MAJOR MOVES
Careers in advancement stall for predictable reasons: avoidance, lack of clarity, and institutional complacency. This section focuses on leadership judgment, professional growth, and the skills that separate effective fundraisers from busy ones. Less about motivation, more about responsibility. Written for professionals who take their role seriously.
For those who drive change — not watch it. Join the top 1%.
Endless texts, tweets, emails, calls, chats, IMs, Facebook updates… A barely digested cacophony of overwhelmingly irrelevant mind-trash, all uncontrolled by you, all buzzing and vibrating and robbing you of the attention you need to get your work done.
Everybody makes mistakes. Give yourself a break. And don’t forget to keep your sense of humor. Anyone who is mentally healthy doesn’t expect perfection in themselves or anyone else.
Nonprofits willing to take risks are open to endless fundraising opportunities. Is your organization playing it safe and staying small?
I’ve moved away from making goals for the year. A year is too long! And longer-term goals like, “I want to be worth $50 million in five years” are good, motivating, but can be overwhelming. You can change your life in just half a year. Here’s how.
Nonprofit collaboration is foundational to increasing your potential donor pool, forging strong bonds with community pillars, and serving your own target population in unique and creative ways.
No matter the size of a nonprofit organization, the role of its volunteer coordinator cannot be overlooked. As organizations continue to rely heavily on volunteerism as a means of raising funds, the nonprofit volunteer coordinator plays an essential part in the success of the organization.
A fundraiser closed a $165 million gift—and got no credit. The president took the spotlight, while the closer was quietly sidelined. This article explores the nonprofit sector’s discomfort with recognizing individual achievement, often justified as ethical restraint. It argues that this culture of erasure and reluctance to reward success may be fueling burnout and high turnover. The piece closes with a bold message: if you want transformational gifts, start acknowledging the people who actually secure them.
There are some non-profits where fundraising seems like a constant drag… These non-profits don’t have a strong culture of philanthropy. At other non-profits, fundraising is a source of pride and excitement, where new donations are celebrated, people are happy to lend a helping hand to the development office, and where fundraising programs seem to hum along. These non-profits have a strong culture of philanthropy.
Making Estate Planning Accessible, Simple, Personal, Secure and FREE!
Bequests are up, cash is down. Empower your donors to plan their will and invest their legacy in the cause they support the most.
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For professional Gift Planners
3 days in the trenches: It’s intense, it’s effective. We’ve been perfecting it for 20 years.
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