What’s Wrong with Our Development Department?
As a VP of Development for many years, I know how it feels to have my nonprofit colleagues begin to doubt my department’s capabilities. This is usually a question that arises following years of success.
As a VP of Development for many years, I know how it feels to have my nonprofit colleagues begin to doubt my department’s capabilities. This is usually a question that arises following years of success.
For many organizations, the past year or two haven’t painted a rosy picture of charitable giving. But as fundraising professionals, it’s crucial for us to confront these difficulties—downturns and any other challenges—head-on.
As donors navigate a changing world—new technologies, a challenging economic climate, and demographic shifts—we can keep in step with them by paying attention to changes in their behavior and priorities.
In the world of fundraising and charitable giving, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the current challenges.
In my 30s, I had several conflicting emotions. Having finished my formal education, I felt the excitement of just beginning a great life journey, but I also had feelings of apprehension that perhaps the world needed someone with much more to offer than I could provide.
When I was 10 years old, I learned my grandparents once owned and operated a bar. But once my grandmother became a Christian, they donated their bar on the famous Route 66 to a local ministry and it was transformed into a soup kitchen.
The past few years have been a roller coaster in the fundraising world—lots of quick pivots, emotional highs and lows, and so many forces seemingly pulling your organization in different directions; it can all leave a fundraiser feeling nauseated.
As a young Christian professional navigating the conundrum of aligning my beliefs into a purposeful career, I’ve been blessed to find a home at Douglas Shaw & Associates. Like many of us, I’m eager to play a role that leaves a positive mark on the world, reaching beyond just my own life and making a difference for the kingdom of God. However, my journey as of late has been particularly meaningful as I prepare to embrace a new role—motherhood.
When I was 10 years old, I learned my grandparents once owned and operated a bar. But once my grandmother became a Christian, they donated their bar on the famous Route 66 to a local ministry and it was transformed into a soup kitchen. This is my earliest memory of a charitable donation, and it…
Throughout my fundraising career, I have been asked by just about everyone, “What effect do you think the election will have on our giving this year?”
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