In the non-profit sector, if you aren’t willing to advance into management, there is very little opportunity to grow as a fundraiser, take on new responsibilities, and increase your salary.   This is a frustrating reality, because not everyone is right for management.     Leadership requires a different skillset and specific perspective, one that’s interested in finding success and delivering results through others. It’s not as simple as taking your best frontline fundraiser and putting...

More and more, fundraisers are being overworked and underpaid. They’re frequently pulled in different directions and asked to accomplish tasks that don’t fall under their domain – all without a solid support structure. It’s caused many to leave the sector entirely.   There is so much important work to do in our world and we need to take care of our people in order to solve these big problems. That means implementing mindful, self-care practices so you’re ready to approach your work with...

It’s not easy to let go of certain donors, but there comes a time in every fundraising cycle when you’ll need to transition a donor relationship to someone else.     Whether the donor is moving from mid-level to a major gifts portfolio, or from a higher level of giving back into mid-level or direct response, transitioning them to another colleague is one of the best things you can do for your program, organization, and the donor! But you need to have protocols in place so that the...

How many times has your organization pulled you into something that doesn’t directly relate to your job? This kind of scenario is all too common in the non-profit sector, and the results of it are usually negative: fundraisers lose their focus, have less impact, and solicit less giving.  What if fundraising leaders and management stopped distracting their mid-level and major gift officers with unnecessary organizational tasks, activity-oriented metrics, meetings that aren’t related to...

With summer vacations wrapping up and back-to-school season in full swing, it’s time to start taking a close look at your fundraising plans for the fall and year-end.    Are you feeling prepared for the busy months ahead? We know how valuable this time of year is in your fundraising cycle, which is why it’s so important to focus on creating a strong strategic plan for your donors.   In this episode, Jeff Schreifels is joined by Debi Dunham, Client Experience Leader here at Veritus, and...

It’s the most intimidating part of fundraising: asking someone for a gift.   But that’s not the only thing that fundraisers need to ask for. You’re also requesting meetings, inviting donors to attend events, and asking them to share the personal drivers behind their giving.   So, whatever you’re asking for – how do you do it in a way that honors the donor as a partner in your mission?  We developed our Permission-Based Asking™ model as a framework for more authentic dialogue. No more...

Did you know that Veritus Group is an international consulting agency, with offices in the UK & Europe (in addition to our US & Canada team)? We often get questions about how The Veritus Way works in different cultural settings, so we wanted to spend some time sharing about our work with international clients and highlighting what’s been working well for them.    In this episode, Jeff is joined by Sara Di Lullo, Director of Client Engagement for Veritus UK and Europe, along with...

Veritus Group was incredibly honored to be the Presenting Sponsor for the AADO Conference in 2024.    AADO (African American Development Officers Network) is a network of more than 3,500 fundraising professionals of color. Their annual conference is the premier event for fundraising, development, and operations professionals of color, and their allies.     During the conference, our team sat down with several AADO leaders and conference presenters to talk about the projects they’re...

Over the past two decades, our team at Veritus has analyzed hundreds of different non-profits’ data files, and we see the same trends over and over again. While overall revenue may go up year-over-year, many donors give less over time (or go away altogether). But organizations are often unaware this is happening because the loss is covered up by gifts from new donors.   So, what can you do about this? The first thing to do is start analyzing your donor file so you can understand where you...

As a fundraiser, you play two roles in any donor meeting. First, you’re there to be a partner to your donor, which means you’re seeking to learn more about their passions so you can help to match those with your organization’s programs.     And your second role is to act as a facilitator so that everyone is on the same page about the purpose of the meeting and leaves feeling like their time was well-used. This is a real skill that requires some practice.     In this podcast episode, Karen...

Building a partnership between mid-level and direct response is crucial to your organization’s success. Yet many organizations are missing out on opportunities to align these groups in a way that will strengthen the donor pipeline.     For this episode, we invited special guests Becca Burgess, VP of Client Services at Moore, and Kara Ansotegui, Senior Director of Leadership Annual Giving at the American Cancer Society, to join us for a conversation about creating a partnership between...

Many non-profit leaders rely on metrics because it’s easier than sitting down with their frontline fundraisers each week and helping them stay focused and accountable to their strategic plan. But when your fundraising performance metrics are not aligned with building meaningful relationships with your donors, it can cause a whole host of problems.  What are the metrics that really matter in fundraising, and how can managers best support their teams to stay on track with those key...

Many fundraisers aren’t starting their caseloads from scratch – they’re inheriting a donor caseload that was previously managed by someone else. Whether you’re a new hire, or you’re moving into a new role within the same organization and taking on a new caseload, this transition can be complicated.   How do you introduce yourself to these donors who already know your organization, but not you?   In this episode, Matt Gill and Diana Frazier offer steps you can take to help you navigate...

Is your organization set up to support the donor journey? What structures do you have in place to develop your donor relationships from initial acquisition to cultivation, mid-level, major gifts, and planned giving? These are some of the questions you need to consider as you work to build a healthy donor pipeline. In this episode, Richard and Jeff discuss five key focus areas for organizations seeking to improve their donor’s experience at every stage of their giving journey.   Show...

We’ve all been in meetings where the conversation gets sidetracked. Maybe someone present is very chatty and wants to spend the first half hour catching up. Maybe one individual has another topic they want to discuss, outside of what was outlined in the agenda. Or maybe no one is clear on why they’re there at all, so the conversation wanders until the time is up. How can you make sure your donor meetings stay on track, while being respectful of everyone’s time and contributions? In this...

In celebration of Women’s History Month, today’s episode is all about how women are shaping and changing the field of fundraising. Our special guest joining us for this conversation is Yolanda F. Johnson, President and Founder of YFJ Consulting and Women of Color in Fundraising and Leadership (WOC)™, which specializes in fundraising, philanthropy, and best practices for equity and inclusion. Listen in to learn more about Yolanda’s work and to hear her perspective on lifting up more women and...

Asking your donors for gifts isn’t something you should save for the year-end giving season. When you’re tuned in to your donor’s giving preferences and interests, you can bring them additional giving opportunities even outside their regular giving season. For this episode, we invited two guest fundraisers and clients of ours to share their expertise on this subject. Sarah Coen-Frei, Senior Individual Giving Manager at Minnesota Public Radio, and Fritz Gutwein, Major Gift Officer at Bread...

When you work at a non-profit organization, just as in any job, there will be times that you feel stuck, discouraged, or uninspired. This work is hard, and it’s not uncommon to experience feelings of burnout or frustration.  If you’re in a space like that, how do you shift your energy so you can bring your best self to your work with donors? For this episode, Karen and Renita share some questions to ask yourself on those days to help you approach your energy differently. We hope these...

When you’re looking for your next fundraising position, how do you evaluate which opportunities are most aligned with your professional goals? What questions should you ask in your conversations with hiring managers to learn more about their culture and evaluate whether the role is a good fit? In this podcast episode, Karen and Matt are joined by special guest Paul Towne, VP of Executive Search with Cooper Coleman. As a search consultant who works exclusively with non-profit and social...

Welcome to January! In these first weeks of the year, you’re likely still finishing out the year-end season, thanking donors for gifts received, and assessing your performance compared to your goals. At the same time, you’re working on communication plans and strategies for the year ahead.  In this episode, Jeff is joined by Theresa Tapocsi and Edie Dahlen, two of our Client Experience Leaders, for an overview of what fundraisers and leaders need to know right now while you’re wrapping up...

When we talk to passionate fundraisers who are deeply committed to their donors, their most common complaint about their work is that they don’t feel supported by their managers. People leave organizations because of it, yet management skills are often undervalued in the non-profit space.  In today’s episode, Karen and Jeff talk through some of the obstacles that may be holding you back as a leader for your fundraising team, and how you can take steps to turn things around. For anyone...

When an anonymous check for $100,000 arrived at the American Brain Foundation, their fundraising team was blown away. The organization certainly wasn’t so large that this level of giving was typical. Who was this anonymous person, and what made them decide to give so generously?  In this episode, Jeff and Diana interview two members of the team at the American Brain Foundation (ABF) – Jane Ransom, Executive Director, and Lisa Dahlberg, Philanthropic Advisor – to learn how they responded to...

When you have a healthy donor pipeline, there will come a time when you need to transition a donor relationship to someone else. Whether the donor is moving from mid-level to a major gifts portfolio or from a higher level of giving back into mid-level or direct response, you need to have protocols in place so that the transition feels seamless to the donor.  For today’s podcast episode, Karen Kendrick speaks with Diana Frazier, Senior Client Experience Leader, and Kara Ansotegui, Director of...

When moves management was first introduced as a strategy to help fundraisers manage their caseloads, it was a step forward in putting some much-needed structure around the donor pipeline.  But now, some non-profits have taken the idea too far. A lot of organizations have gotten stuck on rigid definitions of what “stage” a donor is at. Moves management has led to these metrics that have caused fundraisers to forget about how actual relationships work. In this podcast episode, Richard and...