This is part two of a series highlighting the 12 skills fundraisers need to cultivate in the new year and for what the nonprofit sector and profession of fundraising will ask of us. And what our communities need from us. ----------------------- Curiosity opens the door, but curiosity alone doesn’t carry you very far: sooner or later, you have to decide. You have to choose a direction.You have to recommend a plan.You have to say “yes” to some things and “no” to others.You

Not to be liturgically pedantic or potentially pretentious (but definitely alliterative) - the oft-cited 12 Days of Christmas actually start today, December 25. They start on Christmas Day and run through the Feast of the Epiphany in early January. For those in the Western tradition. In the Eastern and Orthodox traditions, Epiphany is later in the month. But then so is Christmas. I digress. Of course. This isn't a theology lesson, and no one is here to quiz you on feast

Every year, the same GivingTuesday chatter kicks up: “It's too crowded.” “Everyone is asking at once.” “Our donors get overwhelmed.” “No one sees our message.” “It’s just a feel-good day for small gifts.” "It never works for us"* And every year, I find myself wanting to say: You’re not wrong… but you’re also not asking the right questions. GivingTuesday isn’t successful because of marketing brilliance.It isn’t a threat because of competition. And it isn’t a throwaway because

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked a nonprofit leader, “What’s your annual budget?” Instead of an answer, I get a weather...

We are in a government shutdown. And even before this, nonprofits across the country were already experiencing unprecedented cuts to...

Ah, September! The smells of Pumpkin Space wafting through the air, dreams of sweater weather on its way, Halloween decorations making...