While December is a time that many of us are thinking of holidays, friends, food and family – for parents of high school seniors, we are deep into university early decision time. First-choice [...]
Most development officers are working under ambitious goals. The introductory outreach – that first call, email or letter to a prospect – can be a critical tool in reaching those goals, allowing [...]
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin Most of us know by now that everyone learns differently: some of us are visual or auditory, [...]
From staffing decisions to managing interpersonal conflict and everything in between, managers face a steady stream of difficult decisions and opportunities to make mistakes. Which is why, when [...]
In my last blog, I discussed some missed opportunities in parent fundraising and engagement. The blog provoked some great feedback (thank you!), including the suggestion from a former colleague [...]
The season of students returning to campus is upon us, and this year, that season took on a whole new meaning for me. Our oldest child began her university journey last week, over 2,000 miles [...]
You don’t ask someone to marry you on the first date! How many times have we heard that as a reason to never solicit a donation in a first meeting with a prospect? I have worked with countless [...]
How many times have you or your colleagues talked about the difficulty in making time for donor stewardship? After all of our work to find prospects and secure donations, it can become an [...]
Two statements that I hear constantly, in fundraising shops of all types and sizes, are: “In order for me to grow in development, I need to find a position at a new organization.” And, “One of [...]
When you consider your most valuable allies in higher education fundraising, whom do you think of? I’m willing to bet that for the vast majority of you, your dean came to mind quickly. And that’s [...]