I feel the pain of nonprofit CEOs and development staff who rail about board members’ reluctance to step up to the fundraising challenge. I’ve served on the development staffs of three Christian colleges, including a short stint as a VP for Advancement. For the past 15 years, I’ve provided development counsel to faith-based nonprofits. I’ve [...]
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 [...]
What part of thank you don’t you understand?
January 23, 2013 By 4 Comments
Maybe it was just me, but the just completed end-of-year “gold rush” seemed unusually vociferous, what with the addition of emails, texts, and tweets to the usual direct mail onslaught. Even the stodgiest of charities jumped into the online fundraising waters, panning for riches beside the early adapters. Frantic fundraisers left no method of asking [...]
Nonprofit leader, fundraising isn’t your board’s problem.
January 16, 2013 By 2 Comments
Just once, I’d love to pick up a report citing CEO support for boards doing what boards were created to do. That is, to govern — preferably well. Better yet, in an exemplary manner. Sadly, the 2012 Governance Survey from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability isn’t it. Despite ECFA’s valiant efforts to steer ministry [...]
A better than crystal ball look at fundraising’s future
December 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
For visual learners, the infographic below is just the ticket — assuming you’re interested in what’s ahead in fundraising worldwide. It illustrates some of the high (or low, depending on your outlook) points from the annual State of the Industry Survey. A staple since 20o4, the survey collects and analyzes data from nonprofit professionals in [...]
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 [...]
10 time-proven laws of fundraising
November 19, 2012 By 6 Comments
While cleaning out a file cabinet that hasn’t been touched for several years, I came across “The Ten Immutable Laws of the (Fundraising) Universe,” dated 2003. Scanning the list, I’m reminded that the more things change in our world, the more they stay the same. In his preface to the 10 laws, author Carl Richardson [...]
End of the week leftovers
November 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Here’s a bunch of Generous Matters-worthy reads about which I would have commented this past week, had I had time. It’s that time of year. 3 tips for driving your driving a successful annual appeal. 4 questions donors want you to answer. “If you don’t understand how these 4 questions work in your donor’s mind, [...]
