A couple of weeks back (on January 28th) Tony Poderis addressed his concerns about the evolution (or devolution) of the fundraising field. Where I agree with Tony, wholeheartedly, I want to address the distinction between the two concepts … profession and activity as in the title of this piece. All professions, by definition, involve some …
Finance/
Financing & Loans
What would we do without Shakespeare’s quotes to fit any occasion or mood? Thus it is with my seeming futile battle against the ever-mounting rise throughout the non-profit sector where development staff members become nothing more than paid solicitors. Whenever I’m impelled to remind anyone who the fund raisers should be in their organizations, keeping …
Every time I sit down to write a fundraising letter, or one of these posts, I suffer a period of anxiety. I’m worried that readers will reject my writing. Reject me. At first my writing is flat, a collection of information and phrases with no life or meaning. But after a little while I get …
In the context of charitable giving/fundraising, the anonymous donor is someone whose name will not be publicly linked to the gift they’ve made … or even if they’ve made a gift. Usually the recipient organization will know the name of the “anonymous” donor; but, consistent with the donor’s wishes, will not allow that donor’s name …
January 14: Recognizing The “Anonymous” Donor by Hank Lewis “Recognition” is something done “for” the donor, not for the public. And, for recognition to be appropriate, it must be consistent with the needs of the donor. January 21: Getting To Know “YOU” by Jonathan Howard Every time I sit down to write …
An all too common question … that usually arises far later in an organization’s forming process than it should have been asked. I always reply, saying, “Before you make commitments for expenses for which you may not have the funds, I suggest you begin with your Board Of Trustees. You should have on your board, …
We have had many a tasting with delicious desserts that were not chocolate. So, when selecting one that was not chocolate, we usually added a plate of truffles to the table so people would not feel as though the meal was incomplete. A good caterer should also be a guide to all of the different …