Why high-achievers find fundraising hard

As a leadership coach, I work with a lot of high-achievers. People who’ve experienced success enough times to be promoted to the head of a team, a department, or even the head the organization. One of the oddest things about leadership is in the Western model is that, you lose positional supervision just as your…

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You don’t need to be in crisis!

Last week, I heard board members make a classic blunder. They were worried that they couldn’t fundraise any more. Why? Because they weren’t in a crisis. They had good reserves and the finances were very well managed. So they couldn’t see why anyone would donate to the cause. Do you know what they started talking…

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What if we’ve asked them all?

When I’m being a fundraising coach, I tend to coach nonprofit CEOs and executive directors. One of my primary tasks I try to help them build into their rhythm is for them is to make 5 – 10 major donor calls each week. But since CEOs aren’t managing a large portfolio of donors, what do…

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Stop telling fundraisers their goal is “more”

Enough is enough. Nonprofit leaders need to set actual fundraising goals. Unfortunately, nonprofit leaders rarely do. Rather than setting a clear goal, leaders pressure fundraising professionals to raise more. “More” is vague and immeasurable. “More” is unacceptable. “More” grinds us all, even the best fundraising professionals, to a pulp. Because “more” can never be reached….

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Deadlines drive donations – FundraisingCoach.com

One of my favorite fundraising colleagues, John Donovan, once said, “Deadlines drive donations.” As we approach the end of June, this truth can help your fundraising efforts. Many nonprofits in North America end their fiscal year in June. The end of a fiscal year is a deadline. Chances are, there are people in your sphere…

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Inspiration and Advice for a New (Fiscal) Year

July 1st is the “New Year” for many nonprofits. New fiscal Year, that is! No matter how well the past year’s fundraising was, today is the day you start back at zero. Again. So I asked some of the top experts in the field what advise they’d give to nonprofit leaders and fundraisers starting the new year….

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Perfecting the Online Donor Experience: 4 Strategies

Did you know that online giving increased by 9% across the nonprofit sector in 2021—and continues to grow for organizations big and small? Online giving and engagement have become a cornerstone of the fundraising world, making it essential for nonprofit organizations to offer a seamless online giving process. So, to help your team improve the…

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