Dare the Impossible
We’re doing a study for a college. The school is going through some difficult times. Enrollment is down. Fundraising is flat. Faculty esprit isn’t what it should be.
Endowing the Gift
Here’s an idea you will want to be certain to pursue. Increasingly, I’m finding donors who are willing to endow their annual gift. But they need to be asked.
How to Say Thanks
Richard Grant is Director of the Dan Murphy Foundation (Los Angeles). He tells me he can’t recall ever receiving a thank-you letter from an organization that his Foundation felt
Change Is the Song You Sing
Donors do not want to give to the same old same old.
Trust Your Memory
Recently, someone in one of my Seminars asked, “Is it all right if I take notes when I’m calling on someone for a gift?”
Unlocking the Heart and Spirit
Ken Walker was among our earliest team of writers. He taught us how to write Case Statements. But he prepares his Case Statements in an unusual way. He begins by writing the openin
Be Optimistic
Our firm’s Genius Designer is Scott Allen. He has been the designer of all our material for about thirty years.
Make the Calls
I love giving my clients advice (counsel, to be more professional!). The other day I told a University they should call every donor over $100 and every first-time donor. Whatever t
You Will Become Addicted
This is going to take some discipline. Before you leave the office, or in your hotel room on a visit, or before bedtime at home, write in your Journal. I find that some of the most
Eschew the Email
There’s no one more effective in the field in maintaining relationships than Frank Cerutti. He’s Vice President at Prison Fellowship. “When I was a young fundraiser,” he te
