The Power of Two Touches

It’s been nearly ten years since we first introduced the idea of Two Touches through our blog and we continue to be inspired by how many of you have woven this practice into your daily rigor. What began as a simple discipline has become a cornerstone habit for advancement professionals who want to stay grounded in relationships rather than react to urgency.

A decade later, the core truth remains: consistent, intentional outreach builds stronger donor and partner connections. And while the advancement landscape has evolved: new tools, new expectations, new ways of communicating, the need for meaningful, personal touches is just as relevant today.

With that in mind, we’ve refreshed and modernized the concept to reflect what we’re seeing in 2026: more channels, more creativity, and more opportunities to show donors and partners that they matter.

Advancement professionals think about donors and prospects constantly, whether we’re considering next steps in strategy, strengthening outreach to secure a meeting, or collaborating with a partner who has identified a new potential supporter. Yet even when these individuals are top of mind, our actions can tell a different story. We get busy, focus on a handful of urgent items hitting our desk, and suddenly months have passed without meaningful outreach to people we want to draw closer.

This is exactly why I continue to champion the Two Touches practice: a simple, daily discipline that keeps relationships at the center of our work. Beginning each workday with two intentional outreaches to donors, prospects, or organizational partners ensures we start every day with clarity, purpose, and connection.

It’s a small habit with outsized impact.

Why Two Touches Still Matters in 2026

In an era of digital noise, automation, and overflowing inboxes, personal outreach stands out more than ever. Two Touches reinforces the fundamentals of our profession:

  • Consistency
  • Authenticity
  • Thoughtful outreach and stewardship
  • Strategic relationship building

When practiced daily, Two Touches strengthens both our discipline and our donor strategies, ensuring we nurture relationships organically.

Touches remain simple, human, and varied, and in 2026, we have even more ways to connect meaningfully:

  • A handwritten note celebrating a personal or professional milestone
  • A short email sharing an article or update aligned with their interests
  • A personalized birthday message that goes beyond “Happy Birthday”
  • A link to a news release or campus update that rekindles excitement
  • A text message with a photo or brief video from your institution: a performance, a lab breakthrough, a student showcase
  • A message celebrating a program achievement or milestone
  • A quick voice memo expressing appreciation or sharing a moment of inspiration

Why These Touches Matter

Every strategy relies on a relationship, and every relationship relies on interactions,  both big and small. Moves management is essential, but strategies thrive when they include both active fundraising (moves) and passive fundraising (touches).

Two Touches creates:

  • 10 interactions per week
  • 40+ per month
  • 400+ per year

That’s more than 400 moments where donors, prospects, and partners feel seen, valued, and connected.

Getting Started

Keep a stack of organizational note cards on your desk. Save a folder of articles, links, photos, and updates you can share. Build a habit that reminds donors and partners that you’re thinking of them — not just when you need something, but because the relationship matters.

Who will you reach out to today?

How Do We Deal with Ambiguity?

I was recently in an informational interview with someone considering a move into frontline fundraising. We were talking through some of the trends shaping our profession when he shared a question his father had once been asked in an interview many years ago: “How do you deal with ambiguity?”

That single question opened the door to a rich conversation, and, frankly, a truth we don’t talk about nearly enough in advancement: fundraising is a profession built on ambiguity.

For years, we emphasized the importance of confidence: the ability to walk into a room, represent the institution, and speak with clarity and conviction. Over time, that conversation evolved toward courage, especially as fundraisers were asked to initiate deeper, more values‑based conversations with donors. More recently, we’ve elevated curiosity as a defining trait: the willingness to ask better questions, listen deeply, and explore possibility rather than prescribe solutions.

All of these traits still matter. But today, they are no longer enough on their own.

The modern fundraising environment demands something additional, something more dynamic: the ability to be nimble while staying grounded, and agile while staying aligned.

We are navigating:

  • Budget cuts that require doing more with less
  • Staffing reductions that stretch teams thin
  • Growing expectations around dollars raised and donors engaged
  • New tools and platforms that change how we work (and how quickly we’re expected to adapt)
  • More organizations building frontline teams, increasing competition for both donors and talent

In this landscape, ambiguity isn’t an occasional inconvenience; it’s the daily operating environment. It shows up in ways both subtle and significant, shaping how we plan, how we prioritize, and how we engage donors.

Ambiguity shows up when:

  • We’re asked to forecast revenue in a year when positions are frozen, or we have experienced high rates of turnover
  • A prospect’s timing, capacity, or philanthropic priorities are unclear
  • Leadership sets ambitious goals without yet defining the strategy
  • New tools promise efficiency but require time, training, and integration
  • Teams are restructured and roles evolve faster than job descriptions
  • External forces — economic, political, cultural — influence donor sentiment
  • We’re navigating hybrid work, hybrid events, and hybrid expectations

In other words, ambiguity is not a gap in information, it’s the space between what we know and what we need to move forward anyway.

And because this space is widening, fundraisers need a new kind of strength: the ability to stay steady, thoughtful, and proactive even when the path ahead is not fully illuminated.

So how do we grow this muscle? We build it the same way we build any capacity, with intention, practice, and reflection.

  • We grow it through curiosity. Asking better questions. Listening for what’s said and unsaid. Staying open rather than rushing to conclusions.
  • We grow it through disciplined experimentation. Testing approaches, learning quickly, and adjusting without judgment.
  • We grow it through scenario thinking. Planning for multiple possible outcomes rather than anchoring to one.
  • We grow it through transparent communication. Naming what’s known, what’s unknown, and what’s next, with teams, with leaders, and with ourselves.
  • We grow it through values‑based decision‑making. When the path is unclear, values become the compass.
  • We grow it through resilient pacing. Holding urgency and sustainability at the same time, especially when expectations rise and resources shrink.
  • We grow it through collaboration. Ambiguity becomes more manageable when it’s shared, when teams think together, problem‑solve together, and support one another.

Ultimately, ambiguity becomes less daunting when we stop treating it as a barrier and start treating it as a condition we are fully capable of navigating. The fundraisers who thrive in this moment are not the ones who wait for clarity — they are the ones who create momentum within uncertainty.

Building a Culture That Can Hold Ambiguity

So, when we return to that original interview question: “How do you deal with ambiguity?” the answer becomes bigger than any one person’s skill set. It becomes a question for all of us, and for the cultures we are building inside our advancement shops.

Because ambiguity is not going away. If anything, it will continue to expand as expectations rise, resources fluctuate, and the landscape grows more complex. The organizations that thrive will be the ones that treat ambiguity not as a threat, but as a shared competency: something we prepare for, talk about, and strengthen together.

Building this muscle at the cultural level means:

  • Creating space for curiosity‑driven conversations rather than quick conclusions
  • Normalizing learning loops — test, reflect, adjust — instead of expecting perfection
  • Encouraging teams to name uncertainty openly, without fear of judgment
  • Rewarding adaptability, not just outcomes
  • Anchoring decisions in shared values so teams can move forward even when the path is not fully defined
  • Supporting one another through change, rather than navigating it in silos

When ambiguity becomes something we navigate together, rather than something each fundraiser must manage alone, we create teams that are more resilient, more innovative, and more grounded in mission. And that’s the real opportunity in front of us.

If we can build cultures that embrace ambiguity, with curiosity, courage, and nimble alignment, we will not only strengthen our teams, but we will also strengthen our impact. We will be better partners to our donors, better stewards of our missions, and better leaders for the communities we serve.

In the end, the question isn’t just How do you deal with ambiguity? It’s How do we build a culture that can hold it, and grow because of it? Because when we do, we are all better for it.

Fundraisers Are Colleagues, Not Competitors

Over the past several years, the fundraising landscape has evolved dramatically. Teams are navigating new initiatives, shifting donor expectations, hybrid work environments, and increasing pressure to deliver results. Amid all this change, one theme continues to surface in my conversations with clients: competition among fundraisers.

It often starts subtly: a sense of ownership over certain donors, hesitation to share information, or anxiety about who gets credit for a gift. But left unaddressed, competition becomes corrosive. It leads to resource‑hoarding, short‑sighted strategies, and a culture where fundraisers feel isolated rather than supported.

Some leaders still believe competition is healthy. That it drives performance. But in fundraising, that belief is outdated and counterproductive. The short‑term gains of internal competition are quickly overshadowed by its long‑term costs.

Today’s most successful advancement shops understand a simple truth: lifelong donor relationships are built through collaboration, not competition.

Donors expect seamless communication, coordinated strategy, and a unified institutional voice. They don’t care which fundraiser “owns” them; they care about impact, clarity, and trust. And that requires teams to work together.

One of the most effective tools for building a collaborative culture is a clear, widely understood shared‑credit policy. When credit is assigned in a way that reflects the reality of how fundraising actually works, cross‑functional, relationship‑driven, and team‑based, fundraisers are incentivized to support one another, not compete.

Below is an updated framework for how shared credit can reinforce the right behaviors in today’s environment.

The strongest shared‑credit policies address the full range of scenarios that arise in modern advancement shops. In each of the following cases, 100% credit should be awarded to every fundraiser or team that played a substantive role:

Major + Annual Giving

When a donor being actively cultivated by a frontline fundraiser makes a gift through an annual giving channel (online, mail, event, etc.), especially if the gift is larger than their typical pattern or reflects recent cultivation.

Major + Planned Giving

When a frontline fundraiser brings a planned giving officer into a relationship and a planned gift results from that collaboration.

Foundation/Corporate + Major Giving

When a frontline fundraiser builds the relationship that opens the door for a grant application, and the foundation/corporate team writes and submits the proposal.

Multiple Major Gift Officers

When two or more fundraisers contribute meaningfully to strategy, cultivation, or solicitation, whether through joint visits, coordinated strategy, or shared stewardship.

Institutional Portfolio Work

As more organizations adopt institutional portfolio models, shared credit becomes essential. When fundraisers collectively advance a donor or initiative, credit should reflect the team‑based nature of the work.

When Shared Credit Is Not Warranted

Shared credit should be meaningful, not automatic. It should not be awarded in the following situations:

Managers Receiving Credit for Staff Work

Supervisors provide guidance and support as part of their role. Their leadership is recognized through title, scope, and compensation — not gift credit.

Basic Collegiality

Sharing information, offering feedback, editing proposals, or making introductions is expected professional behavior, not a basis for shared credit.

Passive or Incidental Interactions

Sending a birthday card, chatting at an event, or offering a small piece of insight without participating in the strategy does not constitute substantive involvement.

Why Shared Credit Matters More Than Ever

Gift credit remains an important indicator of performance, but it should also reflect how the work gets done. A clear, inclusive shared‑credit policy:

  • Reinforces donor‑centered strategy
  • Encourages collaboration across teams
  • Reduces internal competition and friction
  • Supports institutional portfolio models
  • Builds a healthier, more sustainable culture
  • Inspires greater generosity from donors

Most importantly, it sends a powerful message to your team:

You will be recognized for acting in service to the greatest possible generosity, not for guarding your turf. In a sector built on relationships, collaboration is not optional. It is the foundation of long‑term success.

Be Where You Need to Be

The most common sentence I’ve spoken this year, in coaching calls, strategy sessions, trainings and quiet conversations with exhausted fundraisers and advancement staff is simple, steady, and surprisingly hard to live out: be where you need to be.

That’s it. Six words. But they can be the anchoring you need.

This past year has stretched nearly every advancement professional we work with. Expectations have risen. Budgets have shrunk. Teams have been cut. And somehow, the mandate remains: do more, more, more. It’s no wonder so many talented professionals feel like they’re sprinting on a treadmill that keeps speeding up.

Yet in the middle of all that pressure, one truth hasn’t changed: Your greatest contribution to your organization is your ability to build and deepen relationships that lead to generosity.

Everything else is secondary.

Being where you need to be requires honesty. Not the soft, polite kind; but the courageous kind. With yourself first, and then your supervisor. It means saying:

  • Here’s what I can do
  • Here’s what I can’t do
  • Here’s what must move if you want me focused on what matters most

This isn’t weakness. It’s stewardship of your time, your energy, your relationships, and your mission.

When fundraisers try to be everywhere, they end up being nowhere in a meaningful way. But when they choose to be where they truly need to be, everything shifts. Conversations deepen. Work becomes purposeful again.

We live in a world that rewards reaction, not intention. Notifications, meetings, inboxes, and internal requests pull fundraisers in a dozen directions before lunch.

But generosity grows in the opposite environment. One of presence, curiosity, and genuine connection.

Being where you need to be looks like:

  • Protecting time for donor conversations
  • Letting go of tasks that don’t move relationships forward
  • Creating space to think, reflect, and prepare

This isn’t indulgent. It’s strategic.

Focus doesn’t happen in isolation. It requires healthy, ongoing conversations with teammates and supervisors; the kind where you collectively decide:

  • What must be done
  • What could be done
  • What no longer needs to be done

We often take teams through a Keep, Stay, Stop exercise. These conversations are not about lowering standards. They’re about aligning expectations with reality so you can deliver your best work where it matters most.

When teams normalize these discussions, burnout decreases, clarity increases, and fundraising outcomes improve. Everyone wins.

If you’re feeling stretched, tired, or pulled in too many directions, you’re not alone.

You can choose presence over pressure. You can choose relationships over reactivity. You can choose to be where you truly need to be.

And that choice, repeated day after day is what builds generosity, strengthens organizations, and sustains you for the long haul.

Curiosity is Still the Fundraiser’s Greatest Asset

The most effective gift officers are not the ones who know everything; they’re the ones who are curious. Curiosity is what opens doors, deepens conversations, and builds trust. It’s what allows a fundraiser to say, “Tell me more about what matters to you,” instead of rushing to provide information that may or may not be relevant.

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Impact Over Output: The Leadership Shift Fundraising Teams Desperately Need

Earlier this year, I wrote about the importance of leadership in fundraising, and the response was overwhelming. So many leaders reached out wanting to go deeper, and in coaching sessions, one theme kept surfacing: we cannot build healthy, sustainable fundraising cultures if leaders stay fixated on output instead of impact.

It sounds simple, but it’s a profound shift. And it’s one many organizations struggle to make.

The Output Trap: When “More” Becomes the Mission

Too often, leaders unintentionally create cultures where the primary focus is on:

  • Hitting the bottom line
  • Tracking metrics for the sake of metrics
  • Repeatedly asking teams to do more with less, without providing needed directionals or removing tasks to support our most important work
  • Filling calendars with activity instead of purpose

Let’s be clear, metrics do matter. They can motivate, clarify priorities, and help teams stay aligned. But when metrics become the mission, rather than a tool, they start to distort behavior.

Output-driven cultures reward:

  • More meetings
  • More solicitations based on numbers, giving day matches or calendar/fiscal year-end versus strategic invitations timed with a donors’ desire to create impact
  • More events
  • More tasks

Even when those activities no longer serve donors, staff, or the organization’s long-term goals.

This is where burnout begins. This is where creativity dies. This is where fundraising becomes mechanical instead of meaningful.

Impact: The Leadership Lens That Changes Everything

We have long discussed impact for donors. We need to talk more about impact with our teams. Healthy fundraising cultures are built on impact, not output. Impact asks different questions:

  • Is this activity moving us closer to meaningful donor relationships?
  • Does this task contribute to long-term organizational health?
  • Is this meeting still serving a purpose, or are we doing it because we always have?
  • Are we creating space for staff to think, reflect, and innovate?

Impact-driven leaders understand that not all activity is productive, and sometimes the bravest leadership move is to stop doing things that no longer matter.

This includes:

  • Letting go of legacy events that drain resources
  • Eliminating reports no one reads, or that do activate the right behaviors
  • Reducing meetings that don’t drive decisions
  • Giving staff permission to question the “why” behind their workload

When leaders model this, teams feel empowered to focus on what truly matters: building trust, deepening relationships, and creating experiences that inspire generosity.

Why This Shift Matters More Than Ever

Donors are craving authenticity, connection, and clarity of purpose. Staff are craving meaning, balance, and the ability to do their best work without drowning in busywork.

Impact-driven leadership delivers both.

When leaders prioritize impact:

  • Teams feel trusted and supported
  • Donors feel seen and valued
  • Strategies become more thoughtful and less reactive
  • Fundraising becomes a craft, not a checklist

And perhaps most importantly, the culture becomes healthier. People stay longer. They collaborate more. They innovate. They take ownership. They feel proud of the work they’re doing.

If you’re a leader, here’s the invitation:

Shift your focus from How much are we doing? to What difference is our work making?

Ask your team what activities no longer serve them, or our organizations. Ask what impact looks like in their roles. Ask what support they need to pursue meaningful work.

And then, this is the hard part: listen. Really listen.

Because the healthiest fundraising cultures aren’t built on pressure. They’re built on clarity, trust, and shared purpose.

Output may help you measure progress, but impact supports an environment where evolution can happen. If leaders can embrace this shift, they won’t just improve fundraising results. They’ll transform the culture that produces them.

 

February Reflections: The Power of Intentionality

January gave me a gift I didn’t quite expect.

I stepped away for an extended holiday — no client commitments, no meetings, no flight delays or deadlines. Just space. But it wasn’t simply a vacation; it was a social experiment for me. Over the past few years, I’ve watched the boundaries between my work life, volunteer life and my play life blur into something unrecognizable. I love what I do, but I could feel the constant hum of “always on” creeping into every corner of my day.

So, I tried something bold (at least for me): I took my work email off my phone.

Not muted. Not tucked into a folder. Gone.

And here’s what surprised me most, something inside me fell back into place.

Without the ping of an incoming message dictating my attention, I found myself making intentional decisions about when to work and when to relax and enjoy. If I chose to open my laptop, it was because I meant to; not because a notification hijacked my focus. When I worked, I was sharper. When I rested, the time was truly restorative. The mental static quieted. My shoulders dropped. My mind unclenched. My creativity felt more alive.

Three weeks back into the office, and I still haven’t reinstalled email on my phone. There have been a few minor inconveniences. Moments when I had to wait to find contact information or recognize that a few hours to respond would be just fine. But the wins have far outweighed the challenges. I feel more grounded, more present, and more in control of my own attention than I have in some time.

And it’s made me think about our profession more broadly.

We are seeing unprecedented levels of burnout, exhaustion, and reactive behavior. Too many of us are living in a cycle of responding rather than leading, reacting rather than choosing. We’re moving fast, but not always with purpose. And when everything feels urgent, nothing truly gets the space it deserves.

Intentionality is not a luxury. It’s a restorative practice.

It’s the difference between being pulled through your day or walking through it with clarity. It’s the difference between exhaustion and energy, between noise and meaning. And it doesn’t require a sabbatical or a plane ticket, just a willingness to pause and ask:

What do I want to give my attention to right now? What deserves my time, and what simply distracts me?

Maybe for you it’s turning off notifications. Maybe it’s blocking time for deep work. Maybe it’s reclaiming your lunch hour or choosing one evening a week that belongs entirely to you. Maybe it’s saying no to something that drains you, or yes to something that fills you back up and brings you more joy in your role.

Intentionality isn’t about doing less; it’s about doing what matters with more presence and less noise.

As we settle into February, a month that often feels like a sprint after January’s re-entry, I encourage you to consider where a bit of intentionality might restore you. Where could you create a boundary that protects your energy? Where could you design your day rather than react to it? Where could you choose, rather than be pulled?

I didn’t expect the simple change of removing email from my phone to shift so much. But it did. And it reminded me that small acts of intentionality can create big openings for clarity, calm, and purpose.

 

How Leaders Unintentionally Undermine Relationship‑Based Fundraising, and Ways to Ensure You Are Setting Your Team Up for Success

Relationship‑based fundraising is often discussed in mission statements, strategic plans, and team meetings. Yet in practice, many organizations unintentionally create environments where genuine donor connection becomes difficult, inconsistent, or secondary to short‑term pressures. Leaders rarely do this on purpose. In fact, most believe they are supporting their teams. But small decisions, cultural norms, and unspoken expectations can quietly erode the very donor relationships they hope to strengthen.

This month, I’m exploring the subtle ways leaders undermine relationship fundraising and the practical shifts that restore clarity, discipline, and trust.

1) Prioritizing Urgency Over Intentionality

Many fundraising teams live in a constant state of “now.” Urgent appeals, non‑strategic events (and a lack of meaningful follow‑up strategies), shifting priorities, and reactive requests from leadership can push relationship work to the margins. When everything is urgent, nothing is strategic, and teams are consistently expected to do more with less.

How it undermines relationships: Donors feel the inconsistency. They sense when outreach is rushed, transactional, or driven by internal deadlines rather than genuine connection.

How leaders can strengthen the approach leading to our most important work:

  • Protect time for proactive donor work as fiercely as you protect revenue goals. Provide blocks of time where no meetings are scheduled and teams can dedicate time to their most important work.
  • Model calm, planned decision‑making and ensure that you role‑model the behaviors you want from your teams.
  • Ask your team regularly: “What activities need to come off your plate so that we are focusing on our most important work?” Then support your staff in re‑prioritizing work and allowing some tasks to disappear.

Intentionality is a discipline, and leaders set the tone.

2) Measuring What’s Easy Instead of What Matters

It’s tempting to track what fits neatly into a spreadsheet: number of visits, number of calls, dollars raised. But relationship fundraising is built on quality, not quantity.

How it undermines relationships: Fundraisers start chasing metrics instead of meaning. They prioritize activity over impact, and donors feel like items on a checklist.

How leaders can set the right tone and approach:

  • Balance quantitative metrics with qualitative indicators of relationship health.
  • Celebrate thoughtful engagement and stewardship, not just closed gifts.
  • Share stories, conduct “anatomy of a gift” exercises regularly, and highlight good behavior.

When leaders value depth, fundraisers feel permission to slow down and connect.

3) Over‑Managing the Ask and Under‑Supporting the Journey

Some leaders focus heavily on the solicitation moment: the strategy, the amount, the timing, while giving far less attention to the months of cultivation that make the invitation/ask possible.

How it undermines relationships: Fundraisers feel pressure to “get to the ask,” even when the relationship isn’t ready. Donors feel rushed or misunderstood.

How leaders can grow their relationship‑based culture:

  • Coach fundraisers on pacing, probing questions, and authentic engagement instead of only focusing on the number of gifts closed.
  • Reinforce that a well‑timed invitation (ask) is the result of disciplined relationship work.
  • Encourage fundraisers to trust their read of donor readiness.

A strong invitation or ask is never a standalone event; it’s the culmination of a thoughtful process.

4) Sending Mixed Messages About Priorities

Leaders often say relationships matter but then reward behaviors that contradict that message. For example:

  • Cancelling donor meetings to attend internal ones
  • Redirecting fundraisers to administrative tasks
  • Celebrating only revenue, not engagement and stewardship
  • Allowing constant interruptions to donor‑facing time

How it undermines relationships: Fundraisers learn that relationship work is “nice to have,” not essential.

How leaders can better align to encourage relationships over transactions:

  • Align your actions with your stated priorities.
  • Remove barriers that pull fundraisers away from donors.
  • Publicly recognize disciplined, relationship‑driven behavior.

Culture is shaped by what leaders consistently reinforce.

5) Forgetting That Fundraisers Need Relationships Too

Relationship‑based fundraising requires emotional energy, resilience, and confidence. When leaders overlook the relational needs of their own team, fundraisers can’t show up fully for donors.

How it undermines relationships: A depleted fundraiser cannot build trust. Donors feel the strain.

How leaders can fix it:

  • Provide coaching, not just oversight.
  • Create space for reflection and learning.
  • Offer clarity, encouragement, and realistic expectations.

Healthy internal relationships fuel healthy external ones.

The Bottom Line

Most leaders genuinely want to support relationship‑based fundraising; they simply underestimate how their decisions shape the daily reality of their teams. The good news is that small, intentional shifts can dramatically strengthen donor relationships and team performance.

Relationship fundraising thrives when leaders:

  • Protect time
  • Value depth
  • Support the process
  • Align actions with priorities
  • Invest in their people

When leadership and fundraisers move in sync, donors feel it, and they respond with trust, loyalty, and generosity.

If you are looking for coaching to support healthy habits and greater attention to your team, reach out! We would love to support you through our leadership and fundraising coaching. Click here to schedule an exploratory call today.

Pivot! Lessons in Nimbleness for Fundraisers

If you’ve ever watched “Friends,” you’ll remember Ross’s infamous attempt to move a couch up the stairs. With Chandler and Rachel struggling to maneuver, Ross keeps shouting one word: “Pivot!” It’s a hilarious scene, but also a surprisingly apt metaphor for fundraising today.

As we close out 2025 and look toward 2026, the ability to pivot: to adjust, to be nimble, to change direction without losing sight of the goal, is one of the most critical skills for gift officers and advancement teams.

Why Pivoting Matters in Advancement Work

Our industry continues to shift. Donor expectations evolve, technology reshapes engagement, and economic realities influence giving patterns. Yet many of us remain in our comfort zones, relying on approaches that worked one, five or ten years ago.

Building relationships that lead to generosity requires more nimbleness than ever:

  • Pivoting strategies when donor interests shift.
  • Pivoting outreach approach and platforms when initial outreach goes unanswered.
  • Pivoting conversations when a prospect responds differently than expected.
  • Pivoting priorities when organizational needs change mid-year.

Just like Ross’ couch, the goal is the same: get it up the stairs. But the path to success often requires adjusting angles, trying new approaches, being willing to laugh, while also finding the joy in our work.

Practical Ways to Pivot as a Gift Officer

  • Reframe asks (invitations): If a donor hesitates on a major gift, pivot to impact, what they hope to accomplish, a multi-year pledge or a planned gift conversation.
  • Adapt your gratitude approach: How donors see gratitude is shifting, have you asked how someone wants to be thanked, acknowledged or recognized? Do you know their preferred way to communicate with your organization?
  • Leverage data: Intuition is important, but do not make decisions for your donors. Utilize donor analytics that reveal giving patterns and engagement opportunities.
  • Stay curious: Pivot from “we’ve always done it this way” to “what if we tried this?”

Nimbleness isn’t about abandoning strategy; it’s about adjusting tactics to keep momentum alive.

Pivoting in Personal Life

As many shops reduce hours between now and year-end, I encourage you to think about how you pivot yourself personally. Where can you shift focus from work to family, friends, fur babies, or simply restorative personal time?

Just as nimbleness fuels professional success, it also fuels joy and renewal. Taking time to pivot toward what matters most outside of work ensures that when 2026 begins, you’ll return with energy, passion, and clarity. I will spend some of that time with a few of my favorite people, and there is a good chance that will include some “Friends” binging!

Holiday Message

As we wrap up this year, I want to thank you for the important work you do in building relationships, advancing missions, and strengthening communities. May this holiday season bring you moments of rest, laughter, and connection. And may 2026 be a year where you pivot with confidence, toward opportunities, toward growth, and toward joy.

Gratitude in Advancement

November has long been a season of gratitude in our industry when advancement professionals pause to recognize the generosity of our donors, the strength of our partnerships, and the importance of the missions we serve

But gratitude is more than a sentiment we express; it is a practice we cultivate. And one of the most powerful ways to bring gratitude to life is through the questions we ask.

In our trainings, we’ve been engaging more deeply with natural stakeholders: physicians, providers, academic leaders, and nonprofit executives. These conversations often begin with donor motivations; but we encourage our partners to go further, to explore gratitude and impact directly.

We suggest asking:

  • How has our organization expressed gratitude for your giving?
  • How should we demonstrate appreciation for your generosity?
  • Do you feel your gifts are making an impact?

These questions transform gratitude from a simple “thank you” into a dialogue. They help us understand not only how donors value their giving, but also how they envision their legacy and impact. In turn, they open doors to future opportunities and deeper alignment between donor intent and organizational mission.

Probing questions like these are not just tools to support discussions, they are expressions of respect. They signal that we are listening, that we care about the donor’s experience, and that we want our gratitude to be authentic and meaningful.

As you shape your own donor strategies, consider how gratitude-centered questions might strengthen your approach. Gratitude is not static; it evolves across communities and generations. Taking time to understand these shifts ensures that our expressions of thanks remain relevant, intentional and authentic.

As we celebrate National Philanthropy Day, we are feeling gratitude. At KDD Philanthropy, we are profoundly grateful for the ways we partner with you and for the lessons we continue to learn together. Gratitude is not only something we say, but also something we practice, every day, in collaboration with you.