This is not a time to be timid. Putting a strong vision on the table that will touch, move, and inspire your donorbase and then investing both time and money into building one-on-one relationships and engaging everyone in your organization in doing so – that’s...
21 January 2025 By David Allen, Development for Conservation One of the questions I often get about meeting donors relates to not being able to imagine why they would agree to meet in the first place and what to say if they did. The fear is that...
21 September 2021 By David Allen, Development for Conservation The organizations I am working with are generally going ahead with plans to host Fall events in person. Some have moved their events outside while others are requesting proof of vaccination for admittance. I’d be interested in some feedback...
30 March 2021 By David Allen, Development for Conservation Imagine this scenario: A Board member recruits a $5,000 donation from one of their friends. The actual event took the Board member completely by surprise. (This story really happened!) The donor simply called out of the blue and announced her intention...
19 January 2021 By David Allen, Development for Conservation I’ve been thinking about motivation. Why do donors give? Why will donors say YES? We spend WAAAY too much time imagining people saying NO to the point that we are terrified of that possibility. What would happen if we...
12 January 2021 By David Allen, Development for Conservation Have you challenged yourself for 2021? Lose 5 pounds, paint the house, learn Spanish. What about organizational challenges? Secure an Americorps Volunteer, achieve accreditation. How about start a major gift program? Nationally, more than 80% of charitable giving comes from individuals....
17 November 2020 By David Allen, Development for Conservation Cold water time. Ready? Nobody cares about your birthday more than you do. (Not even your mother.) In fact, for the vast majority of people you have met during the years since your actual birth day, your annual celebration doesn’t...
18 August 2020 By David Allen, Development for Conservation I’m working on refining a Fundraising Planning Seminar for land trusts in Colorado, and I created a Five-Step process. Actually, it’s a process that has five steps assuming you are already clear about the goals! (See also Start with...
2 June 2020 By David Allen, Development for Conservation I am not a gardener. We live in an urban home on just shy of an acre, and we are busily converting anything that is now grass into something else – trees, flowers, vegetables, and so on – that...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation I’m intrigued this week by the idea that donors give for their own reasons much more so than for ours. This paradigm shift – from the notion that they are helping us do our work to one that we are helping...