Iced Coffee and Mini Horses: Turning Events into Experiences
Donor Relations Guru
by Donor Relations Guru
3y ago
It’s no secret that I love Starbucks. L-O-V-E. My family and anyone who works or travels with me can attest to this. I’ve often been caught running “latte” to an appointment so that I could squeeze in a stop. It’s not just about fueling my caffeine addiction — Starbucks is an experience. I know I’m paying more for my iced coffee with a light splash of coconut milk (“light splash” is a technical term, BTW; I’m not that high maintenance). And to me, it’s worth the extra cost to have this experience — from ordering to tasting to just being in the store, there’s an intentionality to how I’m enga ..read more
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The First Step in Improving Your Acknowledgement Letters
Donor Relations Guru
by Donor Relations Guru
3y ago
Thoughtful, personal, and timely gift acknowledgement letters are the very core of donor relations and stewardship. They are a mandatory baseline activity that any organization, large or small, should be doing and doing really well. If you are doing nothing else in the donor relations space, acknowledgements will always be a top priority. But why is it so hard for so many of us to get our arms around this seemingly simple activity? Working in complex and decentralized organizations, we know the pitfalls of inconsistent stewardship and donor communications and the impact they can have on a d ..read more
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A Farewell to the Myth of Summer
Donor Relations Guru
by Donor Relations Guru
3y ago
August 1. I circle this date on my calendar every year, and I dread its arrival. August 1 is the day that summer ends. Not literally, of course; it’s still much too warm to bust out my beloved sweater collection (believe me, I’m tempted). But quite officially, it’s the day of reckoning for all my summertime hopes and dreams. And more to the point, it’s the deadline for any and all “summer projects” that have even the slightest chance of being completed. As August arrives, so do the days of nonstop meetings, the crush of high priority to-dos, and the many crises du jour. This coming academi ..read more
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Why is Asking For Help So Difficult?
Donor Relations Guru
by Donor Relations Guru
3y ago
Seriously – why is this so hard? We are a society that can help ourselves with just about anything. If we are sick we can look online and self-diagnose. If we want to buy a house we can do it all electronically and not even bother to talk with an actual realtor or lender. Everything is self-serve so no need to ask for help. Why will we ask Alexa anything and everything but not our own colleagues? I have been giving this a lot of thought lately – researching and even asking my own friends and colleagues about the topic. According to a recent article I read in th ..read more
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3 Donor Relations Metrics Every Nonprofit Should Be Tracking
Donor Relations Guru
by Donor Relations Guru
3y ago
Metrics are hard! However, they can be your best friend too. They can open doors, help advocate for much needed resources, and help you prioritize heavy workloads and endless initiatives. They can do the hard work for you. I am very passionate about metrics (I know, I can be total nerd) and was recently having a conversation with some peers about what and how to track donor relations activity in order to quantify value, progress, and ROI. We are certainly still a work in progress here at UF, but there are a few key components anyone can adopt when building a solid system of metrics.  1 ..read more
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How to Land the Job You Want (SPOILER: I can help!)
Donor Relations Guru
by Donor Relations Guru
3y ago
There are so many incredible jobs available in the nonprofit world right now. Every day I receive emails from friends and colleagues looking for their next rockstar applicant. And I know you’re out there. I see you at conferences and workshops that I present at all over the world. I know this industry is full of crazy-talented professionals just waiting to be noticed. Whether you're new the industry or you've been doing this for as long as I have, your next career move is always on the horizon. Maybe it's a big promotion at the organization you currently work for or mayb ..read more
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Top Three Recruiter Secrets Everyone Should Know
Donor Relations Guru
by Donor Relations Guru
3y ago
Earlier this month I had a lovely conversation with a friend of a friend of a friend who wanted to pick my brain about getting a job in higher education. We had a great chat about her goals and what she could do to land her dream job and as she got off the phone she emphasized how helpful my advice was. She shared that even though she knew that she should be doing all these things in her job search, she felt like she needed permission from someone who was on the receiving end of email inquiries, LinkedIn messages, and informational interview requests...someone like me. I love calls l ..read more
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Why Every Nonprofit Needs to Create Video Content Right Now
Donor Relations Guru
by Donor Relations Guru
3y ago
When’s the last time you took a break from your work, grabbed your phone and scrolled through social media, stopping on the latest video of adorable puppies, kids, or something your eyes just can’t believe? It probably happens to you at least daily. But when’s the last time in your communications meetings at your organization you proposed doing a video instead of another form of communication? Probably not daily. Here are just some of the facts behind the amazing explosion of video content in our world: YouTube has over a billion users, almost one-third of total internet users. 45% of peo ..read more
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Work/Life Balance – the Endless Game of Whac-A-Mole
Donor Relations Guru
by Donor Relations Guru
3y ago
Remember the awesome arcade game Whac-A-Mole? Where the gophers pop up out of their holes and you have to pound them back down with your hammer? I love this game, and not just because I am enormously competitive and it’s one of the few games I can win against my kids. There’s a sense of excitement in anticipating the next mole and accomplishment when I can clear the board. It’s an endless cycle of surprise, anxiety, and rush to conquer. In the end, I either clear the slate and win, or the crazy mole beats me and lives another day. As an adult, I feel like my average week is one giant roarin ..read more
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Celebrating PRIDE: A tribute to community and authenticity
Donor Relations Guru
by Donor Relations Guru
3y ago
I am a gay man. It took 19 years for me to say those words to another person, and I had spent most of those vehemently denying it was true. I look back on the moment I finally spoke my truth and know now that it came not from a moment of spectacular courage, but rather some combination of fatigue from pretense and a strangely unfamiliar feeling of safety. For the first time, I had found a group of people who didn’t want the answer so they could beat me up; they wanted to know me – the real me. I grew up in a religiously conservative family in an especially conservative part of the South ..read more
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