Accountability

You plan and strategize, check everything (at least) twice, and follow your schedule to the minute, but mistakes happen. There’s a typo; the mailer misses your drop date; the data is wrong; the insert is overlooked; the salutation says, “Dear [Name];” the link to the landing page is broken; or any number of other possible “oops!” moments. You can be sure that sometime in 2016, you will experience some problem in your fundraising program. So be prepared, and keep these things in mind...

To give is to gain a heap of grief if you're a mega-rich donor these days. In recent months, a hedge fund billionaire was denounced for his $400 million gift to the already wealthy Harvard University, David Geffen took flak for gifts that plaster his name on a Manhattan concert hall and a Los Angeles…

Hunger Free Vermont, a nonprofit advocacy and education group that works to reduce malnutrition across Vermont, said it suspects a former employee stole significant sums of money from the charity. "We never thought it would be us," said Marissa Parisi, the organization's executive director. "I think this is one of the hardest things Hunger Free…

I was walking down stairs, thinking of a project and carrying three different large items. Then, I slipped and tumbled. Stupidly, I still flew to a board retreat the next day, then drove 10 hours to present a campaign study report a few days later. All of that walking did not help what was diagnosed as a broken ankle. Then there was surgery to install a plate, and now I’m paying for not addressing a situation by having a slower and more painful recovery. Here are my five big lessons learned...

President Barack Obama’s speech to the nation Sunday night was only his third from the Oval Office. The need was there to use everything at hand, including any impressive props he could access, to be heard through the din of terror mongering by elected officials and candidates alike. It’s no longer exactly a stretch to feel…

Fran was a major gifts officer (MGO) who had great relationships with his donors. Then, in October 2008, a disaster struck for a donor he greatly respected that left the donor unable to make his usual gift. Many MGOs might have given up on this donor and moved on. But Fran was adamant about not giving up this donor. In fact, Fran did the opposite...

Parking fines aren't usually the stuff of holiday cheer. But a few cities around the country are turning them into an opportunity to promote giving, letting drivers cover part or all of their fines with food donations. Lexington, Ky., first adopted the program, called "Food for Fines," during the 2014 holiday season. There, 10 cans…

Last Monday, at a rally in Georgia, Donald Trump took the stage in front of the "Make America Great Again" faithful and threatened a familiar boycott. “How about I tell CNN that I’m not gonna do the next debate?” Trump said, according to USA Today. “I won’t do the debate unless they pay me $5 million, all of which money goes to the Wounded Warriors or to vets." How would CNN respond?...

You can easily think of a long career in the fundraising profession in terms of time, growth and opportunity. To have a career in this field you must have an interest in attributes that point you in a career direction. A long career may consist of 10 positions or more. My four-quarter career theory focuses on four major career stages...

One of the first things a fundraiser learns is that he or she doesn’t have all the answers. We rely on testing, experience, data and, sometimes, our guts to help us make decisions about how and when to invest our fundraising dollars. However, I’ve found that in the busyness of our work, we don’t always ask the right questions...