matter where you are in your life or your advancement career. After years of making resolutions, my husband shared a simple, but powerful exercise that will dramatically help the new year turn out the way you envision it will now — in January. I’d like to share it with […]
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