By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on March 9, 2016
First, going back to the definition of “development,” it is the creation, nurturing, and maintaining relationships that (ideally) engender charitable contributions. If that is a Development Officer’s basic role, how does that apply to the various roles that they play ?? So, let’s start with the Development Officers who function in a limited arena – […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on March 2, 2016
Note, I used the term “fundraisers” in the title, not Development Officers. It is an important distinction. Maybe, also, the title should be “Why Fundraisers Shouldn’t Be Staff Members.” Development officers plan/design and evaluate development programs. They work with board members and volunteers to identify potential donors. They work to develop plans for the cultivation […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on February 24, 2016
(This is a follow up piece to the posting What Do You Call The Staff Person In Charge of Raising Charitable Contributions?) The title question is often asked by new/fairly young nonprofit organizations; and, depending on the age/size/mission/location/etc. of the organization, there can be many different answers. As noted previously, the simple answer to the […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on January 13, 2016
Ideally, from day one, an organization should have someone who knows/understands the NPO, its mission, its leadership and its hopes and aspirations. This person should have the experience and skills to help the NPO plan for next week and next year. This person should have input at all levels, should be able to guide/train the […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on January 7, 2016
It Can Be Confusing to Someone New to the Field…. To review a basic concept, the terms “Fundraising” and “Development” are not synonymous. Development refers to the process of establishing, maintaining and enhancing relationships with individuals, corporations and foundations … for the purpose of creating/maintaining a giving constituency that provides ongoing support for a nonprofit […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on December 2, 2015
An email noted: “Staff members at my organization seem to believe we will lose our donors if we ask them to give more than once a year. I would appreciate hearing from others on this concern.” OK. I know I’ve said this before, but the worst, absolutely the worst, thing that has ever happened to […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on November 25, 2015
WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST AND HOPING YOU’RE SPENDING THIS HOLIDAY WITH PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT AND WHO CARE ABOUT YOU See You Next Week =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Have you heard about The Fundraising Series of ebooks? They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99-$4.99) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Have a comment or a […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on August 12, 2015
There are a number of ways to categorize research on (prospective) donors. One of the obvious ways is by whether or not they are current constituents, another is whether they’ve yet been donors to your organization. For the first category, your research would be focused on identifying groups of people whose interests might suggest that […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on July 22, 2015
Fundraising is all about getting your potential donors to want to give to you — if they want to, they will; if they don’t, they won’t !! Too many nonprofit board and staff members don’t understand that little bit of rocket science. Too many board and staff members are focused on “how wonderful the organization […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on May 20, 2015
The following is a recently received email. My comments/responses are the indented paragraphs. We’re a relatively young 501c3, at about 5 years old, but have relied mostly on dues from members up to this point. Last year we participated in our state’s annual nonprofit day of giving. It is my observation that memberships/dues are not […]
Hank Lewis with Development Consultant Associates has over thirty years as a fundraising consultant and is a specialist in Board and Leadership Development, Capital Campaign, Bequest Program and Major Gifts. [Read more ...]