Articles & Top Guides
07 Nov Humble Confidence
Over the years I've had the honor to observe numerous Executive Directors, Presidents, Principals, Senior Pastors, Vice Presidents of Advancement, and Major Gift Officers in action. I’ll admit it’s very inspiring to see men and women in these roles make bold, strategic decisions that advance their school, ministry, or local church. But I've also seen a number of poor decisions made, which makes me wonder how quickly leaders admit they've made a mistake.
31 Oct Expect the Unexpected
We like to say that fund raising is “equal parts art and science.” For the science part, we can apply formulas and strategies and be fairly sure about what the results will look like. But the art portion is where the “unexpected” comes in.
26 Sep Command Those Who Are Rich
Paul instructed Timothy to “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Tim. 4:2). Timothy was to constantly share the word—when it was convenient and when it wasn’t. Paul challenged him to “correct, rebuke, and encourage” those whom God had placed in his care.
19 Sep How Much Should I Ask For?
If you've been around development work for any amount of time, or have worked with major donors at all, you've probably asked yourself this question - maybe more than once. “Successful fundraising is the right person asking the right prospect for the right amount for the right project at the right time in the right way1”.
29 Aug Quality Results Means “No Shortcuts”
Do you remember the old Ford Motor Company slogan that stated, “Quality is Job One?” Ford sold a lot of vehicles using that promise. They persuaded car buyers to buy THEIR product, under the belief that the manufacturer had a strong commitment to producing a quality product. But this raises these and other questions: “What does quality mean?" Or, “How will I know quality when I see it?”
22 Aug Let It Be
The Beatles tune, Let It Be, written in the 1960’s by Paul McCartney is catchy and profound! In the 3rd stanza it goes, “And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me, Shine on until tomorrow, let it be.” Please allow me to shine a bit of light on your advancement/stewardship planning with this song as a backdrop.
15 Aug 24
Of the $335 Billion dollars given last year in America, around ten cents (10) of each dollar given by check or wire transfer was written by a Foundation. The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article on Monday 14 April, 2014. The Article titled “Family Foundations Adopt New Mantra: Let’s Spend It All” by Veronica Dagher. A narrative about Family Foundations in America. 24% of those family foundations intend to give all of their assets away during the lifetime of the existing directors.
01 Aug Do you have an “Elevator Pitch?”
If you are involved in non-profit ministry and/or fund-raising for long, you will probably hear the term “elevator pitch.” Are you familiar with it? From Wikipedia, ”an elevator pitch, elevator speech, or elevator statement is a short summary used to quickly and simply define a person, profession, product, service, organization or event and its value proposition.” (Pincus, Aileen. "The Perfect (Elevator) Pitch".)
