#37

MacKenzie Scott and a few other outliers aside, big gifts take time to secure. They don’t often come easily. Major gift fundraising requires a long view, building the relationship strategically, […]

#36

As Jerold Panas famously stated, “Life is a wheel. The more you give, the more you get back.”

#35

If your nonprofit organization’s Board of Directors doesn’t lead in giving, why should anyone else?

#34

A no is a prelude to a yes.

#33

You should never make assumptions about how a donor will respond to an ask without asking them first. People are full of surprises and want to be helpful if asked […]

#32

When you make a planned gift to a charity, you add 10 years to your life expectancy.

#31

Giving is local. While there are exceptions to the rule, the vast majority of contributed dollars from Americans stay within a 25-mile radius of their home.

#30

What gets measured gets movement. If there is accountability against a goal and the moves taken to get there are evaluated, fundraising success is significantly greater.

#29

You can’t make a poor person wealthy, but you can make someone with capacity more connected and passionate about your organization. Focus on those with the gift of capacity and […]

#28

The best fundraisers know that 80-90% of success is just showing up. Not to dismiss the value of expertise, but consistently and intentionally showing up makes a huge difference. Even […]