Dan Coyle’s The Culture Code explores the key traits of high-functioning teams. It's no surprise that the best teams in any endeavor become greater than the sum of their parts. Or as Dan describes it, they make 2 + 2 = 10. We’re talking about more than the intelligence, work ethic, or experience of the individual members here. According to Coyle, the not-so-secret ingredients are 1) Belonging, 2) Vulnerability, and 3) Purpose. For … [Read more...] about The Culture Code by Dan Coyle
You Need to Be in a Campaign
It's true. Your non-profit really should be in a capital campaign right now. If you aren't in a campaign currently, that’s OK. Just make sure you're getting ready for your next one! Why? The obvious answer is that capital campaigns help you do big, mission-critical things—the kind of stuff that your annual fund, or your golf tournament just can’t do for you. Whether it's building buildings, adding programs, or … [Read more...] about You Need to Be in a Campaign
Major Gifts Systems
Let’s face it: big gifts move the needle. Direct mail is fine, and yes, every gift is meaningful. But think about truly advancing the mission of your organization. Do $100 checks have the power to take you to a new, better place? How much time and money do you spend pursuing $100 checks? And are you as intentional and systematic when it comes to your major gifts program? You can be. Because it’s one thing to get a major gift from … [Read more...] about Major Gifts Systems
Are you setting your MGOs up to fail?
I received zero training in my first MGO job. Or support for that matter. My boss showed me the donor files, made sure I got into the database, and then said, “OK, go raise some money!” I was scared to death. … [Read more...] about Are you setting your MGOs up to fail?
Stewardship Tactics
This is the final post in our series on donor stewardship. So far, our guiding principles have been: 1) stewardship is the right thing to do, and 2) good stewardship is a driver of future fundraising results. As always, we started big-picture. The first post was on the psychology of donor stewardship. It’s so important to understand what’s going on behind the scenes before diving into tactics. … [Read more...] about Stewardship Tactics