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

Hand-crafted social media content the week of December 15? A week that, for many people, is kind of a slow motion loss of momentum contrasted with a growing sense of urgency (for year-end giving, family obligations, etc.)? It's a time of the year where we often feel pulled between a desire to celebrate the present and to prepare for the prospects of a new year. Heck, even my local hardware store has consolidated most of the holiday lights and decorations into a small se

I overshot the mark once in a donor thank you letter. This was in my first full time fundraising job, and I was writing a thank you...

A successful donor stewardship program is about more than thank you notes. It's about a continued conversation - authentic and focused...

The post-it note in my notebook reads “LN post – Valentine’s Day – message to leaders/funders” Today, on the 15th of the month, I read...