June 14, 2019
Donor-centricity. Mention that term in a room full of fundraisers and you’ll always get lots of approving nods. We are very smart and highly attuned people. We fundamentally understand that great fundraising is never about us or our organizations and that donors give through us and not to us. In fact, in a perfect world, […]
May 6, 2019
We’ve all been there. Staring at the flashing cursor on a white page, biting your nails and pacing the floor in an effort to summon all those creative juices from the depths of your soul. It could be letter copy, a teaser, a subject line or an innovative design for a lift note or newsletter. […]
April 9, 2019
Do you work at a non-profit organization? If you were to ask a colleague how they got started in fundraising, do you think they would respond that they studied for four years to understand the science of fundraising? Or – and I’ll bet a buck on this – would they respond that they just sort […]
March 25, 2019
What comes first, fundraising staff or money? It is a conundrum faced by many charitable organizations. To raise money you need a team and a talented team raises more money, so where do you start? With a litany of needs and requests to raise dollars, organizations often feel pressure to grow their development teams. How […]
February 25, 2019
You know how it feels when someone goes out of their way to help you, or when you get exceptionally good service? Those moments where you say ‘wow’ to yourself, and you smile? Think about the feeling that comes with the ‘wow’ – that warm glow, smiling inside feeling. Stop for a moment right now […]
January 28, 2019
Didn’t you love it when you were little and your mom or dad read you bedtime stories? Are there movies or novels that have carved a niche in your heart as deeply meaningful to you? Do you love carrying on your family’s storytelling tradition with your own kids or grandkids? We all know intuitively that […]
January 16, 2019
Who even talks on the phone anymore? Every year on my birthday, I wonder who’s going to call me. I appreciate getting emails and Facebook posts too. They remind me that people are thinking about me. But, when people call me to wish me a happy birthday, I feel truly loved. The telephone is an […]
December 3, 2018
The Canada Helps Giving Report 2018 was recently released. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, I highly recommend that you do. For me, it certainly affirms what we see and experience in our day-to-day work with our clients. The Giving Report 2018 hits the mark in driving some very timely points […]
November 26, 2018
As we enter the final quarter of 2018, many of us fundraisers are focussed on our year-end fundraising campaign. Rightfully so. With 30% of annual giving occurring in December and 10% of annual giving taking place in the last 3 days of the year, these are some of the best revenue generating opportunities a fundraiser […]
November 14, 2018
Several months ago, I wrote about building a better monthly donor file for your organization. If you missed it, you can check it out here. Since then, a number of questions have come up about the different types of channels and campaigns available for monthly donor acquisition. Monthly donors remain some of the most valuable and sought-after […]
