I’m not a particular fan of Giving Tuesday. In my experience as a staffer, I found it a time-suck. Worse, if yours is an organization without a strong community profile (a “best-kept secret”), it’s time spent building recognition for Giving Tuesday, not for your organization. And of course, it doesn’t always raise much money, either. […]
Do you want to be good enough?
It’s Christmas week. I don’t have a post ready to go. Instead, I’ve been busy thinking and shopping and running through lists in my head. I get lovely cards from friends every day. I haven’t even taken a picture of my kids yet. And if I get around to cards, they’ll likely be electronic again […]
Spotlight on telefunding: what you need to know
Have you considered a telefunding program? A while back, a reader asked me to write about telefunding. As a development director, I oversaw telephone fundraising departments, but I’ve never been a caller myself. So I turned to an old friend and nonprofit telephone expert. Joe Frederick started out as “Caller Joe” with the Hartford […]
Fundraising is not a game
My Facebook feed was full of football talk early this week. I hear the Seahawks/Packers game was a doozy. (And the Patriots/Colts not so much.) I’m not a football fan, so I wasn’t really watching. But obviously, the games are a big deal. People feel like they’re part of their teams. They love the thrill of […]
Serve it like a pizza
There’s a small pizza place in our town. It began life as a smaller off-shoot of a chain. The pizza was ok. Mostly we went because it was conveniently close. A few weeks ago, it became obvious that the place was under new management. We confirmed our guess when the new owner introduced himself. We had […]