Scenario 1:
How many times has a well-meaning board member or volunteer come to one of your board meetings and offered this sage advice—“We should do a (golf tournament, gala dinner dance, art auction, walkathon, etc., etc.) because (Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, the Hospital, etc., etc.)...

When I first entered the wonderful world of philanthropy back in the dark ages (before email, can you believe that?), I was amazed when I found out this was actually a career and that large organizations had staffs of dozens of fundraisers. But when I started my consulting practice I mostly...

During your feasibility/planning study, you may receive recommendations for strengthening or enlarging your board. The board’s role will be critical to the success of your campaign. Without a 100 percent commitment from the board, both in concept and financially, it will be impossible to...

The key to getting your board members to embrace fundraising lies in three simple steps—the recruitment process, ensuring that board members are committed to your organization, and removing the fear of fundraising that is inherent in most people.

In this article, let’s talk about the...

Gone are the days when people gave to the same old reliable charities because “It’s the thing to do,” or “My parents always supported this cause,” or “They have a great reputation.”

Today’s donors are looking for results, and they need to feel for...

Many organizations miss the mark because they have the wrong person or persons writing the case for support. Often the writing of the case is relegated to the marketing department. Or, perhaps a marketing firm is engaged the write the case. While there may be some great writers in your marketing...

A New Wave in Consulting

So, what are the latest trends in consulting? Well, most clients are seeing less of a need for “resident consulting.” Many organizations have more professional staff, less money, less time to spend with a consultant, or some combination of these three....

Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee

After Muhammad Ali’s death I couldn’t resist quoting my all-time hero.  I’ve been an Ali fan since he won Olympic Gold so long ago. I’ve have been even more impressed by his fight against Parkinson’s’ since my...

Okay, I know what you’re thinking! “Our board is sick of retreats, they just want to get the plan done.” “We cannot afford the time or money to do a retreat.” “We don’t need a facilitator, we can do a retreat ourselves.” “Do we really want to...

One thing to remember about your plan: it is more than a document! Both the process and the product are important – even more important is implementing the plan.

The plan should contain a narrative of your fundraising philosophy and the overall mission of the development department. The...

Let’s take a step back and look at all the duties of a board before we talk specifically about fundraising.

 Determine the Organization’s Mission and Purpose

A statement of mission and purpose should articulate the organization’s goals, means, and primary constituents...

Some people think that a table of gifts is only important in a capital campaign, but all of your fundraising efforts should be focused on the fact that 90 to 95 percent of your gifts will come from 5 to 10 percent of your donors. The table of gifts is important to help keep staff and volunteers...