Serving on a CEO/presidential search committee is a weighty assignment. Constituent hopes are high. Inquiring minds want to know. And employees wait impatiently for a… Read More »The proof of a CEO search is in the post-selection “pudding”
Here’s a message to fundraisers who qualify as control freaks, self-appointed messiahs, and/or living without margin in their work lives. Run, don’t walk to the… Read More »Get more done by doing less
Leadership is on my mind a lot these days, probably because I’ve missed the submission deadline for a chapter I’ve been asked to write on… Read More »When selecting a leader, be careful for what you wish.
The doorway by which I found my way into fundraising was marked “public relations.” More years ago than I like to admit, I was the… Read More »Every fundraiser needs a John the Baptist
In today’s mail, I received a frantic letter from a ministry where just a year ago, the board was patting itself on the back about… Read More »When we fail to plan, we plan to fail.
This week’s Chronicle of Philanthropy sent fundraisers scurrying every which direction. A front-page headline trumpeted the importance of “tomorrow’s donors.” A few pages back, readers… Read More »GenXers or Gray Hairs, which will it be?
After years of encouraging clients to give it a whirl, I’ve developed a love/hate relationship with wealth screening — the much-lauded tool for uncovering major… Read More »Confessing my love/hate relationship with wealth screening
Clients are surprised by the advice, but before launching into a planning process I encourage telling stories about the organization’s past. Eager to grasp the… Read More »Finding your organization’s future in its past
When asked to serve on the transition team for the newly selected head of a ministry organization, I said “yes,” but with more than a… Read More »Announcing your new leader with fanfare
“Something that helps me is having the ability to do online donations. . . My mom thinks I’m crazy, but I don’t do business with… Read More »Tips for turning your organization into a Millennial magnet