
ASKING – Prepare for the ask
When you know a donor well, it’s easier to prepare for a meeting. What if you don’t know everything you want to know? How much can you find out during the meeting? Learn from Jerry how he prepared for meetings.

ASKING – What does Maybe Mean
What does “maybe” mean? Is that a good answer and how do you investigate further? Maybe often means you’ve asked in that sweet spot – when a gift is doable yet meaningful – but takes thought. Also, we had quite an intimate moment when we compared notes on the most meaningful gift each of us had ever made.

What Makes a Great Fundraiser
Jerry started out identifying 102 traits of a great fundraiser and eventually whittled that down to twelve for his iconic book “Born to Raise.” How many of the twelve do you possess? And you’ll be surprised to learn how Jerry got into fundraising considering he was on a pre-med track in college.

Non Profit Board Evolutions
We came back to the subject of boards because they’re so critical to fundraising. Here Jerry talked about how boards evolve and what that means for their composition. How do you evaluate board members to ensure they are performing well? And how does the board evaluate a CEO, especially a long-serving one.

Staff Meetings
Jerry was already a CEO of a YMCA in his early 20’s, so you can imagine how many staff meetings he sat through in his illustrious career. You’d probably agree with Jerry’s assessment that most staff meetings are not productive, motivating or exciting, so join us to learn what you can do to improve them.

Quid Pro Quo
The dreaded quid pro quo, which in fundraising means board members asking friends and family whose causes they then have to support, was worthy of its own topic. Jerry shares how the field has changed and the work we still have ahead of us. How much of your board members’ fundraising is quid-pro-quo fundraising?