July 23, 2009 Kent Dove - A Blueprint for Fundraising Success in Any Economy

I joined an audience of AFP members and non-members for Kent Dove's recent webinar, "A Blueprint for Fundraising Success in Any Economy: Creating a Sustainable, Comprehensive
Development Model." Dove offers an amazing array of insights based on many years of successful higher education fundraising. Here are a few nuggets of knowledge for you to integrate into your planning:

1. Focus on assessing the needs, choosing the right methods for raising funds, and the best process for evaluating effectiveness


2. Volunteers are integral to a successful program. When engaging volunteers in fundraising, dedicate adequate resources and guidance to help them be successful.


3. Focus your annual fund development on acquiring new donors, getting donors to repeat, and upgrading current donors.


4. Above all, keep stewardship top of mind when creating your strategy.

While I found great value and nuggets in the presentation, I felt it would have been helpful to have more acknowledgement of the current recession and suggestions for countering its effects.


Dove's authored many books including, Conducting a Successful Fundraising Program, which has proven useful to me in working with organizations and budgets of all sizes. The book has a place of honor in my office. This book is included on the reading list for the CFRE exam.


I'm not suggesting, "Fundraising by the Book," but rather to utilize the best tools to develop a comprehensive strategy that will help your organization reach its potential.

AFP International Conference 2008

Here's a few thoughts from your favorite Adept Diva. My goal as a consultant and colleague is to bring fundraising savvy with a focus on know how now and for the future. Not the typical rhetoric, but actual road-tested knowledge and expert skills is what I want to share with you. Watch this blog for regular updates on the conference! Adept Diva Consulting's web-presence is here at last!

Sunday, 3/30/08 - Opening Night Reception
It was wonderful to see such a great turnout for the Opening Night Reception. I enjoyed chatting with James Phelps (Development Director for ACLU of Oregon & Chapter Diversity Chair). Later in the reception, the conversation grew to include Aaron Pearlman (Portland State University & AFP Oregon & SW Washington Chapter President), Kim McNamer (Oregon Zoo Foundation Major Gifts Manager & Chapter VP Professional Development), and Katy Hostettler (Providence Foundation Major Gifts Officer & Chapter President Elect). Eventually, Teresa Domka (ACLU of Oregon) joined in the conversation as well. Visit http://www.afporegon.org/ for more information about the AFP's Oregon & Southwest Washington Chapter.
As the photos show, San Diego isn't always warm and sunny, but the people are!

Sunday, 3/30/08 - Kevin Carroll

What's your red rubber ball? I'll bet reading this website or hearing Kevin ask this question in person might be the first time it was asked of you. When posing this question, Kevin is really encouraging you to think about what gets you excited. What makes you feel as if you're having an impact? His presentation was creative and engaging. While I didn't hear all of the talk, I did get to see him throw many a red rubber ball into the seemingly endless audience of competent, committed, and caring fundraisers. His remarks helped me focus on how important it is to see a culture of abundance and opportunity. There are plenty of resources and opportunities awaiting your cause. His presentation with its focus on youth and sports underscored the importance of cultivating a willingness to learn as you did when you were a child. Look for opportunities to be creative . . . To inspire . . . As Kevin would say, "what's your red rubber ball?" To learn more, visit the official website of Kevin Carroll Katalyst, author, speaker, and agent for social change at http://www.katalystatlarge.com/

Saturday, 3/29/08 - Management School

Saturday's Management School led by Bernard Ross, director of The Management Center proved a welcome departure from the usual staid education sessions. His presentation offered a lot of humor including much waxing poetic about opera, the differences between Scotland, England, Canada, and the US, and other topics. In terms of management school content, Bernard focused on four management concepts/tools - Dashboard Data, Boston Matrix, Ansoff's Matrix, and Emotional Intelligence. Through many exercises including using our hands to approximate the size of a box, he engaged us at creatively and challenged us to be more succinct and visual in our presentation of data. With so many fundraising executives and funders mistaking outputs for actual outcomes, it is a challenge to stay focused on the data that matters.

Bernard also helped us assess our Emotional Intelligence in management. According to wikipedia, Daniel Goleman's EI model outlines four main EI constructs:

1. Self-awareness - the ability to read one's emotions and recognize their impact while using gut feelings to guide decisions.


2. Self-management - involves controlling one's emotions and impulses and adapting to changing circumstances.


3. Social awareness - the ability to sense, understand, and react to other's emotions while comprehending social networks.


4. Relationship management - the ability to inspire, influence, and develop others while managing conflict.

Overall, Bernard Ross's "Management School" presentation provided a lot of useful tools for me to use in my work as a consultant and volunteer. For more about Bernard Ross, visit http://www.managementcentre.co.uk/

Look here tomorrow and beyond for a more thoughts on fundraising savvy, AFP sessions, and San Diego! Thanks for visiting! The Adept Fundraising Diva