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 [...]

A man asked a Tibetan Lama, “My kid is a linebacker for his high school football team.  I find myself rooting for him to cream the opposing quarterback. Is there anything wrong with that?” “Of course not,” replied the Lama.  ”You love your son. You want his happiness. He’s happy when he beats the other team. This is [...]

The Quincy Jones MusiQ Consortium is an organization I co-founded that is bringing together nonprofits, corporations, foundations, philanthropists and musicians to ensure that all kids have access to music and music education. At our kickoff meeting, legendary musician and composer Herbie Hancock gave a spontaneous response to a question that moved me as if he [...]

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 [...]

For years I believed the weathered fundraising maxim that Job One was to convince and convert people to the mission of my specific project. Then they’d give. Then they’d get involved.  What I’ve discovered over the years, though, is that it’s after people write a check that they really start to get involved.  People discover [...]

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 [...]