Community-centered or donor-centered fundraising? I attended a conference last week (thank you, Liberty Bank Foundation). The estimable and hysterical Vu Le offered the keynote address. If you know Vu, you know we were holding our stomachs and behaving in otherwise undignified ways because we were laughing so hard. (If you don’t know Vu, get acquainted […]
The case of the disappearing donor
The disappearing donor. There I was. In my kitchen, minding my own business. And the envelope appeared. Oh, I’d seen its like before. Always brought me heartache. So if I knew what was good for me, I would have put that newsletter down and walked away. Guess I was looking for trouble. And there it […]
Beware these pitfalls if you want to raise more money
Beware these pitfalls if you want to raise more money Indulge me, will you? There are some common words or phrases that I see in too many appeals (and annual reports or even thank you letters) that set my teeth on edge. You’ll find me, almost daily, sorting my mail and shaking my head. So […]
4 ways you might be making it all about you
And why making it about you is a mistake We all do it from time to time. We fall a little in love with our own organization. Or we get a little tired of the hard work. Then we forget that good fundraising focuses on the donor and the mission. Are you making these mistakes? […]
How to address hard truths in the era of fake news
Hard truth or fake news? (Yes, this is still a piece about fundraising and nonprofits) I watched the press conference wind to an end. At that point, the spokesperson uttered demonstrably incorrect words and walked away from the podium. Boom. The intent was obvious: my “facts” will trump your “fake news”. Obviously, our current situation […]