What happens when Mission Impact + Nonprofit Leadership + the Fundraising Team are not aligned

Recently, while working with a client, she shared exciting news over Zoom. They had received a generous $25,000 gift for their museum. I was overjoyed for them! Initially, the plan was to meet...

People sometimes wonder why I am obsessed with using phone calls as a key tool in major gift fundraising. The answer is simple: it works. And it boosts giving and donor retention. 

My mantra: "phone calls are a powerful tool for major gift fundraising."

I've seen firsthand how a simple phone...

How can you craft a more effective donor tour underpinned with a solid major gift strategy?

I've had several clients ask me how they can improve the donor tours.

I'll use a recent coaching call as an example, with a food bank in the United States.

This food bank had a unique...

I clearly remember walking into the development office, dreading opening up the CRM to start my fundraising week. 

Sometimes It was because I'd worked all day Saturday, and worried part of Sunday about the work that was waiting for me on Monday. Other times because there was a...

"Donor, would today be the right time to speak about your impact with [charity]? Our impact continues to [impact]."

If you still have donors or prospects on your list who you meant to ask, tried to ask, or have been trying to have a conversation with... now is the time to get engaged in...

One of the great joys I have, being a fundraiser, is meeting donors who are true fans of our mission. 

You may have had donors like that - they're supporters and they give regularly. They may attend events or volunteer. They talk about your work to others. You may not even realize how much...

I believe that the most effective fundraising is connection-based fundraising.

Sure, you can "get donations in the door" with simple transactions. But most nonprofits are in it for the long haul, to create lasting, positive change in the world. So you want lasting donor...

I hear fundraisers complain about gifts received through Donor Advised Funds, known as DAFs.

"I never know who is actually giving."

"I can't steward these people properly!" (nor cultivate the donor for a second gift.)

"We have major donors who have stopped giving - how do I know if they are...

In a previous post, I offered some practical tips on  ensuring that your nonprofit events maximize donor, volunteer and prospect relationships and help move them forward (and how to deal with challenges here).

But much of this can start even earlier - at the invitation stage.

What typically...

Recently I've been talking about Working the Room - how to get the most out of donor relationships during event. Then I wrote a post about getting the right people to the event.  The posts outlined practical steps about how fundraisers, board and staff can focus on the donors and not...

I had a colleague who told me, as we prepared to attend a pre-opening donor event at an art museum, that these events were very difficult for her.

"They aren't hard for you, you like talking with people," she said to me. "For me, it is different."

Yes and no. There is no question that I get...