Monthly Archives: December 2009

Donor acquisition: Why friendraising and speaking engagements don’t work, and what does instead

If you regularly read this blog, you know that I steadfastly maintain that the best fundraising books and magazines and blogs are those that ostensibly have nothing to do with fundraising. In that vein, here’s my latest fundraising-book-that-has-nothing-to-do-with-fundraising-and-is-thus-an-excellent-fundraising-resource book recommendation: … Continue reading

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The most important characteristic when hiring a fundraising/development officer

…is demonstrated, comprehensive generosity in relation to the cause. “Good with people”, “sales experience”, and “willing to work for a percentage of money raised” (yikes!) are typically the characteristics that rank most highly among nonprofits seeking development staff, but I … Continue reading

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Freakonomics inadvertently reveals the futility of transactional giving thinking

My stomach hurts. In a post on the Freakonomics blog entitled Freakonomics Quorum: The Economics of Street Charity, Stephen J. Dubner poses the following question to personages as varied as Arthur Brooks (author of Who Really Cares?), Dallas Mavericks owner Mark … Continue reading

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