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Marcy Heim Consulting | The Artful Asker
2679 Fahey Glen
Madison, WI 53711
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100 Days of NO!
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 […]
Passion vs. Drama: 5 Steps for MGOs to Stay in the NO DRAMA ZONE
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 […]
Problems: Bring ‘Em On!! 3 Problem Busters
“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 […]
4 Keys to Communicating by Email with Your Major Donor Prospective Givers
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 […]
Advice and Authenticity – 5 Questions You Should Ask
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 […]
The Artful Ask: 5 Mindset Steps
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 […]
SO many options!
“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 […]
Mission’s Magic – Keep it Close
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’ […]
A Window of Opportunity
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 […]
Major Gifts and a Good Night’s Sleep
“Whatever you do today, you’ve got to sleep with tonight.” —Aaron Tippin in the song, “You’ve Got to Stand for Something” Let me be clear on this. The ends DON’T justify the means. And if you are asked to do anything that “feels funny” — don’t do it. My colleagues at Penn State continue to try […]