The second annual FundRaising Success Engage Conference takes place April 10 in Philadelphia. Register today for the $100 off early bird special rate, which expires Valentine's Day.
The successful fundraisers that I know don't dwell on problems and negativity; they fix challenges and move on. They are positive! Positive fundraising professionals don't constantly say, "I didn't know," and they don't just sit there and watch a situation going bad — they step in and fix it.
We fundraisers say we are ready to embrace insight, but the signs are not really there. If you are ready, email me now! If you are not ready, here are some recommendations.
The bottom line is you must develop a major-gift program to increase fundraising revenue, reduce expenses and increase your ROI.
Recently, the Indiana Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals sponsored a "Speed Networking With an Experienced Fundraiser" event. This concept matched 22 senior-level professionals with a combined 600 years experience with 22 younger professionals.
Very few important tasks are worth going it alone. So, when you are building relationships, be sure that you have a team involved because there is synergy in a team approach, one that brings different perspectives and ideas.
I'm going to come out of the gate challenging all you marketers and even analysts with a brain teaser. I had to read this whitepaper three times to make sure I understood the formulas correctly — but I'm in love with the concept of "Campaign Influence."
Many individuals typically believe foundation giving is a numbers game. Just send a proposal to many foundations and somehow you will be magically awarded funds. In this day and age, that is not how the process works. You need to build relationships, educate foundation staff and align your organizational priorities with foundation priorities. It is a long-term process that helps you better understand your organization.
Welcome to a new year and many challenges. Before you jump on the treadmill, take a deep breath and determine areas of personal focus for the upcoming year. Here is a blueprint for you, though each personal SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis differs. It is always wise to evaluate personal progress as we grow in our career paths. Look in the mirror, and create your own template.
Whether it be daily customer service — donor or prospective donor attention, service at an event, a board or committee meeting, a staff meeting — what are you doing to create that wow factor of customer service?
