Change happens in every organisation. And I’m not talking about the ‘disruptive,’ buzzword kind of change. I mean change as your industry evolves, your team evolves, and your leadership evolves. When any of those (and Read more…
I’m not even sure I should be doing this. And that’s part of the problem. You see, while it’s not at all hard for me to talk about diversity and inclusion, I do find it Read more…
Fundraising Directors are crucial for success. This incredible mastermind, known as Head of Fundraising in some countries, is in control of a massive budget and responsible for providing the organisation with the resources to do Read more…
Over the years I’ve observed sparky, funny, passionate and clever people morph into vanilla shells of their former selves as they enter their office to get on with their professional job of being a fundraiser. Read more…
Several years ago I went through a hefty psychometric evaluation for a role I was interviewing for. It was a great experience that left me with a fifty page document all about me and how Read more…
We used to run into each other at fundraising conferences and events, but it had been a while since we had met. When I called her and suggested catching up over lunch, I was hoping Read more…
Fundraising is by no means an easy task! Charities of all sizes constantly strive to increase the amount of annual donations, and raise awareness about their cause. And now, peer-to-peer fundraising is helping nonprofits towards Read more…
I’ve stayed out of the current relationship fundraising debate, a little unsure what to say that I haven’t said many times already in the past 20+ years. But I found myself wondering why hasn’t the Read more…
I don’t mean what you need to get the job or even how to keep it. Too many nonprofits are willing to settle for less than the best. There are more available positions than there Read more…
You mean there’s a name for this? Said by me, exactly one year ago. I’d just guest-lectured at Humber College on the topic of crisis communications in war zones and natural disasters. The professor, Ken Read more…
It’s the busiest time of the fundraising year. We’re leveraging the giving spirit of the holiday season and the tax benefits of the end of the calendar year, and we’ve got appeals and asks coming Read more…
Apparently if you put a frog in a pot of boiling water it will jump out. Yet put a frog in a pot of water and gradually heat it up the frog will not jump out Read more…
A lot happens in one year… In 2014, I posted an article on the Top 5 Questions fundraisers should be asking in a job interview. Not realizing, at the time, I would get to put Read more…
A friend of mine has spent three years working with refugees on the border of Turkey and Syria. Sometimes the challenges were overwhelming, 16 hour days for weeks on end, as the stream of people Read more…
We have a unique profession, and one that very few of us plan to choose when we begin our careers. Many of us stumble on to a job as fundraisers, fall in love, and never Read more…
Some months ago someone asked me why I spend so much time preparing the right set of questions for an interview panel. I told him that we only have one chance of doing this right. Read more…
At every conference I have ever been to there has been a session called ‘the next big thing’ and delegates turn up expectantly hoping for a silver bullet that will give them all the answers. Read more…
I haven’t always been a fundraiser, but having been in the sector for a while now. I have to admit, I love it. I love how much we share ideas and I love that even Read more…
Our 101fundraising community has lately been blogging and talking a lot about fundraising leadership: the emerging and the stale, the breathtaking and the reprehensible. I now want to pivot the conversation from managing up to Read more…
Let’s presume you have this great innovative idea for recruiting new donors and there is just one hurdle to overcome: a ‘final go’ on the extra budget from your director or management team. For some Read more…
We all have to juggle responsibilities. News commentator Leslie Stahl admonishes us to identify our glass balls, those tasks that we cannot drop under any circumstances. When those balls shatter, the consequences are either dire, Read more…
I used to love the titles given to the IFC opening and closing CEO speeches at the IFC by my hero and fundraising guru and friend, George Smith. They were simply “Rant 1” and “Rant Read more…
I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership lately. Why’s that? Because, after four years of becoming pretty darn good at what I do, 2015 will bring with it the next big learning – in a Read more…
This year in Holland, fundraisers from around the world gathered to learn, connect, share and grow at the International Fundraising Conference (IFC). It was my first time at IFC. After years of hearing how it Read more…
The best leaders I’ve had in my career have been surgeons, academics, arts administrators, software sales executives, and humanitarians. Most have been brilliant. The fundraisers, by and large, have not. Now, this could just be Read more…
