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 July 2023 By David Allen, Development for Conservation Step outside of your organizational role and pretend, for a moment, that you are a donor. You care about the land trust and you care about the mission of conservation. You also care about other things – like...
4 July 2023 By David Allen, Development for Conservation Happy Independence Day! I toyed with the idea that I should perhaps skip this week, or post on Wednesday instead. And I decided that since it was ready to go, I should just post it anyway. Can’t have...
27 June 2023 By David Allen, Development for Conservation If you have remembered _____ Land Trust in your will, please let us know so that we can say Thank You during your lifetime. This is so easy. It makes a good PS: note. It makes a good line...
20 June 2023 By David Allen, Development for Conservation Just because something is new doesn’t mean it’s better. Just because something is old doesn’t mean it’s worthless. And just because we CAN do something doesn’t mean we should. I juggle about 25 clients in a year, including coaching clients. I...
13 June 2023 By David Allen, Development for Conservation July is just a few short weeks away – Yikes! – Are you ready? What’s on your list for July? Annual Meetings? Summer field trips? Donor visits? Here’s what I’m thinking about. Plan the Fall Appeal – If you follow...
6 June 2023 By David Allen, Development for Conservation I’m still reviewing far too many fundraising letters that fail the most basic test of asking for money. They dance around the idea by asking someone to “be generous” or “give a little bit more” or “renew again...
30 May 2023 By David Allen, Development for Conservation I have four Development Audits in various phases of completion right now. My work seems to run like that – no Audits at all for six months and then four all on top of each other. One of the...
23 May 2023 By David Allen, Development for Conservation All Board members need to be involved in fundraising. Not all Board members need to be involved in asking. Perhaps as much as 90% of fundraising is building relationships with donors – without asking. Pretty words that are arguably...
16 May 2023 By David Allen, Development for Conservation There’s a spot in Nebraska on top of a little rise where you can see grass all the way to the horizon in every direction. What you can’t see is any sign of human life. No roads. No...
9 May 2023 By David Allen, Development for Conservation It’s conference season in land trust world, and I have been thrilled at being back in person! After several years of trying to do conferences over ZOOM, I am grateful that we are back in 3D. In one of...