Major Gift Goal Setting Without the Drama
Sometimes better goal setting doesn’t require a more complicated formula. It just requires putting the information in the right order.
You Don’t Have to Eat the Whole Elephant Today
When we’ve fallen behind, we don’t need a dramatic reset. We just need to take the next step forward, and celebrate the progress.
When Relationship Fundraising is Really Direct Mail in Disguise
Great fundraising programs need excellent direct mail and strong relationship fundraising. They should work together. But they are not the same.
Ask, Don't Tell: What the Best Donor Calls Have in Common
Try to shift your conversational strategy: you're not there to tell the donor what her gift means; you're there to learn.
The Icky Sticky Overheard Conversations
When donors understand how people, systems, and infrastructure contribute to long-term impact, overhead spending becomes less of a lightning rod.
The Icky-Sticky Word: Overhead
Fundraisers have an important role in helping donors understand overhead spending – through honest, permission-based conversations grounded in trust.
Your Emergency Donors Went Quiet. Here's Why (and How to Bring Them Back)
Most emergency donors don't lapse because they stopped caring; they just need to feel the ongoing need.
Five MORE Fundraising Trends We Can’t Ignore in 2026
Here's our take on 5 more trends identified in recent market studies, and what they may mean for your work.
Five Fundraising Trends We Can’t Ignore in 2026
Here's our take on some trends identified in recent market studies, and what they may mean for your work.
5 Steps to Start the New Fiscal Year with a Stronger Midlevel Plan
The new fiscal year isn’t just a time to do more. It’s the time to do the right things with more focus.
From ‘Look What We Did’ to ‘Look What You Made Possible’
Marketing talks in terms of a big picture, but you can turn it on its head for donors. Show them the impact of their gift in the larger scheme.
Don’t Miss the Ocelot (hint, it’s a small cat), But Don’t Miss the Joy Either
As you’re getting to know donors, don’t focus so much on your predetermined goal that you miss the joy of the relationship along the way.
Don’t Propose on the First Date
In fundraising, just like dating, moving too fast rarely ends with a ring.
The Velvet Dart
Take a moment that could have created distance and turn it into something that builds trust instead.
Your Donors Shouldn’t Be Floating Around
When systems are clear and consistently followed, donors move. They don’t stall out. They don’t sit unseen.
They Didn’t Stop Caring - They Just Stopped Giving
Reaching out to a lapsed donor is not about checking a box or clearing a report. It’s about reopening a conversation that likely never needed to close in the first place.
More Fundraising ‘Lies’ We Keep Repeating
Our assumptions about donors can shape our strategy in ways that can unintentionally distance rather than draw them closer.
Who Told You That? (Fundraising Lies We Keep Repeating)
Our assumptions about donors can shape our direct mail strategy and limit our success.
The Work Between the Wins – It's Not Always Glitz and Glamour
The foundational work of fundraising isn’t separate from the wins. It’s what makes the wins possible.
When “Good” Donor Emails Miss the Mark
At the end of the day, strong donor communication isn’t about saying more. It’s about saying the right things, in the right way, to the right person.