I received a letter I itched to fix. It needed a rewrite – badly. It was sent on behalf of my elementary school by an organization that seems to be doing the same appeal for Catholic elementary schools all over NJ. Not exactly a warm and fuzzy start, right? It opens with a lot of talk about how […]
Archives for April 2014
It’s personal
It’s personal. Fundraising, that is. Picture this: you walk to your mailbox. Inside, you find an envelope with a return address you recognize. “Real mail!” you think. You open that envelope first and in a hurry. Then you begin to feel confused. Disappointed. “Dear Ms. LastName” it begins. “Because I am a caring person, I […]
What puzzles can teach us about fundraising
Puzzles and fundraising? I’ll admit it. When I want to relax, I’ll play games on my phone. (You too?) These days, I’ve been playing a simple game that’s like one my younger daughter was given as a little kid. It involves moving blocks around, one at a time, to free another block from the field. […]
Stop thinking about money!
Do we need to stop thinking about money? I was at a meeting the other day. A local foundation offered training about soliciting major donors. It was a small enough group that we had time to hash out a few hypothetical situations. A good session and well worth the hour or so. As is often […]
Can I help you?
Can I help you? I am not a scientist. Mine is a brain made for metaphor, not molecules. But so long as I don’t need to crack a biology textbook, memorize the periodic table, or dissect a frog, I’m willing to dip a toe in. And one area I find fascinating is neuroscience. Why do […]