Category: Fun
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Fundraising Laws concerning co-workers
Maybe you remember the Boss Corollary to Brooks’ First Law of Fundraising Effectiveness: The more your boss hates the fundraising, the better it will do. That inverse relationship between fundraising effectiveness and boss-love also applies to colleagues are not the boss. Which leads to these corollaries to the First Law: Corollary #1 There is no…
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Way worse than “BOO” — things you really don’t want to hear in fundraising
Halloween is a time when we seek that thrill of fear — the tiny fingers on the back of the neck. In real life, it’s not so much fun. Here are some scary things you might hear: “Let’s stop bugging the major donors with our mail.” There’s a belief out there that major donors are…
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Generation Wah: the next game-changer for fundraising
There’s a new generation of powerhouse donors coming onto the scene, and they are going to change everything about fundraising. It’s Generation Wah — the incredible generation of super-donors, defined as those born since 2023. Let me be frank with you: If you do not jump aboard the Generation Wah train right now, you are up a terrible creek in…
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What Halloween candy taught me about fundraising
I like candy. That’s why I like Halloween — the only reason, come to think of it. The other day, I ate a couple of Tootsie Fruit Rolls. These are fruit-flavored versions of regular brown-flavored Tootsie Rolls. The regular kind taste like an unholy combination of fake chocolate, wax, and dirt. The fruit version is…
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Happy birthday, Uncle Maynard!
Uncle Maynard turns 90 today. In case you haven’t met him, Uncle Maynard is a prodigious donor. He’s thoughtful, church-going donor who loves to give. He gets a lot of direct mail fundraising. A lot. Through the year’s he’s shared with me. Banker’s boxes full of it at a time. Read about Uncle Maynard’s generosity…
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Halloween special: Things that should scare fundraisers
In honor of Halloween, when we seek that thrill of tiny fingers on the back of the neck, here are some things that should scare the heck out of fundraisers: Data problems. Bad data can kill your fundraising in the most gruesome and terrifying ways. You can end up talking to the wrong people, not…
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Tricks and treats for online fundraisers
Online fundraising is a lot like Halloween: Part fun, part scary. It has plenty of tricks and plenty of treats to keep you on your toes. Online fundraising “tricks” It’s a “cold” medium. The way people read email is different from traditional media. It’s fast, action-oriented, impatient. Not good for emotion and compassion — the…
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What Wordle can teach us about fundraising
Do you play Wordle? Good news: This simple, compelling game has something to teach us about fundraising: Wordle may look like a guessing game, but it’s actually a knowledge-gathering challenge. You win by paying attention to the fact and applying logic. It’s the same with fundraising. If you treat Wordle as if it’s “Guess the…
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Here’s to ending the year on the right note
They worked so hard. Everyone was at their best, well-practiced and in sync. Everyone had gone well, really well, and now the big finish was upon them. Everyone was soaring… And then, one tiny thing went ever-so-slightly wrong: (Or view hear on YouTube.) Here’s my wish that this doesn’t happen to your organization as 2021…
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Way worse than “BOO” — things you really don’t want to hear in fundraising
Halloween is a time when we seek that thrill of fear — the tiny fingers on the back of the neck. In real life, it’s not so much fun. Here are some scary things you might hear: “Let’s stop bugging the major donors with our mail.” There’s a belief out there that major donors are…