In Jewish tradition the “Gabbai Tzedekah,” the money collector, held a very special and esteemed role as the collector and disburser of funds to help the poor. The root of “tzedekah” means justice; it was simply the right thing to do to help. The Gabbai risked him/herself, in some ways, for the sake of the…
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Is this a board member you know? Board members often take unrestrained ight in not cottoning to fundraising. They smile and wink and pat one another on the back about it. “Oh, fundraising, that’s not for me!” “No, it’s yucky; I’ll do anything but fund raise.” “Yeah, fundraising is for folks who like to sell.”…
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Last week I tuned in to the Nashville t.v. series premiere. Almost the first words to come out of someone’s mouth (a dad to his daughter): “Honey, it’s bad manners to talk about money.” I recently explored the money taboo as it relates to fundraising. Today’s post digs a bit deeper. Subsequent posts will dig…
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The inimitable Hugh MacLeod shows us the key to success Of all the tips I give board members about how to become successful fundraisers, by far the most important is this: Make your own passionate commitment first. Making this commitment entails just three simple things. And I let folks know that these things just happen…
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Why are trustees so nervous about fundraising? I’ve found there are two key reasons. Understand these reasons, and we can put an end to the fears in two easy steps. ONE: Overcome Fear of Rejection. We think we’re asking for ourselves; begging. We’ve been raised that it’s impolite to talk about money. Even worse, no…
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I’m often asked by frazzled executive directors and well-meaning board members whether it’s reasonable or unreasonable to expect everyboard member to be involved in fundraising. My answer is yes. How can we have it both ways? We have to define our terms. A nonprofit board has a special fiduciary role and responsibility to assure fulfillment…
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