Treat donors like the superheroes they are
We’re not in a competition, nobody’s shouting who is the most important asset inside a nonprofit organization. No one should do this. Because deep down we all know it. A nonprofit cannot exist, cannot...
View ArticleHow to Get Prospects to Call You Back
I used to jokingly tell people I was a professional “reacher-outer.” My day-to-day was just a fire hose of prospect outreach. But so often, I wouldn’t hear anything back. Nothing. So, I’d follow-up....
View ArticleEven for a charity there’s no such thing as a free lunch
At least, not without some reciprocity. I love people who do pro bono work. They offer their skills free of charge for something they believe in. They will inherit the earth. My younger son Charlie,...
View Article“I am calling you, because …” 10 reasons to give your donor a call
In the magazine TRENDYSTYLE, I read an article titled: “How often do you call, how mobile is your love?” According to the article, couples in love call each other all day long. If a day passed without...
View ArticleTo CFRE or not to CFRE – that is the question
The CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive) is a professional certification for fundraisers, which is quite well known in North America. To qualify to write the CFRE exam – professional fundraisers...
View ArticleAre you answering the right questions if you don’t want to bore people?
Where do most non-profits tend to start when it comes to telling their story? They start with themselves. “Who We Are”, or on their website “About Us”. And then they move on to “What We Do”, a...
View ArticleWake up to the new rules of fundraising!
Right now I feel like throwing a bucket of ice over the sector we fundraisers work in and shouting “wake up!”. Years ago I knew something had changed in fundraising. I didn’t know what. Like us all I...
View ArticleWho Would You Rather Ask for a Gift: a Woman or a Man?
It started for me with direct mail. See, today, my clients do not segment for gender. They send the very same appeal letter to men and women. But, you have to wonder, could we attract maybe even more...
View ArticleRetention Fundraising: adapt or die!
Almost 10 years ago Roger Craver gave me the book Moneyball from Michael Lewis. I was excited, because I have played ball since I was a kid. I love baseball. The book is about the Oakland Athletics...
View ArticleSimply the Best: Top 10 blog posts! (Q3 2014)
Not one, not three, but FIVE new 101 bloggers made it to the Top 10 this quarter! Congratulations to Michael, Chantal, Richard, Tom and Laura! But the biggest congratulation of all goes to our very own...
View Article