The Ask Is Over. The Relationship Isn't. You finally made the ask. Maybe the donor said yes. Maybe they said no. Maybe they need time to think about it—or offered a different amount. Or maybe you're still waiting for a response. Now what? For many Executive Directors, the uncertainty that follow...

The Ask Shouldn't Change the Relationship You've listened to your donor. You've learned what matters to them. You've built trust and explored what's possible. And now it's time to invite them to make a significant investment in your mission. So why does it suddenly feel so uncomfortable? For man...

Stay in Touch Without Always Asking Your newsletter isn't a donor relationship. Neither is your annual report, gala invitation, or year-end appeal. Those are important ways to communicate with donors—but communication isn't necessarily connection. So what do you actually do between donor meeting...

Stop Waiting Until You Need the Money Your board approves a new initiative. You need $500,000. Suddenly everyone wants to know: Who can we ask? That's usually when organizations start looking for major donors. But there's a problem. You're beginning the relationship when you need the money. Your...

Stop Talking. Start Listening. One of the biggest mistakes we make in major gift fundraising is believing that our job is to say exactly the right thing. So we prepare our talking points. We memorize our statistics. We practice our stories. We make sure we can explain every program. But while we...