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Recent Newsletters

Newsletters

October News – Ethics Awareness Month

Ethics Awareness Month October is AFP Ethics Awareness Month and Mike Geiger, President of AFP Global, wants us to “Live Ethics Out Loud!” I’m not quite sure what that means, but there’s lots of information available on the website, https://afpglobal.org/ethicsmonth. AFP Code of Ethical Standards Donor Bill of Rights Toolkit…
vicky
November 2, 2022
Newsletters

September News – Careers in Professional Fundraising

There’s More Than One Chief Development Officer Grant Writer Charitable Gift Planner Annual Fund Manager Database Specialist Prospect Researcher Donor Relations Director Director of Foundations Director of Alumni Relations Director of Grants Philanthropic Advisor Event Planner Digital Engagement Officer Grants Manager Corporate Relations Director Senior Directors Vice Presidents Associates Consultants…
vicky
September 21, 2022
Newsletters

August News – Birthday Month

August is all about me and other lucky people who are born under the Sun sign of Leo. Happy Birthday month to Us! Birthdays usually mean a time for reflection. What happened this year. What to look forward in the coming year. This year I’ve experienced the loss of several…
vicky
August 24, 2022
Newsletters

July News – Tactics and Methods

July is hot. Whether you’re in a muggy humid climate or a desert dry one, hot is still hot. For some of us in the fundraising world, July is a slow month. There are no events or campaigns. People take time off from work, even donors. July is the time…
vicky
July 19, 2022
Newsletters

June News – Pay Equity and More

It’s been several news cycles since this story came out, but it still resonates with me: equal pay for equal work. US Soccer will pay their professional players – women and men – the same. This was announced May 18 with little fanfare. It was so understated, I double checked…
vicky
June 20, 2022
Newsletters

May News – Imposter Syndrome

Who among us has ever felt out of place, like we don’t belong, like “if they only knew…”? I’ll be the first to raise my hand. I did not graduate college right out of high school like I planned. Instead, I got pregnant, got married, had more children, divorced, and…
vicky
May 12, 2022
Newsletters

April News – Solicitation and Stewardship

April signals the end of the first quarter of the year and the beginning of serious fundraising. We’re headed back to the big fundraising luncheons, fashion shows and galas. And let’s not forget the golf tournaments and clay shoots. It’s also the time to meet your donors and make your…
vicky
April 13, 2022
Newsletters

March News – Cultivation

Spring is in the air! Do we dare hope that COVID is on the downhill slide? Just about everyone is ready to be around other people and open-air restaurant patios are one of the best places to Cultivate donors. Now that you’ve identified your prospective donors, it’s time to contact…
vicky
March 9, 2022
Newsletters

February News – Identification

There are four stages of the donor cycle: Identification, Cultivation, Solicitation, and Stewardship. During the month of February my weekly zoom webinar, About Fundraising, will look at the task of Identification from various points of view. Research Basics Building a Prospect Donor Profile LYBNTS and SYBNTS Best Practices, Next Steps…
vicky
February 9, 2022
Newsletters

January News – Teams

Are you a team of One or do you supervise a department or a whole organization? When planning my monthly newsletters and weekly About Fundraising webinars for 2022, I decided to organize everything around monthly themes. The theme for January is Teams. Each Thursday at noon, CST, on About Fundraising,…
vicky
January 12, 2022

Recent Articles

Insights

Foundations Are People, Too

If you only get one thing from this article, let it be this: Follow the instructions. Yep, that’s it. Follow the instructions. Give the grant maker what they ask for. Don’t say too much or too little. If they want to know the color of the walls in your office,…
vicky
November 10, 2019
Insights

400,000,000 and Counting

There is so much information at our fingertips. Our mobile devices are handheld computers that allow us to look up anything at any time. There are blogs, websites and videos on any subject you can imagine. Type “fundraising” into your favorite search engine and you will get more than 400,000,000…
vicky
October 15, 2019
Insights

Keep Your Resume Fresh

Your resume is the first impression you make with a prospective employer. Just like you would wear your most professional outfit to an interview, your resume needs to reflect the best you. Resume styles change over time. You might not be aware of that if you’ve been out of the…
vicky
October 2, 2019
Insights

Know When to Leave and Leave with Dignity and Grace

I’ve been let go and laid off. I’ve had my position eliminated. I’ve been the last hired, first fired. I’ve quit. I’ve resigned. I’ve given notice and been asked to leave, right now. I’ve been falsely accused and I’ve been lied to. I’ve had a board member call me years…
vicky
September 21, 2019
Insights

Manage Up

This is a hard one. You know the boss, the supervisor, the “leader” who doesn’t know what they don’t know.  Who thinks they have all the answers. You don’t want to be a smart-ass.  You want to be helpful. But how? Having been on both sides of this equation, I…
vicky
September 12, 2019
Insights

To CFRE Or Not To CFRE

I’m proud to have earned my CFRE. What is a CFRE? It stands for Certified Fund Raising Executive, and is the professional standard for fundraisers in the nonprofit sector.  Like other accreditations, the CFRE means the fundraiser has gained a certain level of expertise. It also means that we aspire…
vicky
August 7, 2019
Insights

Support Your Team and Their Dreams

Recently, I led a team of young women who were at the beginning of their careers. When I told them part of my job as their supervisor was to help them prepare for their next job, it surprised them. But I have been in the fundraising business for decades, and…
vicky
July 30, 2019
Insights

Show Up and Be Present

“Showing up is 80 percent of life.” This saying is often misquoted and most often attributed to Woody Allen. Honestly, it doesn’t matter who said it first. What matters is doing it. Show up. Show up ready to do your work, whatever that work may be. Show up appropriately dressed.…
vicky
July 16, 2019
Insights

Professional Development and You

As a manager, I always made sure my team knew I supported their professional development and my own. For most of my years as a professional fundraiser, I have paid for my own membership in the Association of Fundraising Professionals, as well as for conferences and other professional fees. I…
vicky
June 5, 2019
Insights

Make The Phone Calls. Leave Nice Voicemails

A conversation with a donor is one of the most basic tools in your fundraising toolkit. Yet it’s the one we are least likely to use. We create all kinds of excuses. “I don’t have time.” “I don’t have enough information.” “Maybe they’re out of town?” “Who would want to…
vicky
May 10, 2019
Insights

If You Didn’t Write It Down, It Didn’t Happen

Making phone calls to thank your donors and keep them informed is only part of your overall donor communications or stewardship plan. In a perfect world you would make 7-12 touch points each year with specific content for each one. Okay, I can see you rolling your eyes. Whether you…
vicky
March 23, 2019
Insights

Gratitude Is For Real

Gratitude: the quality of being grateful; readiness to show appreciation for and return kindness. Gratitude is the quality we should show our donors. Why? Because we are grateful for their financial support. Because their dollars allow us to do the work we love and serve others who need our help.…
vicky
February 23, 2019