Do you have Fundraising GRIT?
What is fundraising GRIT? Grit is a combination of passion and perseverance. According to Bill Damon, a Stanford developmental psychologist, you need these 3 things to develop purpose. A spark- something you’re interested in Observing someone, alive or dead, who is purposeful Discovering a problem they want to solve, and believing that it’s possible for […]
Are you in a blue ocean?
Recently I was reading a book called The Blue Ocean Strategy, recommended to me by Molly Ola Pinney and Aja Davis. This book was one of the things she recommended at the Next Level Fundraising Conference. It was a book I had never heard of before. But these powerful concepts can ABSOLUTELY apply to your […]
Reinventing your job
A lot of nonprofit fundraising staff come to me in despair. My job sucks! They say. I know what best fundraising practices are, but my boss won’t let me do them! HELP! Is it time for a change? Are your responsibilities and budget being reduced? Are you getting no raises? Are you being shut of […]
How can you make your nonprofit writing more persuasive?
Yesterday we talked about what makes people turn around their criticism about your nonprofit when you’re speaking about your cause in person. If you haven’t read that post yet, go read it now. I’ll wait. Are we back? What about if you’re WRITING to people instead of talking with them (and listening to them?) […]
4 things you must do when talking with a critic of your nonprofit
Have you ever been awkward trying to network with people while you’re tabling, or after a nonprofit speaking gig, or just networking in general for your nonprofit? Have you ever been interrupted during a speaking gig and not known how to deal with the interruption? We don’t like to talk about it, but this is […]
Is there a formula for fundraising success?
Fundraising isn’t JUST about money. It’s about relationships. How can you start to build a relationship with a donor? Conversation about their values. And questions. And listening. What questions do you ask? What does it look like when you get it wrong? Here’s a cringeworthy story about a fundraiser getting it wrong. The other day […]