Were T. S. Eliot a fundraiser and not a poet and assuming a June 30 fiscal year-end (the standard for North American charities), he’d likely name May and June, along with April, as the cruelest time of year. The last leg of the annual race for the gold is the most taxing, always. With the [...]
Move your fundraising beyond the insanity of the same-old, same-old
March 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment
I gave up CNN or any other of the myriad news channels this past week. Not for Lent, but because the debacle unfolding in Washington, D.C. was simply too painful to watch. I’d like to think that the trauma of the last fiscal cliff experience would have knocked a little compromise (I stopped hoping for [...]
The very reason for fundraising as ministry
February 11, 2013 By 4 Comments
When looking for proof texts in support of their craft, fundraisers of faith know they can depend on the Apostle Paul. The Old Testament prophets, along with the Psalmist(s), are other mother lodes of useful passages. And of course there’s Jesus. He had a lot to say on the subjects of money, possessions, and our [...]
A ministry response to the challenges of nonprofit fundraising
February 4, 2013 By 4 Comments
News flash. The morale of nonprofit fundraisers in America is rock-bottom low, and for good reason. The majority of development folks toil in settings where even the most senior find it hard to flourish. So concludes “UnderDeveloped: A National Study of Challenges Facing Nonprofit Fundraising” — a joint project of CompassPoint and the Evelyn and [...]
Reflections from a generous giver on asking, thanking, and growing donors’ hearts
January 21, 2013 By 4 Comments
The following reflections on money, faith, and fundraising as ministry come from Don Meyer, a Buffalo, NY businessman whose generosity is well-known in Christian circles. When Don speaks, ministry leaders listen. And speak he did at a recent meeting of the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International board, on which I serve alongside Don’s wife, the [...]
Generous Matters on fundraising as ministry in 2012
December 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Despite the advice of experts about the importance of choosing a niche and sticking with it if you hope to attract a loyal following to your blog, I’ve not been able to confine myself to just one topic here at Generous Matters. For folks seeking predictability in their blog choices, I fear I disappoint as [...]
Maximizing the distance between all and nothing
December 12, 2012 By 2 Comments
In a recent post here at Generous Matters, I confessed my frustration with either/or thinking by nonprofit boards, CEOs, and development staff. You know, the willingness of some leaders to settle for walking or chewing gum, sans consideration that the two might be done simultaneously. As the saying goes, confession is good for the soul, [...]
Re-gifting abundance
December 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment
America’s nonprofits are in full ask mode as the clock runs down on 2012, and everyone, it seems, is feeling a little shaky. Nonstop talk of a looming fiscal cliff, along with hints that the charitable giving deduction could be on the chopping block, have even the most optimistic of fundraisers biting their nails. As [...]
Three reasons for focusing on givers’ hearts
April 4, 2012 By 1 Comment
About a year ago, my friend Mark Vincent, then serving as interim CEO for the Christian Leadership Alliance, invited a group of writers (yours truly included) to “boil down the key aspects of what you’ve been bringing to field into its powerful and focused essentials” into a book chapter. The resulting volume, Becoming a Steward [...]
Fundraising as ministry begins with a plan
February 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment
My first post here at Generous Matters focused on the critical role of planning in fundraising success. Fast forward a year, and planning is again a top-of-mind issue for me. I’m currently involved in four planning initiatives – two as counsel, a third as a board member, and the fourth as the sympathetic spouse of [...]
