Alumni (or any other constituent group) Participation – What’s All the Fuss?
By John Taylor, Partner This article will focus on alumni participation as there are national collectors of this information that enter into college rankings. But the information shared here can just as easily apply to parents, grandparents, friends, members, etc. Alumni participation was originally seen (some 40 years ago by US News and World Reports) as aRead More Alumni (or any other constituent group) Participation – What’s All the Fuss?
Minding Millenials
By: David Shufflebarger MINDING MILLENIALS I have the impression that a lot of folks over 35 are dismissive of millennials, putting them out of their mind because of some preconceived notions such as ‘entitled, unreliable, or glued to their screens.’ Thus I was struck by this confluence of headlines over a couple of weeks inRead More Minding Millenials
Marvelous Mentors
By: David Shufflebarger, Senior Partner One of the joys of our work is that we get to meet and learn from some truly marvelous people. Over time, my abundant youthful ignorance about philanthropy has been lessened considerably by generous people who were willing to pass on what they had learned from many successes and someRead More Marvelous Mentors
Learning the Language
By Mark Belcher, Partner After more than 20 years of working in and with various types of development organizations – higher ed, research, hospitals, etc. – one thing I have come to appreciate is that there is more often than not a considerable gap translating our work into the language of business operations. As is alsoRead More Learning the Language
Pencils of Promise
This is the story of Pencils of Promise. Adam Braun was an American tourist, backpacking his way around India, who gave a child his pencil–and then went on to found PoP, whose mission is to build schools and create educational opportunities in the developing world. In March, he took time out to talk with CauseTalkRead More Pencils of Promise
Stress Management Tips & Techniques For Development Officers
Raising money is a rewarding and fulfilling profession if you ask many of the successful men and women who ask for funds on a daily basis. Nonprofits, whether they are in business to help one individual, one child, one animal, or to transform society, give development officers reasons to be proud and feel purposeful inRead More Stress Management Tips & Techniques For Development Officers
Good or Best…Which is the Enemy?
Good or best . . . which is the enemy? Sometimes a great deal of truth can be found in simple phrases. And, then again, sometimes the truth can be found when the phrases are modified. So, for example, how many times have we heard, “If it’s not broken, don’t mess with it?” Focus onRead More Good or Best…Which is the Enemy?
Passionate Philanthropy
Passionate Philanthropy Starts With A Case Worthy Of Support. A wordsmith might argue that passionate philanthropy is redundant. After all, isn’t philanthropy in its essence the ‘love of humankind’ and isn’t ‘love’ a passion? Nevertheless, all of us have probably seen or heard a case for giving delivered dispassionately. Sometimes the case is so compellingRead More Passionate Philanthropy
Fundraising is Making a Comeback!
By David King, President & CEO With the release of Giving USA we get confirmation the philanthropic recovery from the recent recession is continuing, and outpacing the overall economic recovery. The figures released today show giving increased 3.5 percent in 2012 over 2011, just slightly ahead of the inflation rate, but far ahead of theRead More Fundraising is Making a Comeback!
Best Practices In Prospecting
by Nancy E. Peterman, Partner Some of us remember when our only option for prioritizing and understanding our prospects was a peer review session-a long, tedious meeting with a small, select group of our most loyal and successful donors staring at lists of names. Such feedback was invaluable then and now, as it helped usRead More Best Practices In Prospecting
