Here’s a brief excerpt from a series of recommendations I made during a recent consulting assignment.  It applies to many organizations: The Board must be engaged in fundraising to leverage the many resources – not just financial – they can bring to the organization. Reinforce to them that being a Board member is a serious [...]

Here’s a way to bring an instant and unlimited reserve of passion to your projects. At a recent Jeffersonian-style dinner, this simple question was posed to our group:  share a story of a teacher who impacted your life.  The common thread among the stories was that all great teachers bring an unwaivering passion to whatever they are [...]

The dates are set for the next Exponential Fundraising workshop:  May 5 and 6 in New York City. Since they are highly interactive and aimed at ensuring a rich and stimulating exchange of ideas among a diverse group of peers, only a small number of spaces are available (no more than 15 participants).  To contact [...]

This was my first post. It remains one of my favorite messages to share. At his TED talk this year, David Brooks said over 90% of what we hear doesn’t come through words. Yet another reason why that whole ‘behind a desk’ just doesn’t work. My first job out of college, 23 years ago, was [...]

I’m off to the TED conference this morning. In addition to meeting lots of old friends and snacking on the chocolate that Google seems to place everywhere, I’m attending a small Jeffersonian-style dinner organized by IDEO – the renowned design firm that works with organizations to help them innovate, develop capabilities and grow. The question that’s been [...]

Spread the word about Sasha Dichter’s great idea. He’s rebranding Valentine’s Day “Generosity Day.”  As he writes in his blog:  ”The goal is to spend Valentine’s Day being more generous, giving more money, sharing of yourself, being of service.  All acts of generosity, small and big alike, count. But you have to say YES to [...]

I’m thrilled to announce that registration is now formally open for my new program at Harvard:  A Course in Exponential Fundraising.  For more information on the program, go here. It’s a year-long engagement where I will be personally working with 20 visionary leaders from the nonprofit sector who want to both dramatically improve their organization’s [...]

No doubt Jeffersonian dinners are a powerful vehicle for connection and action.  Kudos to my good friend Jeff Walker for eloquently pointing this out in his inspiring blog on Jeffersonian Dinners. I was curious, though, why this format, credited to the renaissance man from Virginia, is so much more effective than dinners or events which [...]

Ever wonder if you should recruit – and how best to use – celebrities for your organization’s campaigns?  Should you host a gala or not?  How should you use gaming and technology to maximize your results? Check out the new Exponential Fundraising video series and watch as some of the world’s most insightful nonprofit and [...]