Mary Mcahalane's family recently made what was for them a large gift to a national charity. The response was underwhelming, and that’s being kind. An 8.5 x 14 sheet of paper, with the bottom being a tear-off, generic response form. The thank you letter – such as it was – consisted of 4 short paragraphs. … Continue reading When you’re too big to succeed
15 Expert Tips for Giving a Powerful Business Presentation
A powerful business presentation is much more than just a bunch of nice-looking slides. Whether you’re presenting to venture capitalists, senior management or potential donors, you need to make a great first impression and stand out from the dozens of other speakers they’ll encounter. For some people, presenting in front of even a handful of … Continue reading 15 Expert Tips for Giving a Powerful Business Presentation
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
What does the Rich List tell us about the super rich?
Every year Susie Hills writes about the Sunday Times Rich list and reflects upon what it tells those of us who work in philanthropy. This year though, Susie felt surprisingly depressed as she read the List. The news that the richest 250 on the list collectively are worth more than the whole 1000 listers were worth in … Continue reading What does the Rich List tell us about the super rich?
7 Powerful Public Speaking Tips From One of the Most-Watched TED Talks Speakers
You'd never know it, but Simon Sinek is naturally shy and doesn't like speaking to crowds. At parties, he says he hides alone in the corner or doesn't even show up in the first place. He prefers the latter. Yet, with some 22 million video views under his belt, the optimistic ethnographer also happens to … Continue reading 7 Powerful Public Speaking Tips From One of the Most-Watched TED Talks Speakers
For Many, There’s No Such Thing as a Good Billionaire. What Does That Mean for Philanthropy?
by Philip Rojc for Inside Philanthropy It was the billionaire news of July. Space-racing tycoons: a drama of vaunting ambitions and phallic symbolism culminating in a back-on-Earth press conference by the biggest billionaire of them all, clad in a jumpsuit and a cowboy hat. Jeff Bezos' 10-minute space flight coincided with the release of $400 … Continue reading For Many, There’s No Such Thing as a Good Billionaire. What Does That Mean for Philanthropy?
It’s Time to Speak Up About the Positive Role and Contribution of Philanthropy
Dr. Beth Breeze, director of the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent, recently wrote a rousing piece in defence of philanthropy. Beth writes: "those currently shouting the loudest about the ills of philanthropy often associate themselves with – and gain social media kudos from those occupying – the more radical end of the … Continue reading It’s Time to Speak Up About the Positive Role and Contribution of Philanthropy
Does your thank you letter really matter?
Most donors don’t care much about how they’re thanked. That’s not because it doesn’t matter, but because most donors are kind and generous people who just want to be helpful. Let’s take a small step back and consider how donors think about charities. Suppose you just received a gift from a new donor. You might … Continue reading Does your thank you letter really matter?
How to remember names – every single time!
You’re out making waves in the world: networking with potential clients, donors, business partners, or simply meeting new friends. Nothing makes a person feel valued like you remembering their name. But there’s one problem: just how are you supposed to remember all those names and faces!? Could there really be a version of ‘Future You’ … Continue reading How to remember names – every single time!
Philanthropy and Cyber-Security
With more than a trillion dollars flowing in 2017 from donors and government agencies to grantees in the United States alone, online thieves have discovered fertile hunting ground. Cyberattacks have only gotten more clever, and the stakes higher. To thwart hackers, organizations in the philanthropy space need to focus on both common security practices and … Continue reading Philanthropy and Cyber-Security
Propper Fundraising 