There’s such a difference in the dynamics of a relationship when your donor views you as a friend and a trusted adviser and not just as someone trying to sell them. Here are my 10 Traits of Trusted Advisers. Practice these in all of your relationships. 10 Traits...
I say that you should make it your goal that in meetings you talk only about 25% of the time and you let your donors talk about 75% of the time. Before you can ask for a bigger gift, you need to learn what your donor would be willing to invest in, and you don’t...
We remember better the things that we say much better than the things that are said to us. Think about your most recent conversation. It’s likely that you have a better recall of the things that you said than the things that were said to you. As a major gifts...
You were excited to get the meeting. The donor you visited had been supporting the organization for a long time. You put together a compelling proposal. Sure, you were asking for more than the donor had ever given. But this gift would allow the organization...
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...
