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Obnoxious AF

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I'll bet you have a lot of personal integrity. You try to follow through on your commitments, you basically always tell the truth, and you keep your daily doings on the up and up.

 

No shady business for you. No, ma'am.

 

And I'll bet you notice that all your good behavior pays off over time. People trust you and they're not afraid to get close to you because they know what to...

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What I Learned (and Didn't Learn) at the NIO Summit 2022

Last week, I attended NextAfter’s NIO (Nonprofit Innovation & Optimization) Summit for the first time. And as it turns out, all the hype leading up to the conference was justified - it was well run, informative, and FUN. 

NIO isn’t like most conferences. For one, there are no breakouts. So, no hustling from room to room hoping you chose the best topic. Everyone gets the chance to hear every talk - and learn about topics they may never have chosen for...

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Stop Blaming Fundraising: 8 (Other) Ways to Improve Your Bottom Line

Sometimes fundraising gets a bad rap. Actually, it gets a bad rap most of the time. Hang out with nonprofit leaders anywhere and you'll hear phrases like these:

"Fundraising is hard."

"Nobody likes to fundraise." 

"We don't have a development person/department."

"There's too much competition/we're all chasing after the same money."

While I don't dispute that fundraising can be a challenge, (just look at how many people and companies are dedicated to helping...

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Numbers, Stories, and the Formula for Making the Case

This post was taken from the weekly B-mail message sent March 1, 2022 to subscribers. 

Last month I delivered a talk - IN PERSON - to a group of fundraising professionals here in Virginia. It was thrilling to be in the same room as my audience; to see the nodding heads, raised hands, and smiling faces. As invaluable as Zoom has been throughout the pandemic and beyond, there is just no substitute for proximity. The energy exchanged between people who are together brings a whole...

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All Things Considered: Three Ways to Use Fundraising's Magic Word

One of the greatest things we can do for our fellow human beings is to consider them. We can consider their thoughts, their feelings, their circumstances and, then, we can use those considerations to make decisions about how we’ll act.

And, when it comes to fundraising for nonprofits, “consider” is a magic word.

We often see appeal letters using this language when asking for donations as in, “Please consider making a gift today.” It’s a much softer and...

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The Difference A Day Makes: What Went Down (& Up) This #GivingTuesday

The Difference A Day Makes: 

What Went Down (& Up) this #GivingTuesday

 

Tell Me Again How It Goes?

Thanksgiving. 
Black Friday. 
Small Business Saturday.
Cyber Monday.
And, if you have anything left... 
Giving Tuesday.

Despite being last on the list, #GivingTuesday 2019 was a big success in terms of dollars donated. GivingTuesday.org reports on its website that $511,000,000 were raised online this year - a 28% increase over 2018*. Started by the 92nd Street Y in 2012,...

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