For many readers of this blog, today is the end of the fiscal year. Congratulations! You’ve made it! What are you doing to celebrate? We live in a fast paced world. And our organization’s financial needs are insatiable. All too often, our year end is merely punctuated by a flurry of direct mail and phone [...]

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I’ve been through a flurry of bad powerpoint presentations recently. At the last one, the speakers turned their backs to the audience and read the slides word-for-word. I kid you not. Perhaps it was because the words were so tiny none of us could see them. If you’re using Powerpoint or a similar slide-style program [...]

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In Secrets of Closing the Sale, Zig Ziglar says: Each year over 5 million quarter-inch drills are sold, yet it’s safe to say that nobody wants a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole. Isn’t that great? We do that in fundraising too. Donations are our “drill.” We spend lots of time talking about donations [...]

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Anyone that’s attended any of my fundraising seminars knows I’m a big fan of storytelling. The NY Times offers a great article called 5 Tips for Telling Better Stories. In short, they are: Keep it simple Openings and closings are very important Be mindful of your story’s spine Make sure not to alienate your audience [...]

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Here’s another story in the growing collection of unassuming people that become noteworthy philanthropists by leaving millions of dollars to charity. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that James Ebbert, the son of a sharecropper, left $10 million to charities in Pennsylvania. When reporting on this high-school-turned-business-owner: He lived frugally and invested his money well, says [...]

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Katya Andresen has a great post on how to compete like a champ in a tough economy. She expands on this in her interview on the Ask Without Fear Radio Show. I’ve also written about how to recession proof your fundraising at PNNonline. In a similar vein, Nancy Schwartz has a good post on standing [...]

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Just read this in the daily update from the Chronicle of Philanthropy: Large Bequest Surprises Diabetes Charity An 86-year-old Annapolis woman who died in a house fire last March shocked a diabetes group by bequeathing it the largest donation in the organization’s history — $7.3-million, reports The Washington Post. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which [...]

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Leona Helmsley’s will is causing quite a stir. In addition to leaving millions of dollars to her dog, the NYTimes says it contains nuggets like: To receive money from the trusts, the grandsons are required under the will to visit the grave each year of their father, Jay Panzirer, Mrs. Helmsley’s only child, who died [...]

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There’s a great article about the philanthropy of Myra Kraft (owner of the New England Patriots) in the Boston Globe called Giving Large. It’s long but read the whole thing. It’s a great insight into what motivates giving. Here’s a sample: Kraft treats board work like a job…She says she comes at the work with [...]

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This past Monday, I had the honor of speaking to the enthusiastic members of the Georgia Independent School Association. They invited my in to speak on the three topics: importance of storytelling, how to ask for money, and how to handle objections. In this edition of Extreme Fundraising, I wanted to make the handouts available [...]

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