If you want to prioritize fundraising, you have to actually prioritize fundraising. One of the first things I look at when working with organizations is the actual workload placed on their fundraisers. Because if one person is responsible for annual giving, major gifts, grants, special events, newsletters, social media, and whatever else pops up… it becomes nearly impossible to build a strong fundraising program. At some point, you have to take a very honest look at the w

One of the most underrated skills in fundraising — especially major giving and planned giving — is learning how to understand donor motivation. Not just why they gave once, but why they continue giving, what keeps them connected, and what kinds of programs or projects might resonate with them in the future. There are a few questions I’ve used over the years that consistently unlock donor motivation. The first is asking about their origin story. More specifically: How did

Having raised funds for more than 20 years, I can attest to the fact that there will always be turbulent seasons in our work. Sometimes it’s global. Sometimes it’s internal — an executive director retiring, a board chair stepping down, a major shift in strategy. None of this means your organization is broken. It means you’re living in the real world. That’s why stewardship matters more in these moments than in the (relatively) calm ones. Stewardship might start with a t

Fundraising is a team sport and members of your programs team play a vital role in building relationships with donors. But this doesn't mean your friends on the programs side of the shop are expected to raise funds. In fact, they might feel intimidated at the prospect of talking with donors or unsure how they can help. So, consider this a quick guide for your non-fundraising friends. If you are invited to meet with a donor, bring your expertise with you. Bring your joy,

Joy at a nonprofit event is a powerful thing. It can help energize a room full of supporters. It gives life and context to impact stories and future plans. It can be a note of optimism, hope, and even defiance. But it's also delicate. Too much of it can veer into toxic positivity or feel false. So many nonprofits are fighting for a cause against systemic, entrenched, and emboldened opponents it feels disingenuous to talk about a mission without talking about our obstacles.

Meetings with current, past, or potential donors are the heartbeat of major giving, donor retention, and meaningful relationship-building. Actively meeting with supporters moves your fundraising strategy from passive to active. But we but we don’t always define what a meeting actually is. And like many things in our sector, the definition can get a little fuzzy. Here’s how I define a true donor meeting: A donor meeting must be substantive. The format doesn’t matter (in

One of the biggest challenges in fundraising is how we think about fundraising. Here's an example A client of mine received a major gift from a foundation. It was the kind of gift that energizes a fundraising plan and seems to come at exactly the right time. It was also an unsolicited gift. No grant application, no solicitation letter. Just the gift. Much later, this client was reviewing her fundraising progress and was left feeling disappointed. She had hit her goa

Leadership lessons can be found in unlikely places. For example, Star Trek. I love an episode of Star Trek when a character brings a wild idea to the rest of the crew. Something untested, unknown, and possibly unsuccessful. The crew embraces this new idea in a flurry of activity and technobabble. They take a chance because they trust each other and assume that their colleagues are committed to the mission. This, of course, reminds me of nonprofit teamwork. Flash back

When I was a full-time fundraiser, I would read industry reports like Giving USA with some degree of apprehension. Reading about national fundraising trends made me wonder if my plans needed to change. After all, once the report was released, there was a flurry of headlines and findings: 😟 Number of donors is declining. 😟Mega donors are on the rise. 😟Giving is flat (or dropping). So I would read the reports and the analysis of the reports and try to determine what (if

Stop me if you've heard this one. You're planning a fundraising event. Maybe it’s a gala, or a breakfast, or a competitive round of Hungry Hungry Hippos. Your goal for the event is $100,000. Or 10, or 25 or whatever. But you but that dollar amount on your registration page, you invitation, you social media page. "Join us to raise $100,000 for XYX." That's your goal. But is that the goal of the actual event? If the only goal of your event is to make money, then it

There are a lot of tools and approaches that make you a more successful fundraiser. But the big one? It’s mentorship. A fundraising mentor is someone to challenge you, support you, and connect you to the bigger world of nonprofits. I know that my career, and my passion for working in nonprofits, owes a huge debt of gratitude to my first mentor, Frank Hall. Frank did more than teach me about fundraising. He showed me what it meant to be a full-time fundraiser and taught me les

The only thing I love more than an insightful report on donor behavior is an insightful report on donor behavior that supports what I've been telling clients for a while now. So you can imagine my joy upon reading Bloomerang's latest - "The Giving Signals Report: 2026 Fundraising Trends for Nonprofits." There's a lot of good stuff here, but what jumped out early on was this: "Donors are motivated less by transaction and more by meaning, identity, and the desire to make

I have a ... complicated relationship with nonprofit fundraising events. I've organized my fair share - even some that I am proud of almost 10 years later. But I also think that events are often an expensive and inefficient way to raise funds. Many nonprofits are stuck in a cycle of putting on generic events that don't celebrate their mission or engage their supporters - but make just enough money to make it difficult to pull the plug entirely. There are some remarkable n

I've been thinking about nonprofit myths lately. Those stories we tell each other in the industry that seem true, that drive decisions, and that sometimes cause some harm. Here's one that I used to really believe. The ultimate goal of every nonprofit (I was told) was to go out of business because the mission has been accomplished. That story was a story of selflessness. The minute we aren't needed, we'll close up shop and go do something else with our time. Now, this

Fundraising is driven by stories. Stories from donors, volunteers, clients, board members, and community members. Stories of impact, of generosity, of triumph. But while there's no shortage of advice about how to get stories, we don't spend enough time talking about what do with the stories after we get them. For a lot of my career, I was convinced that stories were fleeting and fragile, and that the audience for my stories only wanted to hear new stories, every time.

I had a great time at the NAWA annual fundraising conference in Tacoma. As is my way, I did not take any pictures, so you'll have to trust me on this one. I learned a lot at the conference -- about board structures, staff engagement, and the connection between values and systems. But the thing that stuck with me was a comment from my friend Jesse. They said: "If one more person tells me to diversify my fundraising stream, I'm going to jump into the Sound." Now, I don't

This week, I had the opportunity to present at the Nonprofit Association of Washington's fundraising conference. I presented on creating a fundraising board - the tactics and mindsets that can help your board members move from stuck to success. For those of you who couldn't attend, I thought I’d share three key takeaways from the presentation in the quick video above. The importance of treating your board members like individuals, not as part of a collective How clear expec

A wise man once said "I love it when a plan comes together." And while this particular wise man was talking about a very specific type of plan (one unique to 1980s action shows*), I like to take this enthusiasm and apply it to fundraising plans. A fundraising plan is more than a list of donors (that's a prospect list, and that's another post). A fundraising plan gives your organization customized action steps to get to what you are trying to create. "Hold on, Chris," yo

I've been to a lot of fundraising events. Big ones, little ones, strange ones. Galas, golf tournaments, breakfasts, lunches, building rappelling, construction contests, races, walks, concerts, comedy shows, wine tasting, cooking classes … all things, both live and virtual (fundraising in 2021 was hard, folks). These events ranged from inspiring to insipid. (That might be a little strong, but I love some alliteration). And regardless of venue, budget, or size the events that

Early in my career, I was asked to make a wallet card. This request came from a board member, so I took it seriously. Per his request, it was going to be the size of a business card and will be chock full of information: Mission Vision Values Impact numbers Program details (Yes, this was before smartphones. Don't get off topic) The idea was simple. When a board member was asked questions about this organization, they could produce this card and BAM. All the answers