People often ask me about my life. What’s my background? Where’s my accent from? Where did I grow up? Where did you meet your wife? One of these days I’ll get around to answering all that… But the most common question I get is, “Viken, how did you get into planned giving?” Answer: By Accident.
From troubled childhood too exec. It’s a Tale of Three Generations. A true story of a friend I just reunited with. He told me about this some 35 years ago, but I did not “get it” until I watched this video.
What kind of “asker” are you? Confident, well-dressed, professional? Or more of a beggar? Someone apologetic, mincing their way through the ask? One type is going to succeed often, and the other will almost always fail. Can you guess which is which? You’ll find the answer — and other great advice on making the ask — on our blog in a guest post from author, public speaker and planned giving specialist Dr. Rebecca Price Janney.
“Oh, you’re one of those people who care about the black squiggly marks,” the Director of Development told me.
Remember when news broke that Tiger Woods was cheating — not at golf, but on his wife? The media jumped all over the story.
Are you nurturing your donors? One way to do it is by asking them to tell their story. People like to talk about themselves. It’s natural.
Too Busy? Or is it Planned Giving Placed on the Back Burner, Again. They say that planned giving is being placed on the back-burner because of tight budgets, smaller staffs…
There is a perception that many fundraisers are job-hoppers, never staying in one role or with one organization for long.
The face of philanthropy is changing: Researchers found that many donors want to talk with an advisor before they’ll even approach a nonprofit to discuss their intentions.
Two great quotes from Mario Andretti: “If everything seems under control you are not going fast enough.” and “Don’t look at the wall.”
The other day a colleague from another nonprofit, a fairly small one, told me he was leaning away from spending money on a new planned giving website. This is not the first development person I’ve heard struggle with this decision.