The pressure. The team. The decisions that keep you up at night. That part isn't in any development newsletter.

The Ask That Came Too Early 3-minute read Last month, I spoke to a group of executive directors who run organizations without any fundraising staff. Each of them handles everything—programs, operations, and raising every dollar—on their own. I advised them not to make a fundraising ask, not right now. Some of them looked at me like I was crazy, but then I explained my reasoning. Every Gift Moves Through Four Stages Most teams see the donor pipeline as a single step: build a relationship, then...

The Question That Unlocked 25 Ideas We'd been stuck at 3% member giving for years. It wasn’t because we weren’t trying. In fact, we experienced a 1% growth and celebrated. We ran campaigns, made appeals. Still, the number didn’t budge. But we hadn’t found the right question to ask. When I Realized I Was Asking the Wrong Question A few weeks ago, I wrote the following: Each gift averages over $250, and our retention rate is 55 percent. Incredible. Yet the percentage of members contributing has...

The Power We Have 4-minute read Hi Reader, When a major tech partner came to the table, I thought I knew exactly who to put in the room. Right now, a major child health initiative of ours is funded by a government grant. The money is real, but it’s not the kind you can count on for the long term. One budget cycle or policy change, and it could disappear. We had a short window to find something more stable, and not much time to do it. When this company showed interest, I did what I always do:...

Build the Case They’ll Make Without You 4-minute read Hi Reader, There’s a meeting you’ll never be in. It happens after your conversation goes well. After the executive expresses interest. After you leave feeling like something real might be building. They take it back to their team. Compliance needs to check details. Communications wants input on the activation calendar. The CFO wants to understand the ROI. And the executive who was warm in the room with you has to defend a decision they...

The People Who Open Doors 3-minute read Hi Reader, I’d asked a board member to ask a colleague to make an introduction for almost a year. Nothing happened. I’ve learned not to expect it to. When I finally faced that honestly, not with judgment or frustration but with curiosity, I realized it was teaching me something important about how external influence really works. The Misconception Most of Us Carry We start this work believing influence is something we build. Make a persuasive case. Tell...

The Board Member Who Changes Everything Issue #564-minute read Hi Reader, I didn't pick her. The nominating committee did, years before I ever sat across from her. By the time she joined our board, the decision was already made. I just inherited it. She was a successful corporate executive. She held a high position, had strong connections, and didn't have time for unnecessary tasks. I gave her one goal for our annual event: help us find sponsors. I explained it once and gave her everything...

Quiet Systems Issue #533-minute read Hi Reader, The systems that hold aren’t just the ones that work. They’re the ones your organization believes in. The sequence we built to vet corporate prospects was never the problem. The process was rigorous. The logic was sound. The criteria held up under scrutiny. What wasn’t ready was the culture around it. That’s what this issue is about. What Makes a System Quiet A quiet system doesn’t announce itself. It doesn’t require you to defend it under...

Issue #523-minute read Why Growth Makes Fundraising Worse Hi Reader, When people started questioning one of our biggest sources of charitable giving, my team didn't see it as just a question about how things work. They felt like it was an attack on their integrity and the way they do their jobs. I wasn't ready for that reaction. Our corporate partnerships team works carefully. We make sure companies truly help children’s health before working with them. There is a rigorous process to assess...

The Judgment Calls We Make Alone Issue #513-minute read Hi Reader, There’s a category of decision in this work that doesn’t have a good home. Not the strategic calls. Those we can think through with our CEO and our leadership team. Not the operational calls. Those live inside our systems and our staff. I’m talking about the judgment calls. The ones that require a read on people and pipeline that only someone sitting in our seat can make. And the ones where being wrong has real consequences. I...