“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney

    Coming Soon!

    Development Inspirations:
    Ongoing Fundraising and Talent Development Coaching

    Development Inspirations is a an affordable and ongoing series of workshops for fundraising professionals dedicated to fostering passion, inspiration and validation in their career pathways. Individuals may sign up for the entire series, or on a class-by-class basis.

    Each session is 75 minutes long with a singular focus on a critical issue for development professionals.  The classes will be conducted in a learning laboratory environment and include a 35-minute “best practice” presentation, 30 minutes of facilitated sharing/discussion/activities, and 10 minutes for wrap up and key takeaways.

    Would you like to be notified when Development Inspirations launches? Send us an email and we’ll add you to the interested list!

    Session One

    • Making the Cold Call ~ Strategies to build discipline in development outreach, boost your confidence on the phone and master an essential element for fundraising success.

    Session Two

    • Making the Cold Call, Part Two ~ Building on session one, this session will focus on tips and techniques for effective donor outreach (this session will include role playing).

    Session Three

    • Developing Donor Strategies ~ This session covers the ins and outs of crafting donor strategy from high-end annual gifts and major gifts to transformative and planned gifts.

    Session Four

    • Talking Points ~ Learn how to develop talking points for prospect meetings, how to utilize them to guide your conversation, and how to make them a part of your daily development routine.

    Session Five

    • Making the Ask ~ Knowing when to ask, how much to ask for and what language to use in the ask are all essential elements to an effective solicitation.  This session will cover all elements of making an effective ask (this session will include role playing).

    Session Six

    • The Use of Probing Questions in Prospect Meetings – Asking the right questions is critical in understanding your donor’s desires. Learn how to ask the right questions to move every meeting closer to an effective solicitation.

    Session Seven

    • Overcoming Objections ~ Success in fundraising is built on overcoming objections.  Learn how to make objections the beginning of gift negotiation.

    Session Eight

    • Managing Up, Down and Across ~ Whether you are an administrative assistant, associate director or director, understanding how to effectively manage up and down your organization is a valuable career tool at any stage of your career.

    Session Nine

    • Mining Your Database and Prospect Pool – Your database can be a mystery and a goldmine.  Learn how to extract the right information from your database and to utilize this to consistently refresh your prospect pool.

    Session Ten

    • Events ~ Events are routinely underutilized as a fundraising tool. This session will focus on developing a thoughtful strategy on how to utilize events from conception to follow through to ensure you are not missing any fundraising opportunities.

    Session Eleven

    • Strategies for Upgrades ~ They say fundraising is part art and science, this is particularly true for upgrading donors. Learning how to successfully upgrade donors will help build your donor pipeline and ensure future success in annual and major giving.

    Session Twelve

    • How to Use Storytelling in Development ~ Using personal stories and narratives can change the way you fundraise. Learn why this is one of the most important components of fundraising success and how you can better utilize this technique.

    Session Thirteen

    • Ethics and Fundraising ~ Fundraisers are presented with a number of ethical considerations. Come hear some of the most common and learn how to navigate through the black, white and grey.

    Session Fourteen

    • Staffing your CEO, VP, Dean, Board Chair or Person of Influence ~ The partnership between development and institutional leadership (staff or volunteer) is critical for fundraising success but is often marred with miscommunications and varied goals.  This session focuses on building trust, establishing shared goals and setting clear objectives to ensure you are building a successful collaboration.

    Session Fifteen

    • Prospect Research/Predictive Modeling … Art or Science ~ This session will focus on why successful fundraising requires both prospect research and predictive modeling.

    Session Sixteen

    • Effective Stewardship and Donor Relations ~ Getting the first gift is less than half the battle. With new donor retention rates hovering around 25% for most organizations, learn how to effectively steward your donors to make additional gifts, upgrade their support and become loyal donors.