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.

I am definitely a planner.

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.

I just finished an excellent new book, Conquerors by Roger Crowley, which left me thinking about how leaders make decisions.

The community has been great to Boys & Girls Clubs in Wake County. Our Clubs have been filled with volunteers, our financial goals have been met and our partners endured the dozens of communications we sent over a two week period.

I work with clients to create development plans to ensure interdependence from one or two sources of income like events or publicly funded grants. The question “How do we label different types of donors?” always comes up.

As we turned our clocks forward this past weekend, I realized how much I love this time of year as it’s lighter later and everything comes into bloom. Things are new, young and exciting.

When I first started my fundraising career, I was given a laminated card the size of a business card and on it was listed all of the questions a prospective donor should be asked in a cultivation meeting.

Did your mother ever tell you that you should listen before you speak? That you have two ears and one mouth for a reason?