Annual Fund
Is Fundraising Sales? (And Does It Matter?)
There are literally 5 versions of this blog in my drafts folder. I keep coming back to it because the question keeps coming up and I keep falling – leaping? – into the conversations. Fundamentally this is a matter of opinion and semantics. I am firmly in the camp that Fundraising is not sales and…
Read MoreEvery F***ing* Thing Works
They do. All of them. Every Fundraising Thing Works There’s a lot of great advice out there about fundraising – countless blogs, webinars, articles, white papers. And they all have very, very good guidance and examples of a program that worked. And they leave a lot of front line fundraisers thinking, “I should REALLY…
Read MoreFundraising or Money-Raising?
Clerk: Your total is $blahblahblah, would you like to add a dollar to support children puppies hungry old homeless high-school band? Me: Uhhh, no, not today. Clerk: Yeah, cheers, thanks, thanks a lot. *sigh* I know these kinds of programs raise a lot of critically-needed money for a lot of great organizations – and the…
Read MoreRant on Retention
I like to think that professionals in all fields get together and rant and complain about their profession. I have to believe that there are forums for pipe fitters and physician’s assistants and marketers to get together and go, “They’re hiring people with no experience as experts! Nobody takes the profession seriously! These CEOs think…
Read MoreWhy Data Like a Lab – It Just Wants to Make You Happy
We had to take a tough break from blogging for a little while. We lost one of the Buck-White Boys on February 15. The original Buck-White Boy, the lab by which all others will be measured and the Dog That Started It All. Tucker. Tucker was the best. He was the best part of a…
Read MoreAt Home in the Annual Fund
C’mon, sing with me now, “Our house. In the middle of the street. Our house . . . ” Or we could have gone with, “Our house is a very, very, very fine house . . . ” This is a multi-sensory blog; great info and musical ear-worms. You’re welcome. If you don’t know Helen…
Read MoreDonor-Centered or Data-Driven
Google “Fundraising Buzzwords” or “Nonprofit Buzzwords” and you’ll get a whole list of the phrases we like to kick around the industry. Fortunately, “Donor-Centered” is one that’s stuck around for quite some time. Data-Driven seems to be losing some of its popularity. “Big Data” is taking on different connotations (really, Big Data refers to databases…
Read MoreWhat I Won’t Do Is Subscribe to Fear
My whole social media feed is FULL of comments about how awful 2016 has been. It seems everyone is ready to kick this year to the curb and usher in a new one – “It can’t get worse, right?” Personally, I’ve had a fantastic year – probably one of the best on a personal and…
Read MoreFundraising is Paper Towels
Thanksgiving was wonderful and I hope yours was, too. So many things to be thankful for – like making new friends! We met a lovely couple who are both donors and volunteers at various local nonprofits, so of course the conversation turned to stories from the trenches. Our new friend spends some time volunteering at…
Read MoreThe Problem With Recurring Giving
A family I know is going through that terrible process of having to put their mother into assisted care. She has Alzheimer’s and it’s so sad. This is a woman who had a heart as big as all outdoors, gave to everyone she met and had an infectious laugh that lifted the whole room. And…
Read More