by Guest Contributor | Nov 27, 2023 | Caseload Management, Priorities, Strategic Plan, Year-end, Year-end Fundraising | Caseloads, Major Donors, Permission-Based Asking, Prioritizing, Qualifying, Strategic Plans, Structure
It’s year-end and you’ve just landed a new job – now what? How are you going to ask donors for a gift when you don’t even know them? Or maybe you’ve had a portfolio, but it’s WAY too big, so there’s no way you can reach everyone. How do you know where to focus your...
by Jeff Schreifels | Nov 1, 2023 | Events, Fundraising, Fundraising Events, Philanthropy, Return on Investment, Strategy | Events, Fundraising, Non-Profits, Philanthropy, Return on Investment, Strategic Plans
For a long time, hosting donor events and fancy galas was the be-all and end-all of fundraising. But in our post-pandemic world, it’s hard to argue that they serve anything more than a publicity function. Even before the pandemic showed how unreliable events are as a...
by Karen Kendrick | Oct 4, 2023 | Brainstorming, Donor strategy, Employee Management, Facilitation, Meetings | Communication, Facilitation, Management, Strategic Plans, Teamwork
How often have you left a donor strategy meeting with your team and thought, “That was a total waste of time.” It’s an hour of everyone reporting on what they’ve done well, only sharing successes (sometimes even repeating the same ones, meeting after meeting). It...
by Jeff Schreifels | Sep 20, 2023 | Cultivation, Moves Management, Stewardship, Strategic Plan | Cultivation, Moves Management, Stewardship, Strategic Plans
I know that at one point, the term “Moves Management” was helpful. It was a way to understand the stages around a relationship with a major donor (identification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship). I mean, I get it – before the introduction of moves management,...
by Karen Kendrick | Sep 18, 2023 | Dreaming with Donors, Making a Difference, Strategic Plan, Transformational Gifts | Planning, Relationships, Strategic Plans, Transformational Gift
Right now, in this moment, you have donors in your caseload who could give transformational gifts. But they’re not giving those gifts right now because no one has taken the time to see them, dream big with them, and take that journey with them as a partner. Getting...
by Jeff Schreifels | Sep 15, 2023 | Development Team, Donor Pipeline, Organization Structure, Strategy, Systems, Teamwork | Donor-Centered, Events, Fundraising, Non-Profits, Philanthropy, Pipeline Development, Strategic Plans, Structure, Teamwork
It’s not surprising. We are so into ourselves that we forget what fundraising all is about. We are so regimented in our thinking that we lose sight of donors. What am I talking about? The pervasive need that non-profits have to turn a fundraising strategy into a...