Give & Take

Image depicting dementia

It’s been two years since my mom died. But in my mind, she had already passed away seven years ago, with the onset of dementia.

Hear What People are Really Saying

Being an active listener ranks highly as a skill valued in any profession. However effective listening skills prove even more useful in a relationship-building job like fundraising. In fact, becoming an empathic listener is one of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. A few simple tips can help you retrain yourself into becoming a better listener. Read on to learn the top five habits to help you build active listening skills.

Mentor with new board member

Sometimes it seems like every nonprofit is currently searching for engaged, committed board members. You may live in a place where the usual CEOs, entrepreneurs, and political figures’ list of board assignments is already too lengthy to ask them to add your nonprofit too.

Charitable Gift Annuity Income Stream

Charitable gift annuities are a dynamic planned giving vehicle that can provide a major gift to a nonprofit while also delivering peace of mind to your major donor.

Involve engage sign

The textbook definition of a commission is, “a fee paid to an agent or employee for transacting a piece of business or performing a service.” However I prefer to think of a commission, in terms of the nonprofit world, as connecting inspiration with financial and community support. Commissioning clubs provide a uniquely inspirational way to connect major donors intimately with the cause they care about.

Culture of Philanthropy

A culture of philanthropy ranks as one of the most vital foundations to a successful development department. Nonprofits looking to boost fundraising and build substantial relationships with major donors should first measure the strength of their organization’s culture of philanthropy.

Minimum

Many nonprofits choose to set a clear fundraising expectation from each member of their nonprofit board. However some nonprofits choose to let their board members decide the amount of their gift to the organization each year. Others permit board volunteers to give in ways that aren’t financial. But what are the risks and rewards of setting a minimum board giving level?

Artificial Intelligence Human and AI hands

Artificial intelligence is today’s most relentless buzzword, as teachers, bosses, online daters, and everyone else learns the advantages and disadvantages of allgorithm-predicted answers in our daily lives. But there is one place in your development department where AI does not belong.

Reflections on Philanthropy

I’ve been fortunate to have had a long and varied career in philanthropy. And over the last 20-plus years, I’ve noticed five recurring, consistent themes that, for me, sum up what philanthropy is all about.

Online Will Planning

One of the cleverest recent developments in planned giving are online solutions allowing donors to create their own will, at little cost and with no legal intervention. Is this a good idea? What are the advantages (or disadvantages) for nonprofits and development pros?

Emotional Intelligence

I have experienced many rewarding moments among top philanthropic donors and nonprofit leaders. If you are reading this article, you likely fit within one or both of these populations and understand that, as Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

An image showing a woman's hands stretching a tape measure across the bottom of the word "success," to illustrate a PlannedGiving.Com blog post called "How do you measure fundraising success?"

We’re asked this question often. And since marketing is such a complex field, the answer can certainly be complex. In fact, the definition of success is subjective – and sometimes it is all over the place. But as you know, I believe in not just simplifying, but oversimplifying. So I’m going to answer in trademark PlannedGiving.Com fashion and break it down into basics.

Legacy Planner Logo

Making Estate Planning Accessible, Simple, Personal, Secure and FREE!

Bequests are up, cash is down. Empower your donors to plan their will and invest their legacy in the cause they support the most.

Please reach out. Note: if you give us your mailing address (or PO Box), we’ll send you a complimentary Planned Giving Gift Comparison Chart. 

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