Staff Development

03 Feb Take the Time to Write Well

Posted at 14:56h in Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Staff Development, Uncategorized 0 Comments

This year, I invite you to join me in writing differently. Let’s commit ourselves to anticipating more often. Getting ahead of the curve. Let our writing steep more. Write in such a way that our audiences will read it. Be more effective communicators....

27 Jan Do You Say Thank You Enough?

Posted at 05:49h in Board Development, Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Staff Development, Uncategorized 0 Comments

I once read that organizations should thank their donors seven times. How do you even do that? Here are some ideas to get you thinking:...

13 Jan Working with a Top 100 List in 2015

Posted at 05:11h in Board Development, Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Staff Development, Uncategorized 0 Comments

A Top 100 (or T-100) is simply a list of top donor prospects. These are people who warrant and deserve your special cultivation attention. This is the list of priority donor prospects that the board members should be working with. ...

17 Dec Board Policy on Grant Administration

Posted at 08:39h in Board Development, Development Audit, Featured, Foundations, Plans and Budgets, Staff Development, Uncategorized 0 Comments

My Board is considering adopting a resolution that stipulates that 20% of every grant will be used for admin ...

02 Dec The Three Experiences Every Volunteers Needs

Posted at 05:52h in Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Staff Development, Uncategorized 0 Comments

Volunteers have three experiences when they work for you, and all three should be positive to keep them coming back and inspiring others to do the same. Each event coordinator can influence these factors with a little forethought and organization. ...

26 Nov A Special Thank You

Posted at 06:10h in Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Staff Development, Uncategorized 0 Comments

If you’re like me, you get more and more Thank You messages about this time each year. Somehow, by taking a little extra time with the writing, by seeing this exercise as more than a chore to get done on schedule, they managed to capture...

25 Nov Plan Ahead to Say Thank You

Posted at 05:47h in Board Development, Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Staff Development, Uncategorized 0 Comments

Now is a good time to think back on all the best things that were made possible because of the appeal donations you received last year, and collect the best ones and share them with your donors in January. Call them....

19 Nov Make Sure the Board is Involved in Strategic Planning!

Posted at 06:10h in Board Development, Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Plans and Budgets, Staff Development, Uncategorized 0 Comments

To be most organizationally helpful, the process of strategic planning should be used to unify board and staff engagement and create buy-in. The process is as important as the result. ...

09 Sep See you at Rally!

Posted at 05:32h in Board Development, Communication, Featured, Membership, Staff Development, Uncategorized 0 Comments

Next week is Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference in Providence, Rhode Island. Anita O’Gara and I will team up to present The Surprising Secrets of Direct Mail Success on Friday. Peter McKeever and I will present A Board for All Seasons, which we like...

26 Aug A Dozen Rules for Writing Better Fundraising Letters – Part 2

Posted at 05:51h in Board Development, Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Staff Development, Uncategorized 0 Comments

Last week I wrote the first half dozen rules for writing better fundraising letters this fall. I based it in part on an excellent book that Jeff Brooks wrote several years ago that I wish I had written: A Fundraiser’s Guide to Irresistible Communications. This...