I often ask organizations whether they have a stewardship process or a donation receipt procedure. There’s a big difference. Of course we must acknowledge the contributions of our supporters. We must send a gift receipt. We must say thank you. If you...
When I was starting out in my career as a fundraiser I attended a seminar with Jerry Panas. Jerry is an inspiration, and inspiring people are often associated with “big picture” ideas. At that seminar, though, Jerry shared something so incredibly basic and...
What makes a great fundraiser? As a consultant with more than a decade of professional experience, more than a thousand donor meetings, and millions of dollars raised, I am often asked by non profit executives and board members, “what makes a great...
You know how some days your’re good and some days you’re great? You’re asking the right questions and dealing with objections and it’s like you’re in harmony with the universe. I was on a trip recently with a client and I had the exact...
I was recently participating in a panel discussion before an audience of fundraising professionals. Most of the people in this room had less than 3 years of experience as professional fundraisers and some had only a few months. One of the participants asked me how...
I was consulting with an organization recently that asked me to address how to respond to donors when asksed “so what do you do exactly?” You’re a professional fundraiser. Maybe your job title is development officer or director of the annual fund or...
