By David Allen, Development for Conservation Hi! Yeah (Mark, Sue, James, Samantha) said you might be looking for a (treasurer, attorney, Millennial, Timbuktu resident) for your Board. I’m your man! Yeah (he’s, she’s) a great person. And s/he says you are a great organization, too. Of course I’ve...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation So – are we headed for another recession? Plenty of folks think so. Mazarine Treyz of Wildwoman Fundraising points to the slowing housing markets on the east and west coasts, state government belt-tightening, and gun-shy foundation granting as signs that a downturn...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation When I come home every evening, I throw the change from my pocket into an old coffee can. (Remember when coffee used to come in cans?) It’s an old habit that has served me well around Christmas on more than...
People should not give money to an organization because they serve on the Board. They should give money because they believe in the work enough to give money. Doing so shows the kind of passion for the mission that inspires others – especially other donors....
by David Allen, Development for Conservation The most effective way to raise money from Millennials may be to wait until they’re in their 40s and 50s. So quipped blogger Jeff Brooks several years ago on his blog. His point was that the quest to attract younger...
Board members who don’t give themselves will not be effective fundraisers. But Board members should not give money because they are Board members. They should give because they believe that what you are doing is worth doing – they should give because they believe in...
by David Allen, Development for Conservation It’s time to think about what’s going to happen this Fall. At the very least, we’re in for a whale of an election, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most expensive election seasons in history. (Late October might...
My accounting friend Dana says that every Board director should know how much money the organization has that is unrestricted – that it can spend on operations – and exactly how each restricted gift was spent. That would be an improvement for most land trusts...
When you have donor meetings set up, when you will be at an event or field trip where one or several top donors will be present, take a moment to invite a Board member to come along. I would not go so far as to...