Fundraising Leadership

Executive Coaching, Professional Development, Training, and Career Advancement for Nonprofit Leaders in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

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Fundraising & Career Strategy: The Benefits of Playing the Long Game

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We live in a world of “Insta”, that is constantly playing the short game.

Fundraising has suffered from a transactional, derivative and acquisition mindset forever. We are haunted by our bake-sale origins.

Being almost 20 years in the charitable sector I have become a career-anthropologist. Observing the careers and strategies of leaders and organizations I admire. It’s what leads me personally on my own career path to specialize in ‘gift-planning’ while most of the sector is always trying to maximize major gifts. Now in 2019, they are one in the same. [Read more…]

The Power of Play

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“Do you want to come out and play?” I have childhood memories of knocking on my neighbour’s door and issuing that invitation. Today I am more likely to be texting a friend to set up a “play date.” But play remains an important part of my life.

When I begin a new coaching engagement, I ask clients to rank their satisfaction in eight areas of their lives using a tool called the “Wheel of Life.” One of these categories is “fun and recreation.” As nonprofit professionals, we often focus on other areas of the wheel such as career, family, money or personal growth. And sometimes play gets lost. 

So I was excited to get some insights by reading Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of The National Institute for Play. Also reading is one of my favourite activities.  [Read more…]

Financial Literacy for Early Career Nonprofit Professionals

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Financial literacy is: “The ability to understand financial choices, plan for the future, spend wisely, and manage the challenges that come with life events such as job loss, saving for retirement, or a child’s education.” [source: US Government Accounting Office]

Unfortunately, the education system of one of the wealthiest countries in the world does not teach children, teenagers, and young adults how to “understand financial choices, plan for the future, and manage money.”  Here is some of the evidence according to several recent surveys: [Read more…]

4 Benefits to a Mid-Year Review

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One of our passions at Fundraising Leadership is helping nonprofit leaders to bring a coach-like approach to their organizations. And of course we like to walk our talk in this regard. This means we focus on building trust, setting goals, measuring progress, being curious, and creating a culture of accountability within our own team. 

So as our Q2 came to a close, the Fundraising Leadership Team gathered together for a mid-year review. 

We structured our conversation around our OGSM (Objectives, Goals, Strategies and Metrics) tool that we created at the beginning of our fiscal year. Simply put an OGSM provides clear goals and identifies the strategic choices to achieve them.  [Read more…]

Have You Heard? They’re Ending Gossip. No Way! Way.

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Gossip–The practice of sharing information about people who are not present in a “casual or unconstrained conversation [that] typically involves details not confirmed as being true.”

We are all familiar with it. Every organization seems to be infused with it, and many leaders in the nonprofit world with whom I work believe it’s a good thing. They mistakenly believe that it helps grease the wheels of communication and that it will somehow serve as a source of valuable information that enables the organization to function smoothly.

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Creating a Coaching Culture: Life at Future Possibilities for Kids

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Imagine walking into your workplace and…

  • You are greeted with genuine warmth and interest
  • You notice you are asked what you think rather than told what to do
  • You are given space to create and design, to express, reflect, and consider your thoughts
  • You set goals – personally and as an organization
  • You experience subtle and not-so-subtle forms of recognition and celebration of your successes – big and small
  • Your mistakes are framed as opportunities for further learning and are encouraged as part of “the process”

This is every day. Welcome to our coaching-based organization, Future Possibilities for Kids (FPK). [Read more…]

Limiting Beliefs That Hinder Fundraising Success

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As an experienced fundraiser and leader you might not remember all the limiting beliefs that held you back at the start of your career.  Many of those beliefs are tied to the fears that surround asking such as: 1) “I  don’t know how to ask”,  2) “I’m too embarrassed to ask”, 3) “I don’t know who to ask”, 4) “I don’t have time to ask”, and 5) “If I ask, they will say no”.

While you may have faced some (or all) of these fears and limiting beliefs in the past and moved beyond them as your career as a fundraiser evolved, there may be some members of your staff who are not as advanced as you are, and who may be struggling.  This post is for them.  I encourage you to share it with them, as well as offer how you overcame these obstacles to success.

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The Power of Two: Co-Leading a Fundraising Program

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Is two better than one?  In the right situation with the right combination of people, YES!

Two is always better than one when it comes to things like puppies or vacations or pieces of cake (maybe even glasses of wine) but what about fundraisers in the same role at the same time?  This was the situation for me when I started a new role in an arts organization after spending three years at an academic institution.  I was excited to return to being a full-time major gift fundraiser with great opportunities in front of me at a transitional time in the organization.  One unexpected element was learning that it would, in fact, be two of us starting the same senior role, two weeks apart.  After a brief pause, and a request to meet my double, my surprise became delight and things began to fall into place. [Read more…]

Why Some Frontline Professionals Struggle as Leaders

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This scenario plays out frequently at many nonprofit organizations: top-performing professionals gets promoted to lead a team but has never been trained to lead or manage. This is often a disaster—results suffer, people head for the door, and the new manager flames out (and may even get fired).

There are a few key reasons why some frontline professionals struggle as leaders and others do not.

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Strategic Organizational Design for Larger Advancement Teams

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One of the most important decisions a Chief Advancement or Development Officer for a large team can make is picking the right people, particularly in leadership roles, for their shop. As the supply of professionals in our industry continues to play catch up to demand, it becomes critical that you keep and retain your leaders and their teams. [Read more…]