I love being a fundraiser and I always say that, for me, fundraising isn't a job but a calling.
So I was excited listening to Shankar Vedantam's podcast, "How to Build a Better Job," where he interviewed Amy Wrzesniewski, Ph.D., Professor of Organizational Behavior...
Be open to hearing what donors are really saying...
What "No" Means - from your donor
- I'm too busy - You haven't prepared me for this conversation, or I'm not ready to make this level of commitment
- I don't trust you - You or your charity have not created a feeling of trust...
When working with donors to identify prospective donors who may wish to support your charity, an important part of relationship building is what I call "transfer of trust."
Kivi Leroux Miller talks about it in her book The Nonprofit Marketing Guide.
"Few people wake up and decide out of the blue...
Get ready for inspiring your donors for the big ask...
Making a big ask isn't about being fearless, it's about being sure-footed.
Fearlessness is all about you - it's a solo act. Fundraisers, though, are in business of relationships. You and the donor are climbing together to the mountain...
Storytelling is an important tool for fundraisers: 2 more tools to supercharge your efforts: storyweaving and storylistening.
Research tells us:
Using stories signals the brain to pay attention and to store the meaning deeply in the cerebellum.
Emotions...
Simone Joyaux died the morning of May 2, 2021. I want to tell you about this amazing woman a fundraising giant.
Simone was a supernova. She had the energy of 100 regular fundraisers.
Simone was blindingly bright as in: so smart, very academic in her thinking (hey, she was raised...
Discovery calls: some fundraisers love them, some fundraisers loathe them.
The truth is, they are a vital part of our work as relationship fundraisers.
For many fundraisers, the hardest part of the Discovery Call is that it feels as if you're making a cold call. And yet, in our work we need...
You need the "person" in personalization to connect with donors...
Back in 2013, I started a new position covering a maternity leave. Almost immediately, I implemented hand-signing all thank you letters. At the time, none had a live signature, not even the memorial donation letters, gasp!
Appreciation is about creating connection...
Not long ago, in before times, I was having lunch with two fundraisers.
We face similar challenges and opportunities - each of us wanted to increase our capacity around major gifts and planned to better engage our donors.
"So, what about thank you...
People who know me well, know Halloween is my favourite holiday!
Here are my four insights to how fundraisers can be more like a treat than trick to donors.
Treat donors like partners for impact
As a fundraiser, you should to treat all donors as special. Whether...
