Some people in our industry have made planned giving so moribund that they can put a cat on speed to sleep. Vendors included.
Some people in our industry have made planned giving so moribund that they can put a cat on speed to sleep. Vendors included.
Are you relying on dumb ways to seek donations? A few years ago, a darkly humorous Australian public service ad to promote railway safety went viral. Called “Dumb Ways to Die,” the campaign was set to a catchy song with lyrics including, Set fire to your hair. Poke a stick at a grizzly bear. Eat […]
Too busy? Or are you placing Planned Giving on the back burner, again? So many fundraisers make excuses, claiming they’ve placed planned giving on the back-burner because of tight budgets, smaller staffs and not enough time. Bull. There’s an underlying reason that none of us wants to acknowledge: Four years ago we asked fundraisers whether […]
Most “experts” place the practice as having been birthed in the 1970s — or maybe as far back as the ’40s. So it’s safe to say the first planned gift must have been made sometime in those decades. Right?
"It's never government, the economy, or tax laws that are our enemy. It's ourselves."— A CEO of a healthcare foundation, remaining anonymous.
Annual giving tends to focus on immediate needs. Planned giving is more focused on long-term growth. Although we need both, focusing on long-term growth creates stability.
There is a perception that many fundraisers are job-hoppers, never staying in one role or with one organization for long.
What’s the most popular food served at conferences? You guessed it. Chicken. What’s the most popular flavor of ice cream? If you said “vanilla,” kudos again. Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with chicken or vanilla. Although I do like both, I’m more of a seafood and habanero lover (yes, there’s even a habanero […]
Random acts of kindness? Pfui. How about consistent acts of kindness. Same goes for marketing... and that's why many nonprofits fail because a little bit of this and a little bit of that ...
I recently saw a post on LinkedIn mentioning that “it’s all about the relationship, not the ask.” If you want to be in the top 5% in your career, read on ...
Personal preferences can’t interfere with gift acceptance. A while back I wrote an article called “A Gold Strike” about how nonprofits should include “the ask” for gifts of mineral rights on their websites. Shortly afterwards, I received an email from an advancement officer who thought that no “self-respecting non-profit organization should consider a gift of […]
You do not need a Ph.D. All you need is Street Smarts. Look at what John Ready did at Valley Gives Back.
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