Be lit from within.  Remind yourself that you aren’t asking people to help you.  Helping implies inequality and that’s not what this is about.  This is about inviting someone to partner with you, to take a stand with you, to work side by side with you.  Remind yourself why you were called to do this work [...]

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 [...]

Last week, over breakfast with a philanthropist, I was asked the same question that I have been asked hundreds of times in my career:  ”Fundraising is such incredibly hard work — what’s the secret?”  My answer is always the same: “I know from the bottom of my heart that people want to make a difference [...]

Like most kids, my stepson, Jake,  goes through intense phases of things he’s into. When he was 3, it was Thomas the Tank Engine. He wanted every single Thomas item on the market and put a lot energy into getting each of them. Later, it was Transformers. Then Pokemon. Recently, it’s Beyblade.  And we’re seeing a Hexbug in [...]

In my last post , I wrote that we are sometimes so cerebral in our approach to philanthropy that we overcomplicate something as simple as giving. In fact, most of us are taught to value objectivity. We believe that if we keep something at a distance, we can see it more clearly and make better [...]

My friend Sasha Dichter’s sharp insights often remind me of what’s important in this business. This post is especially good in that way: “I worry that in our pursuit of better, smarter philanthropy, we run the risk of trading in soft-heartedness for hard-headedness, and in so doing everyone ends up coming up short – because this is [...]

Last week, Haegwan Kim interviewed me for his blog “Law of Success.”  He’s doing a cool project based on Napoleon Hill’s classic publication from 1925 where Mr Hill interviewed the likes of Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, John Rockelfeller and 115 more on their secrets to success.  Mr. Kim is talking to people across all industries [...]

Next week, please join Jeff Walker and me for a conversation on “Exponential
 Fundraising.”  The details of the call and more in-depth description can be
 found here on Katya’s blog:
             http://www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com/comments/ a_peek_inside_the_ideal_fundraiser-philanthropist_relationship/ Also check out my interview with Jeff from this blog
 http://jennifermccrea.com/2010/06/jeff-walker-natural-philanthropy/ for a
 taste of the kinds of things we’ll be [...]

My friend Sarah works for a nonprofit that is focused on the environment. Recently, I asked her why she was so passionate about her work. Her answer surprised and thrilled me.  She said, quite simply, “I am for a healthy and sustainable planet.” What’s so thrilling about that answer you may wonder. Seems logical enough.  But many [...]