"What's more important, Richard," the major-gifts officer asked, "a relationship with my donor or the money the donor can give?"
Well, I couldn't answer that question easily. So, I didn't. Instead I started where I always start. And that's in talking about the role of money.
What is money? If you go with the classic definition, money is a medium of exchange. It has no value other than what it is exchanged for. When money didn't exist, I gave you two chickens and you gave me a sack of potatoes. Or I made you a door and some furniture and you put a roof on my house. We exchanged values. Hang on to these thoughts for a second.
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If you’re hanging with Richard it won’t be long before you’ll be laughing.
He always finds something funny in everything. But when the conversation is about people, their money and giving, you’ll find a deeply caring counselor who helps donors fulfill their passions and interests. Richard believes that successful major-gift fundraising is not fundamentally about securing revenue for good causes. Instead it is about helping donors express who they are through their giving. The Connections blog will provide practical information on how to do this successfully. Richard has more than 30 years of nonprofit leadership and fundraising experience, and is founding partner of the Veritus Group.