It's been a little quiet here on the Fablanthropy site. Certainly not for lack of activity, as I've been on the road quite a bit in the past year. The last year also had me firmly in capital campaign mode, and I was lucky to see the project I was working on make it to… Continue reading Bringing back the Fab
Want to learn more about incorporating social media into your special events? Join #fundchat on Twitter from 12-1 Eastern on Wednesday 4/20. Josh Hirsch and I will be co-moderating the conversation. Want a peek at what we will discuss? Here's our chat questions!
Last week at the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Fundraising Conference in Boston, Mass., Josh Hirsch and I presented a session on social media strategies for special events. During that session, we used a tool Sli.Do, which allowed audience members to submit questions as well as vote on polls related to the presentation. Below are… Continue reading #sm4events recap: Questions from the #AFPFC session
Spring is upon us, and in addition to ushering in allergies, weddings and graduations, it's conference season for many of us fundraisers. Today, I'm en route to the Association of Fundraising Professionals Fundraising Conference in Boston. All conferences can be an adventure (and this year's is no slouch with a promised nor'easter!), but I have… Continue reading Winning at Conferences with tips from the AFPeeps
Ever since the AFP International Fundraising Conference in San Antonio two years ago, I've been interested in experiencing a day in the life of my school. It's the one takeaway from a session (on major gifts, I think) that has stuck with me well past a conference. It may also be because while I attended Catholic schools on and… Continue reading A day in the life
Today is Giving Tuesday, and one would think that as a fundraiser I’d be super excited about today. But I actually have a lot of mixed feelings about the concept. Much like any other holiday or celebration, you have good and bad parts about the day. So in the spirit of Technical Tuesdays here on… Continue reading Torn about #GivingTuesday
Be sure to bookmark We Teach Philanthropy and learn how you can work with fellow AFPeep Dave Tinker and me to spread the word on the fabulous world of philanthropy!
Our first Women Wednesdays post comes from Marcy Heim, known as The Artful Asker. If you haven't had a chance to hear Marcy speak, add it to your continuing education calendar! She's great at making fundraisers think about what they can do to advance philanthropy, and she's known to break into song while doing it!… Continue reading Guest post: Pear Tree Planning with Marcy Heim, The Artful Asker
Where do you meet your donors for visits?
Whether you want to cultivate or ask for support, a face-to-face meeting with a prospect or donor will usually be the most effective approach. To ensure the success of your meeting, you need to carefully plan for it. That includes knowing where to avoid having that meeting.
Two types of locations make particularly poor choices for meetings:
Restaurants/cafes. Such locations can be problematic for any number of reasons. Your guest might not feel comfortable discussing personal matters in a public setting. The noise level of the restaurant might not be conducive to conversation. Servers will inevitably interrupt your discussion. The choice of a specific restaurant could even be problematic. Consider the following true story that I shared in my book, Donor-Centered Planned Gift Marketing:
The development officer picked up the donor at her home and drove her to the Four Seasons Hotel for lunch in the very lavish Fountain…
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Great tips for those of us using social media in our philanthropic careers!
In creating a Social Media 101 workshop for campus users as well as a new social media users’ guide, I recently crafted five golden rules to consider before beginning social media efforts on behalf of one’s institution or organization. They borrow from advice from many colleagues, but I figured posting them here just might benefit others.
1. Be present. Acquaint yourself with any social media outlets before trying to use them professionally. If you’re not familiar with Facebook, creating a group or fan page 15 minutes after you sign up could be an uphill climb. Learning as much as you can about a particular platform or community will increase your chances of success.
2. Be prepared. Have a plan for who will post and/or respond to social media, how often you may want to post content and what goals you want to accomplish (see below). You may want to prepare…
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