Knowledge

Making big gifts is most often a function of age. The older you are, the more capable you tend to be of making a major gift. It’s perhaps one of the few areas where it’s more beneficial to be older rather than younger.

The best fundraisers are not just good salespeople. The best development professionals have the capacity to manage staff and volunteers and executives and plan and execute, among other capabilities.

It depends. This is a classic answer when someone asks a fundraiser how best to architect the solicitation process for a major gift. Every situation and every prospective donor is unique and requires a tailored strategy.

The very best development professionals love people – being with them and developing relationships with them.

Wealth screening is a great tool, especially for finding financially capable prospective donors that might be flying under your radar screen.

The best fundraisers understand the need to find the path to the “yes”. That sometimes takes patience, time, a lot of listening, instincts, collaboration, teamwork, a bit of magic, and the guts to ask.

There is nothing easier in fundraising than raising money to help sick kids.

The most challenging case element to raise money for is to eliminate debt.

When looking for Board members, try to find those with the 3 W’s (work, wisdom, and wealth).

Communities that have deep roots and long histories in philanthropy tend to be the ones with the strongest educational, cultural, and medical capabilities.

When companies look at places to locate their headquarters, one of the factors considered is the existence of institutions like arts and cultural centers that philanthropy makes possible.

If you aren’t giving, you aren’t living.

The life of a philanthropist is so much richer than the person with the same amount of money who doesn’t give.

When volunteering, it’s easy to believe you are helping someone else. While it’s true that you might help someone else as a volunteer, it’s often the case that you benefit more as you gain an appreciation and understanding for the struggles and challenges of others and your heart for others grows.

The richest person in the world is the one that has the biggest heart for others.

The skills and capabilities of fundraisers are quick to atrophy when not being actively used.