I always like to start with the end in mind. Look at your week. Find 90 minutes, at most 3 hours, to block out to implement what I cover in this article. Confront this challenge head-on by blocking one full day. Really put your arms around rekindling relationships with past givers. Implement effectively. The Foundation […]
Light in Darkness
A giving-driven organization exists to see specific things accomplished in the lives of the people it serves. The only way to see real change accomplished in the lives of people is through a movement of God among people who will work and give. Look in scripture. A fundamental change in people’s lives occurs, first and […]
Focus Factor
I want you to have confidence about what you can implement and put in motion. I want you to prioritize end-of-year giving. What you focus on factors in to your ministry’s financial fidelity. What a ministry focuses on as the giving year ends is the single most impactful piece of the giving puzzle. No matter […]
Your Compass vs. Your Map: A Quick Guide to Vision & Mission
How can you clarify or put your finger on vision? There are many schools of thought about how organizations should define or use the terms vision, mission, purpose, and values. The good news? You don’t have to take a side. Redundancy rattles. Be clear; the rest is irrelevant. When people are unclear, they end up […]
Referrals Fuel Success
I often receive questions about how to approach referrals. You always want to follow up. Leaders are network builders and connection makers. Should you call, or should you wait for an introduction? If no one answers, do you leave a message? Call back? Or none of the above? This person may not recognize your number […]
Skipping Stones | Turning Plans into Action–Part II
Smooth, flat rocks thrown at the right angle with a quick wrist flick will hop across the water’s surface rather than quickly sink to the bottom. It doesn’t take a bodybuilder to accomplish this physics-bending feat; it just takes a patient and practiced handler with good form. Momentum, once harnessed, is no easy thing to […]
Momentum Missteps and Mishaps
The human brain likes to group. It generalizes. It categorizes. It organizes. The first time you saw an Archie comic at the grocery store checkout line, I doubt the decorative cardstock indicating the cost also defined the comic book for you. My guess is the more you encountered books with recurring characters comprised of drawings […]
Stepping Stones | Turning Plans into Action–Part I
When done right, your development message is clear. A development message is structured to answer the questions donors always have but don’t always ask: Why is this important? What’s the mission? What values drive all this? What’s the history? How did you get here? What is the plan? What are the strategic plan steps? What […]
Finalize Year-End Giving
All the work you do in development from January through September is reflected in the response and activity from givers in October through December. From a development standpoint, there are two pivot points in the year at which you are trying to ask people to make a giving decision. In the first half of the […]
The Illusion of Effectiveness
My father wisely taught me there are no expenses in development. There are only investments. Every dollar and hour spent on development should have a corresponding result and impact on giving. Why? You don’t exist to keep people employed in development. That’s not why you’re there. You’re there to bring others alongside you to support […]
Ask In All Seasons
As leaders, we must proactively reach out in specific ways to people willing to give at different times of the year. Many nonprofit organizations use a fiscal year that starts in August or September and finishes the following summer. Some do operate on a budget year, otherwise called a calendar year. This distinction is important […]
Work Smarter, Not Harder | Limits of Leadership
Let me give you a framework to think about using your capacity. Imagine your junk drawer at home. The larger the junk drawer, the more junk you will find to put in there. Eventually, you will fill it up and go to junk drawer 2.0. There will always be junk to fill the drawer. Capacity […]
Work Smarter, Not Harder | List More, Overthink Less
Ideally, you’re in the room with your donors at least once every eighteen months to two years. You’re touching base. You’re updating. You’re refreshing their memory of your ministry’s vision. You’re repeatedly moving through the cycle of thanking and reporting. As your organization’s advancement leader, I encourage you to continually work on your lists so […]
Where You Go Is Determined by Where You Are
If you’re in development, chances are you’ve already racked your brain for the best ways to expand your network. Look around you. Who do you see? Start there. For those of you working in schools or ministries with gatherings, it’s sadly common for people to only interact with others they know. If there’s a stranger […]
Start Well to End Well
Have you ever planned for a long vacation with your family? Different family members have different takes on what “planning” looks like. Some consider remembering toothpaste to be above and beyond, while another individual who shall remain nameless would label socks if given a chance. Who do you think everyone goes to on day two […]
Asked and Answered | Fundraising Events
Leaders of communities with diverse backgrounds and economic means must manage the perception that some fundraising activities are being geared only toward those small groups that might be more apt to be able to give financially. Cultural implications exist in an organization’s community when you do fundraising events. While not as big of an issue […]
5 Numbers to Know in the New Year
The start of a new year is when people are driven and willing to sit down and look at what’s working and what needs to be reworked. A clean slate is more than just exciting – it’s a prime opportunity to clarify who your organization is and what it stands for, allowing for disciplined planning. […]
Planning With Purpose in the New Year
For some of us, the dawn of a new year represents a clean slate, a fresh start, and another opportunity to pursue the resolutions we set aside last year. For those of us in development and leadership, a new calendar year also signifies that it’s time to determine a strategy for the year ahead. Oftentimes, […]
Are They Picking Up What You’re Putting Down?
Think about the members of your team. Picture them in your office or workspace. What do you see? Who’s listening to music? Who can’t work unless their space is tidied? Does anyone have a variety of colors and textures in their area? What about seating selections? Does everyone use a classic chair or do some […]
Relationships That Reach
My dad always said, “Your salvation will not drop from a distant sky.” Practically speaking, there’s no way to identify and discover large donors from out of nowhere. The work is called development – it’s a journey, a discipline of connecting the dots and being an excellent steward of the relationships that God has already […]
