This BLOG is intended to help conservation organizations and land trusts pursue excellence in all aspects of their conservation endeavors. I welcome your comments and feedback to these posts.
11 February 2025 By David Allen, Development for Conservation I spent the better part of last weekend cutting up wood in my backyard. My wonderful white pines had shed several not-so-small limbs, four other trees needed pruning, and I had determined to take two of our lilac...
4 February 2025 By David Allen, Development for Conservation The funny thing about nonprofit work is that we are regularly called to accomplish 120-150% of what might be humanly possible in a day or a week – and we like it that way. Think about it. If the workload...
28 January 2025 By David Allen, Development for Conservation In May, Carolyn and Marty attended a Conservancy-hosted family-fun day on the Green Preserve with their daughter and her two children. They were responding to a Facebook ad and thought the outing was just the thing to help...
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...
14 January 2025 By David Allen, Development for Conservation I don’t necessarily subscribe to the notion of “language police,” and nothing in this post is intended to be critical of the language YOU use to talk about your projects and programs. Still, words matter and the words...
7 January 2025 By David Allen, Development for Conservation Happy New Year! Time to start again. January of new year. This is part of a blog that I post every year right after New Year’s Day. I modify it slightly, and I add to it from time to time,...
31 December 2024 By David Allen, Development for Conservation Happy New Year! Time to start again. January of another year. This is part of a blog that I post every year right after New Year’s Day. (This year I’m cheating that calendar by one day – no apologies.) I...
24 December 2024 “Conservation, environment, poverty, community, education, family, health, economy - these combine to make one quest: liberty and justice for all. The cause is the same cause. And justice comes from the same place being human comes from: compassion.” - Carl Safina Thank you for giving...
17 December 2024 By David Allen, Development for Conservation Many land trusts have Board Development Committees that either focus on planning outreach events or serve as oversight committees for the Development staff. Neither is particularly helpful in raising money. Development Committees could address their work in a...
10 December 2024 By David Allen, Development for Conservation Twenty-one days left in 2024 – three weeks. Take out weekend days (6) and Christmas Day and you’re left with just 14. How will YOU use them? Regular First Thing Tuesday readers will know that I strongly encourage fundraisers NOT...