Here’s a fundraising secret that will relieve a great amount of angst: resources flow. Resources like time, creativity, networks, ideas, passion and money.  These resources are ours to leverage. Unfortunately, they can get stuck and stalled, in large part, because of the barriers we erect around them.  And the bossiest of barriers: our problematic relationship [...]

I’m thrilled to announce that registration is formally open for the 2013 Course in Exponential Fundraising at Harvard. Please go to http://www.hks.harvard.edu/hauser/cef/  for a more detailed description of the program. The Course in Exponential Fundraising is a year-long engagement during where we work with 20 visionary leaders from the nonprofit sector who want to both dramatically improve [...]

Trapped! She runs one of the world’s largest fashion companies and agreed to see me about working with our organization.  Following my own philosophy – See “Never take a first meeting in an office” – I suggested that we meet at a local coffee shop.  She pushed back, “My office is good. See you Friday [...]

Jack and I watched the original “Matrix” movie over the weekend. At least 10 years have passed since I saw it last. Boy, there’s a lot to like about that movie, an updated, action-packed Plato’s Cave, allegorically lucid and fun at the same time. One early scene that especially resonates is when the agile Morpheus [...]

Exponential Fundraising founder and 25-year fundraising veteran Jennifer McCrea has worked with CEOs, fundraisers and board members from a wide variety of organizations, including Millennium Promise, Acumen Fund, Donorschoose.org, Grameen America, Teach for America, Witness, Comic Relief, X Prize Foundation, VH1 Save the Music Foundation, Rhode Island School of Design, Robin Hood Foundation, Council on Foreign Relations, [...]

Meet lonely George. George is a seasoned philanthropist.  Someone I’ve known for years. George leads a full, meaningful life that includes giving to a number of global organizations. But he revealed something to me recently that caught me by surprise: that his experience of giving is often profoundly isolating. Wait a minute. Isn’t giving a [...]

“Extremely difficult and demanding.” That’s how a friend describes her relationship with one of her top donors. She says she’s in a “can’t-live-with-him, can’t-live-without-him” bind. She worries that if she tells him what’s really on her mind, he’ll get angry and possibly withdraw his critical support (and very visible name in the community) from her organization. [...]

Recently, an Executive Director asked me if he should bring his Chief Development Officer, an accomplished, seasoned fundraiser, with him on first visits with new prospective partners or wait until he’s established a relationship first and then introduce her. He said he sees the pros and cons to both approaches. My answer, while perhaps not [...]

As a young fundraiser, I was taught the most effective way to ask was to use these words: “Would you like to consider a gift of $xx….” Over the years, as my approach has developed to be partnership-focused than sales-focused, I realized this “ask line” was off the mark. And I likely left a lot [...]