A topic that particular attention has been focused on in recent years here in Italy (but also abroad) is the relationship between nonprofit governance and issues related to development. It is part of a process Read more…
Managing one culture is tricky enough but what about when two or more organisations want to work together to achieve a shared outcome? How can they ensure their cultures work together for the benefit of 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…
Who’d have predicted the events of 2016? We’d all love a crystal ball to see what the next few years hold for us all. In relation to fundraising, here’s the next best thing. In autumn Read more…
2016 is ending not completely without marvel for me. Two great things happened last week. First, on December 16, the family of Canadian philanthropists Larry and Judy Tanenbaum donated $20 million to create the Tanenbaum Read more…
Although I’m proud of my own 16 years in fundraising I am fully aware that I’m just a rookie compared to some old-timers out there. This post is a short tribute to one of the Read more…
It’s been three years now since we released the Great Fundraising research carried out by professors Sargeant and Shang. In that time, we have had the privilege of observing many organisations put the findings into 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…
by Jackie Fowler, Ken Burnett and Tim Connor This article has been written as part of the preparations for project 13 of the Commission on the Donor Experience, ‘Giving donors choices and managing preferences’. In Read more…
When I introduced the Authentic Fundraiser I talked about the need for a less traditional sales approach. In this post I’m going to dig a little deeper into how “professional” fundraising professionals should be? People Read more…
Non-profits are no longer guaranteed a free lunch. We have to work harder than ever to raise the funds we need, which — as we have seen in many instances around the world — leaves 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…
~Numerous Jedi Masters have translated this post from Yoda’s unique way of speaking to improve reading ease.~ Small spoiler alert, friends, if you have not seen new Star Wars movie. Many watched Star Wars: The Read more…
The year just passed will probably get, and deserve, some colourful descriptors from fundraisers, most of them uncomplimentary. In Britain particularly it was uncomfortable, to say the least. But as the year ended a number Read more…
… and one simple answer. The greatest fundraisers asked and answered only four questions, repeatedly, for a long time. These questions are: 1. How do we make our proposition even better? 2. How do we Read more…
Pay it Forward I landed my first job in fundraising as an unprepared novice with big responsibilities and a bottom line to achieve. For the past seven years, I’d been home raising two children, doing Read more…
Think of some things that you would consider unethical for a fundraiser to do. You probably came up with stuff such as putting pressure on donors, making them feel guilty, targeting vulnerable people, using shock 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…
~Numerous Jedi Masters have translated this post from Yoda’s unique way of speaking to improve reading ease.~ There is much Dark Side fundraising being done in our sector. Yet no one fundraiser is to blame. Read more…
The Resource Alliance’s International Fundraising Congress is hands down the best investment a fundraiser can make in their career and themselves. Every year, some of the best minds in fundraising gather in Noordwijk to elevate Read more…
One of my long term mantra’s has been to ‘use windows, not mirrors’, a simple way of reminding myself that truly to move forward, be in line with the market place and to have any Read more…
Look at your board and your leadership team… How many are men? How many are over 50? How many are white? If the answer is: “most of them” – you are leaving money on the Read more…
Last year I became an accidental marathoner. I entered the New Year as a recently quit ex-smoker and instead of simply getting rid of the cigarettes I decided to put something into the vacuum they left 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…
