Nonprofits are experts at making do. We pride ourselves on doing more with less. Small budgets. Smaller staff. Tight control of paper clip usage. (You’re nodding now, aren’t you? And if you aren’t, congratulations!) And there’s nothing at all wrong with being careful about how we use the money given to us. We must be […]
Who are you talking to?
When to use your inside or outside voice Have you ever heard a parent ask a young child to use their “inside voice”? Usually, that’s a nice way of saying “be quiet, please!” We have inside and outside voices, too. Inside Outside Donor segments All donors matter Program specific jargon Simple language Meeting or event […]
What exactly are you waiting for?
If you are putting off fundraising now, waiting may hurt you. I don’t have data to share – we’ll all know more when the Fundraising Effectiveness Project’s numbers are out for the first quarter of 2020. But what I’m hearing from colleagues and clients is nearly universal: fundraising through this pandemic is doing very well. […]
Is gratitude really hurting our sector?
Too much gratitude? A few weeks ago, my friend Vu Le posted another of his thought-provoking pieces, Is there such a thing as too much gratitude? Yes, and it’s been harmful to our work. I want to be clear: I mean both friend and thought-provoking with zero snark. I think Vu is a treasure! But… […]
Is your fundraising program missing this essential ingredient?
Consistency. I know we live in an age of minuscule attention spans. Advertising always screams NEW! So it’s easy to miss how important something as homely and useful as consistency can be. But it’s key to a strong fundraising program. Consistency takes many forms. Here are a few reasons why it’s so important. Bringing new […]