If everyone else was jumping off the Empire State Building… I can still hear my mom saying that to me when I was a kid. Probably in response to me asking to do something because “everyone else is.” She wasn’t wrong then and it still applies today. Best Practices When...
“Thank you for your donation of $100.” Every time I see that as the opening sentence on a thank you letter, I die a little inside. Gratitude Attitude Last week I gave a training for more than 40 nonprofits who work in the Abilene, Texas community. The topic? Gratitude...
I was a fundraiser. And grant writer. And event organizer. And website manager. And copywriter. And marketing director. And budget preparer. Oh. I shouldn’t forget that I was also a fireman, putting out fires. All of the above wasn’t at multiple jobs. I did them all...
I hate Giving Tuesday. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I really really hate it. Despise it. But just because I dislike how nonprofits currently use the day doesn’t mean I think you should simply not participate in tomorrow’s festivities. No no. I have...
Sometimes a piece of paper isn’t just a piece of paper. Two simple pieces of paper taught me about asking and giving back. The ask I was riding the train in Israel. An older gentleman came into the car and distributed this to everyone: It reads: “A family with 5...
When I talk with clients, prospective clients and large audiences, I always hone in on two points related to building relationships: The nonprofit sector’s donor retention average hovers around 45%. That’s abysmal. Acquisition costs more than retention. Organizations...
