Armstrong McGuire is honored to partner with UrbanPromise Charlotte, a nonprofit dedicated to equipping children and youth with the spiritual, academic, and social development they need to become Christian leaders committed to restoring

If you drive through Virginia, you’ve no doubt seen the state’s long-standing slogan: Virginia is for lovers.

I learned a lesson of stewardship early on from my Grandmother.

We have a past client who is considering a capital campaign.

I recently returned from a trip and had a long layover between flights on the way home.

Urban Ministries of Wake County (UMWC) leads a list of firsts in our community.

Most people think fundraisers love to talk. That is an understatement, we do love to talk!!

When I was first asked to write a guest blog about our recent and successful Day of Giving event, I immediately felt like a fraud.

In July 2008 Armstrong McGuire was four years old and growing as a firm. Our future looked bright, but there was worrisome economic talk all around us.

I love movies. I mean I really love movies. If I could do it all over again, I would attend film school and work in the industry.

I love to cook and one of my favorite iconic cooks is Julia Child (I have volume one and two of Mastering the Art of French Cooking). Mastering the art of a capital campaign is very relatable to mastering a Julia Child recipe.

There is a saying in athletics: How you practice is how you play at gametime.

I once asked my grandmother, who was born in 1929, to share with me all the major changes she had seen in her lifetime.

Apple TV’s Ted Lasso series has been a huge hit, not only for its entertaining and heartfelt storylines but also for Ted’s homespun, down-to-earth wisdom that he shares with his players, friends, and family.

I remember my first experience hiring a consultant for the nonprofit that I was working with early in my fundraising career.

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life…. Confucius

Did you know that there are 143 days until Christmas? Have you started shopping for gifts? I haven’t but plans are starting to take shape for December.

As I sat down to write this week’s blog post, I realized the topic I had in mind was one I’ve already written about – the challenges of being a nonprofit executive director or CEO.

Back in college, I occasionally found my way to a friendly poker night with a few buddies.

I’ve had the privilege of spending most of my nonprofit career in resource development.

Every two years, since the early 2000s, the US Census Bureau, in partnership with AmeriCorps, releases a study tracking volunteerism in the US.

“To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven” - Ecclesiastes 3:1 and revisited in The Byrd’s 1965 hit song “Turn! Turn! Turn! 2023 is a new season for me.

Another year around the sun begins. I, like many of you, am taking time this month to reflect on the past year and plan for the year ahead. For me, this new year happens to kick off with a change in employment.

If you are a nonprofit CEO or Executive Director, you must make time to personally steward and solicit your donors.

Inflation and the possibility (if not current reality!) of a recession are huge challenges to raising funds for nonprofit organizations.

Reciprocity: “The practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit, especially privileges granted by one country or organization to another.”

According to the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy at Boston College, we are currently experiencing the largest wealth transfer in US history. $59 trillion (yes, trillion!) will transfer to the next generation from 2007 to 2061.

It wasn’t until last year, during a staff meeting outside in our parking lot as we tried to find some sense of togetherness during the COVID pandemic, did I realize the toll that years of racial equity work was taking on my mental and

To Armstrong McGuire’s regular readers, hello and let me introduce myself! I’m Ann Powell—Founder and Director of Brand at Powell.

One of the biggest financial stories of the past few years is the meteoric rise of cryptocurrency as an increasingly popular, highly appreciated yet volatile investment opportunity.

In a recent article at GivingUSA.org entitled Take Me Out to the Ballgame!: a Comparison Between Fundraising and Baseball, the authors examine how baseball and fundraising rely on similar tools of the trade to be successful: good data

Recently my husband attended a business conference in Las Vegas, and he invited me to come along. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I had time or was all that interested in Sin City, but a friend encouraged me to go just to be with Jeff.

Donor retention is critical. You know it. You have heard the Armstrong McGuire team talk about it for years.

Yesterday was my dear friend Amy’s birthday. Since her special day is on the first, she has appropriated all of September as her birthday month, celebrating accordingly.

Our family recently returned from our annual escape to Lake Gaston.

Let me be clear. Snakes are #1, #4, and #7 on my top 10 list of things I fear on this earth.

With respect to work, I am what author Po Bronson calls a journeyer in his book What Should I Do with My Life? For me, that has meant pursuing several different – and at the time, fulfilling – careers.

I recently reconnected with a very close childhood friend for a long overdue catch-up conversation. Things started out with the standard check-ins about kids, jobs, and who else in our friend group we had seen lately.

Would you call yourself a risk taker? An adventurer? Would you describe your nonprofit as adventurous and determined? As the world opens up to the vaccinated, many of you are making vacation plans.

Last week the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP), a partnership of the Association for Fundraising Professionals, #Giving Tuesday, and some donor software companies, released its Q4 2020 and full-year 2020 fundraising report.

It was a good night! Friends we have not seen in over 18 months called and asked us over for dinner. We have been holding out, but now that all of us had our COVID-19 vaccines it was GO time!

After 13 months of mostly working from home, shopping online, and infrequent in-person social interactions, stepping back into the world feels a little bit like going back to middle school. It is awkward and kind of uncomfortable.

Tuesday, March 30th was National Doctor’s Day.

Last Friday, when meeting with nine development directors in a monthly development networking call, I shared a list created by BoardSource that states 10 tasks every development committee should be doing.

Donors are making a concerted effort to research a nonprofit before making a donation. Recent stakeholder interviews as part of feasibility study show that donors who have been affected by the pandemic may have less money to give away.

I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately (sigh) so I’ve taken to doing a meditation before bed. Recently, one of the meditations had me imagine what the world would be like if we all had a sign around our necks that detailed our burdens.

2020 was tumultuous and it changed our perspective of the world forever.

Our team had a chance to talk with nonprofit executive, development, and marketing leaders last week.

It is a personal goal of mine that people feel comfortable and welcomed in my home. Don’t be surprised, if you drop by, that you are offered a snack, something to drink, or fresh eggs to carry home.

Many nonprofits had to cancel their spring events because of COVID-19, pushing them to the fall. Then when the pandemic continued, everyone needed to transform in-person events to virtual events.

I read an article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy this week written by Joan Garry, a consultant, author, and speaker who has been called the “Dear Abby of Nonprofit Leaders” for her advice.

Lately I have been binge-watching reruns of The West Wing on Netflix.

Not long ago all of us were being asked to do our civic duty and help each other by staying home and keeping our distance from one another.

Leading with transparency is my personal go-to. In our current environment, I believe transparency in fundraising is absolutely essential.

You can’t get together face-to-face with your board or committee members during this pandemic, so how do you keep them engaged?

Giving Tuesday has announced May 5, 2020 to be #GivingTuesdayNow as an emergency response to COVID-19. It is designed to create a movement for unity and drive generosity for nonprofits.

Happy New Year! Happy leap year! Happy new decade! I hope you found just the right balance of celebration and reflection on the year that has passed, mixed with a strong dose of readiness and anticipation for what lies ahead in 2020.

‘Tis the season to be game on! Thanksgiving is behind us. Giving Tuesday is in the books. 30% of annual giving occurs in December and 10% in the last three days of the year. Many nonprofits have been planning for this season for months.

Saving the world is hard work. #GivingTuesday provides an opportunity to do your part through service and gifts of time, talent, or treasure to become a philanthropist.

We have officially entered the season of thanksgiving. In American culture, we show gratitude through gifts. We bring flowers to the hostess of the dinner party. We give goodie bags to 6-year-olds at the birthday party.

"National Philanthropy Day is celebrated annually on November 15th. This day signifies the importance of working together for the common good.

It’s that time of year! Halloween is here. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa will all be here before you know it.

Think back to when you moved to your current location. When you first moved in, maybe you met a few neighbors and then eventually began to meet more neighbors.

Nonprofit organizations spend a tremendous amount of time reviewing mission, vision, and values statements. Staff and boards set high standards and create written Codes of Ethics as policy documents that drive their behavior.

Which do you prefer?iPhone or Android?Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or LinkedIn?Cable television or streaming apps?CNN or Fox news or MSNBC?Democrat or Republican or Independent?

Have you ever heard the saying “Your vibe attracts your tribe?”Have you ever noticed how people who typically see their glass half-empty seem to consistently have bad stuff happen to them?

I have the pleasure have helping board members, staff leaders, and campaign volunteers hone their fundraising skills on a regular basis.

A solid resource development program has many components, including a development plan that outlines goals, strategies to achieve them, and tactics, methods, metrics, and accountabilities to operationalize the strategies.

Engaging prospective and current donors consistently throughout the year should be part of your annual development planning. There are so many ways that a nonprofit or institution of higher education can engage donors.

Confidence is a critical element to success in almost any endeavor. In fundraising, it is a gamechanger.

Do you ever think about your personal mission statement? As members of the philanthropic and business communities, our organizations’ mission statements are important, encouraged, and expected.

Remember the movie Field of Dreams and the famous line “If you build it, they will come”?

Our oldest son started his summer internship a couple of weeks ago. My husband reminded him that you must prove that you are responsible in the little things before you are given additional responsibilities.

Katie and Jason Weeks have always enjoyed hosting parties. When they celebrate their children’s birthdays, they look forward to surrounding their kids with friends.

I am definitely a planner.

In planning for a capital campaign, the question often comes up—should we combine our annual, capital, and planned giving efforts into one comprehensive campaign, counting all three efforts into one total goal?

I comparison shop at a moment’s notice. You might have caught me in Costco or Target on my phone checking prices. Or you might have seen me looking for reviews on the product in hand.

At least once a month I get invited for coffee with someone who is interested in starting a nonprofit. With 120,000 charitable organizations registered in North Carolina alone, my gut response is usually “DON’T DO IT!”

When planning for a capital campaign many nonprofits ponder whether it is necessary to recruit a Campaign Cabinet.

Nearly 20 years ago I met Judy Bright for lunch at Darryl’s on Hillsborough Street. A mutual friend suggested that we connect. Other than the fact that she worked at the YMCA, I knew nothing about her.

Last Saturday was my birthday!

As we say in the South, it’s fall, y’all. Time for tailgates, pumpkin patches, and hay rides. And in the non-profit sector, it’s time for giving days.

This month I had the opportunity to attend the North Carolina Philanthropy Conference, hosted by the North Carolina chapters of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

As a resident of the Carolinas most of my life, I’ve seen my fair share of weather events. Extreme heat, freak snowstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes are the unfortunate price we pay for living in such a great locale.

I sat down this weekend to watch The Way, an inspiring story about family, friends and the challenges we face while navigating life, relationships, and the world around us.

Friday, during my annual eye exam, I saw an email that caught my eye.

Oil and vinegar. Pancakes and ketchup. Duke and Carolina fans. Some things just don’t go together.

Headlines sell, and as much as I don’t want to be a victim of a lead, several have grabbed my attention this month.

As of 2:30 PM this past Tuesday, my wife and I are the proud owners of a second home. More accurately, we are the new landlords of a townhouse that will be occupied by our daughter and two of her friends while they are in college.

Tuesday marked the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Some of my contemporaries, and many from the previous generation revere RFK. They have a strong sentimentality looking back on his ideas, and his ideals.

I always know when spring arrives. Not because of the weather — goodness knows it doesn’t feel like spring here in North Carolina yet — but because my mailbox starts filling up with invitations to nonprofit events.

This week I had a blog all set, based on implications of the new federal tax laws, but then I read Shannon Williams blog last week entitled “One Thing At A Time”. She pointed out how she is always multitasking.

The impact of the recent tax cuts passed by Congress is beginning to be felt in the paychecks, investment portfolios and on the bottom lines of many businesses.

Blessed are the fundraisers for they shall inherit the New Year’s funding goals.

For those of you who know me, or have read a prior blog, you know we welcomed chickens into our family last year.

Today marks the 76th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Are We Deserving of the Philanthropy We Seek?

On November 15th, the country celebrates National Philanthropy Day in recognition of the power and potential of philanthropy as “the love of humanity”.

A new report from The Chronicle of Philanthropy shows that fewer Americans are giving to charitable causes and that nonprofits are increasingly relying on the wealthy for support.

I can’t begin to tell you how much I learned in the first few years of development work. In my first year, we had planned 13 mass-market event fundraisers. The development manager left two months before half of the events took place.