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Too often, we spend so much time worrying about how to ask for a gift that we forget the most important part of the equation: listening. There’s really no point in asking unless you follow up with active listening. This involves three important organs… your ears, eyes, and heart True listening involves combining these three […]
Asking is something I’m passionate about, and asking the right person, for the right amount, at the right time, in the right way is what sets great fundraisers apart from the crowd. The 10 Step Staircase is a tool I’ve developed to help fundraisers prepare for the big ASK. These 10 questions cultivate relationships with […]
Regardless of our line of work, we all face the possibility of hearing no all too frequently (check out my previous article HERE). In fact, sometimes we hear no when we’re really hoping and expecting to hear yes! How should we respond? Every time you make an ‘ask,’ you anticipate hearing yes. Even if you […]
As professional fundraisers, we frequently deal with the prospect of being “rejected”. Over the years, I’ve spoken to hundreds of fundraisers who have told me that this fear of NO is one of the biggest obstacles to their success. No one likes to be rejected. Whether it is getting turned down by your high school crush or […]
If you’re involved in fundraising in any capacity and want to dramatically improve your results this year, there’s one thing you MUST do. Are you ready? Create well-defined, measurable goals. Now is the time for making resolutions and setting goals. One of the most important parts of goal setting is to choose specific, measurable […]
One of the more amazing examples of leadership in the face of great odds and pressure is that of Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister before and during World War II. Over the years, I’ve learned about Churchill and his story. I was listening to a program recently where some scholars were discussing this great […]
Recently, I had a guest in my office. During our conversation, he mentioned how we tend to do a poor job when it comes to saying thank you. He observed that his particular field, fundraising within the faith community, seems to have a thank-you issue. I told him I, unfortunately, agreed! In my new book, The […]
Recently, I wrote about the Deadly Sins of Assuming and Guessing. Most often, the area in which we guess and assume…and then get it wrong…is with respect to amount of the gift. Somewhere along the way, two wrong alternatives came to be widely accepted: “Any amount is okay.””We need to make up an amount, because […]
Were you ever called in to the principal’s office when you were in grade school? It’s okay, you don’t have to answer that… 😉 But, if it happens again, now that you work for a school, I suggest bringing my friend Linda’s book with you! Linda McNay’s years of experience raising money for schools makes […]
Bylaws. Just seeing the word may fill you with a sense of dread. Or cause your eyes to cross and several yawns to follow. After all, what could be more boring than reading organizational bylaws? They seem so tedious and unnecessary, right? Every organization operates under a massive burden of laws and regulations. These legal […]