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Your role as Chief Visionary Officer
Fundraisers are the GLUE that holds our departments together. We are the facilitators, we are the opportunity providers, we are the people connectors. Our positive attitude is quite possibly our single...
View ArticlePuttin’ on the Tutu!
Do you know what you’re raising money for? Seems like a simple question, but if you ask different people at your organization, you might not get the same answer. How can you raise money if you don’t...
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Exercise your “ask muscle”
Fundraising asks happen behind closed doors, in private. In my Major Gift Mastery courses, Module 4 is the section where we role play to exercise our “ask muscles.” Here’s some key takeaways from my...
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What I’m reading this summer for fundraising inspiration
When I’m in need of some inspiration to revitalize my work day, I turn to books. Over the summer, I do a lot of reading, mulling over projects and ideas for the year. I also read a lot at the cottage....
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Discipline
As a professional classical pianist living in New York City I learned a thing or two about discipline—getting up at 6 am to line up for practice rooms so that you can practice for 6 hours in a...
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Strategic
This is the second blog post in a series of 6 entitled the Fundraiser Mindset. You can read my post on Discipline here. Strategic is one of those words that gets bounced around at staff meetings and...
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Communication
This is the third blog post in a series of 6 entitled the Fundraiser Mindset. You can read my post on Discipline and Strategic here. Last month I achieved an amazing milestone in my personal life. I...
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Commitment
This is the fifth blog post in a series of 6 entitled the Fundraiser Mindset. You can read my post on Discipline, Strategic, Communication and Passion here. So you want to be a successful...
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Passion
This is the fourth blog post in a series of 6 entitled the Fundraiser Mindset. You can read my posts on Discipline, Strategic and Communication here. The dictionary’s definition of passion is “a strong...
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Compassion
This is the final blog post in a series of 6 entitled the Fundraiser Mindset. You can read my post on Discipline, Strategic, Communication, Passion, and Commitment here. Compassion begins (and ends)...
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Not-for-profit martyrs and avoiding the workaholic trap
My name’s Jenny Mitchell and I’m a reformed not-for-profit martyr. Yep. I used to work tons of extra hours for clients, never bill them for it, and just say to myself “it’s ok, because I’m so committed...
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3 Steps to Rock Star Board Engagement
I’ve been facilitating many board engagement training sessions this month. When I talk to clients, they tell me they are “looking for commitment from board members to fundraising.” But what does that...
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5 Reasons why you need a Fundraising Plan
Are you one of those people who loves flowery stationary with inspirational quotes on every page? Or perhaps you’re more of an excel spreadsheet kind of person: you’re passionate about pivot tables...
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3 ways to rekindle your fundraising mojo
If you read my blog, you probably know that I was a classical musician for many years of my life. I still am. But I don’t play as regularly as I used to. I’ve come to realize that my creativity is one...
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Top 10 things you need to stop doing (so you can raise more money)
My inbox is full of “New Year’s Resolution” emails promising to help me lose weight, get fit, change my habits, save more money, or plan for my next amazing vacation. I’m not going to do that. I’m not...
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How nasty gremlins are ruining your donor calls
Donor calls are kinda like sex: everybody’s talking about it, but nobody’s actually DOING it!! (← Tweet this) This blog post is inspired by a conversation I had with a dedicated and talented...
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The hardest thing for fundraisers to do
It was the hardest part of the workshop. I had asked a group of fundraising leaders from the charitable sector to write themselves a thank you note. I asked them to acknowledge the hard work that they...
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When to pull the plug on underperforming staff
One of the hardest decisions to make as a leader is terminating an employee. For compassionate leaders, the decision is compounded by the fact that they see personal failure in this decision. What...
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Building your Professional Processes
Everyday there are activities that you do automatically. Whether it’s pulling a report, tracking details in a progress spreadsheet, or submitting expenses, these processes are taking up important real...
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Finding your Place of Power
Transition creates discomfort. It’s like wearing a pair of jeans that you haven’t tried on in a few years. The jeans may fit, but they don’t look as good as they used to, or your tastes have changed....
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