Think yourself better: 10 rules of philosophy to live by

From Aristotle to Iris Murdoch: what the greatest minds of the past 2,500 years have to tell us about the good life. Julian Baggini shares 10 top tips on thinking and living well. Thinking well requires adopting the right attitudes and being prepared to nurture effective habits. Without these “intellectual virtues” even the cleverest end … Continue reading Think yourself better: 10 rules of philosophy to live by

Fundraiser turnover problems: The stigmatized story character

Inspirational stories can motivate. But stigmatized stories can cripple. This matters for fundraising because it matters for fundraisers. Few professions suffer more from stigmatized stories than fundraising. Story begins with character. Consider the “fundraiser” character. What is this role? What is this title? Fundraiser. What does that mean? Fund means money. Raiser means one who … Continue reading Fundraiser turnover problems: The stigmatized story character

You’re Worth the Investment: How to Advocate for Your Professional Development

In this original blog, Ashley Gatewood, Communication and Marketing Director at CFRE International, explains the importance of investing in training. When employers need to trim a budget line item in leaner times, professional development frequently gets the first cut of the ax. It feels quite ironic, doesn’t it? If your organisation needs to succeed against … Continue reading You’re Worth the Investment: How to Advocate for Your Professional Development

How Jargon Destroys Nonprofit Fundraising & Marketing

Why would you ever use jargon if you wanted to truly communicate with someone? Just check out the definition: “language used by a particular group of people, especially in their work, and which most other people do not understand” — Cambridge dictionary. When you talk to people in words they don’t understand, really, what’s the … Continue reading How Jargon Destroys Nonprofit Fundraising & Marketing

As your team gets bigger your leadership style has to adapt

As Development and Fundraising teams become more successful, many are lucky enough to start growing their teams. However, there are hidden consequences to an expanding team. What lessons can leaders learn to prepare? When Julie Zhuo, Facebook’s vice president of design, first began managing a team, it consisted of just a handful of people. When … Continue reading As your team gets bigger your leadership style has to adapt

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Development Content: Five ways to reframe your donor stories

Higher education and nonprofit communications teams tend to turn their noses up at donor profiles. Their reaction isn’t unfounded; college alumni magazine readership surveys, for one, consistently show that donor profiles and gift announcements rank last in interest among types of content in these publications. After working for more than a decade on both sides … Continue reading How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Development Content: Five ways to reframe your donor stories