Something had stained the new Tervis tumbler. I scrubbed harder; they didn’t come off. Holding it up to the light streaming through the kitchen window, I could see them plain as day. Fingerprints. Permanently etched onto the plastic glass, there were the tell-tell signs from squeezing the lemon just before grabbing up the glass for a refreshing drink. The glass is now branded, and just like your g ...[Read More]
Every Gift You Make Leaves a Lasting Impression
How to Be the Unique Giver You Were Designed to Be
I have a friend who loves to go to party fundraisers. Her husband finds a buddy to talk with while she dances from one group to another because she loves people and doesn’t want to miss a single friend. And for her, it’s all the more enjoyable because she can have so much fun while supporting an important cause. I met with a woman who unexpectedly inherited a large sum of money from a ...[Read More]
How to Use a Donor Hack to Help Change the World
Remember Phone a Friend on the hit TV show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Well, it’s a donor hack I recommend to anyone who wants to make a better, smarter, more impactful (put your favorite word here) gift. When it’s time to do giving right, Phone a Friend. Imagine this scenario: You’re having coffee with your best friend. Or you’re on the golf course waiting to tee off. Your friend mentions ...[Read More]
3 Important Skills Your Giving Advisor Needs to Have
What does the act of giving look like for you? What happens in your mind between the time you hear or read a story that describes a need and when you make the contribution? Is the desire to contribute a heart response or a mind response? Most likely it is both. Dr. Jen Shang, a Philanthropic Psychologist and Director of Research at the Hartsook Centre for Sustainable Philanthropy in Devon, Southwe ...[Read More]
Five Easy Questions to Make a Better Designated Gift
Is there one right answer to the question, how many programs can one nonprofit organization operate? Of course, the answer is no because every organization is different. Some are single focused on clients and services. Others provide a multitude of programs, serving different types of clients with different needs. Here’s a better question. Is the program successfully serving clients? Is it meeting ...[Read More]
How to Build a Giving Bridge One Intentional Gift at a Time
I know my childhood memory of the Big Eddy Bridge, now under Lake Palestine in Texas, is not accurate. But the memory is real. Every chance we had my brother, and I would convince my dad to drive over the old and very rickety bridge. It seemed like every board in that old wooden bridge slapped the tires as my dad slowly made his way across. Sometimes he would stop right in the middle and debate ...[Read More]