Bloom’s Carolyn Marshall was among the sector experts who contributed knowledge and perspective to Elisa Birnbaum’s “Fundraising Checkup” on Charity Village today. In addition to providing a glimpse into fundraisers’ current experiences, the article provides an important look at what’s ahead for non-profits that are in the fundraising business.
Taking fundraising’s pulse, and making a prognosis
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
Visionary Social Architect Bill Strickland in Halifax September 18
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
Social Architect, Community Leader and Visionary
Visionary CEO, “social architect” and community leader Dr. Bill Strickland is making a public presentation Friday, September 18th at 2PM at Saint Mary’s University’s Sobey School of Business. Its the talk of the town.
Why should you attend?
Well, Bill’s story is a remarkable one. He has demonstrated how one man can truly make a difference in the lives of others, and he’s used some pretty unothodox ways of achieving that goal. The website TED does a better job than I can, of summarizing why you should listen to what he has to say.
Bill’s vision and the Manchester Bidwell initiative hold great promise for at-risk youth and disadvanted adults in Halifax. Get a preview glimpse with this quick video. If you are interested in attending his presentation, click here for information from the Sobey School of Business.
Can Presidents Make Room for a “Sign of the Times?”
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009I monitor and occasionally participate in forum discussions by professional fundraisers. Questions and ideas flow fast and furious as they seek solutions to everyday issues. Today it finally dawned on me how many professional fundraisers are seeking advice on how to “cultivate” and re-engage their donor stakeholders…particularly first time donors.
A savvy fellow in the US commented on the fact that at his institution, every first time donor gets a personal (yes, personal) letter from the President of his university, along with a “welcome” package that talks about the impact of giving and the major initiatives being led at the university.
How personal! And no, there is no monetary prequalifier that implies some donors get a personal letter from the President, and some don’t. They all do!
His observation led to a volley of e-commentary from many professionals who endeavor to do the same thing at their organizations, but can’t get their presidents’ attention and time to actually SIGN the letters.
Say what?
Is it just me, or is this a no-brainer? How better to connect the institution you lead (and you as a leader) to the people whose donations help you lead? Calling all presidents (executive directors, whatever you are called as the Captain of Your Ship)…sign the letters!
Stroke of Genius: Kelvin Ogilvie Appointed to Senate of Canada
Friday, August 28th, 2009Imagine my delight to see former Acadia University President and Vice Chancellor Kelvin K. Ogilvie appointed yesterday to the Senate of Canada.
Despite the inevitable controversy over the fact that Prime Minister Harper made another round of Senate appointments in the first place, Ogilvie is a brilliant choice.
I had the privilege of working on Dr. Ogilvie’s team for 7 years at Acadia. He transformed the learning environment with the Acadia Advantage program, through a unique combination of fearlessness and progressive thinking. And under his leadership, the Irving family propelled Acadia’s environment focus by building the KC Irving Centre, Harriett Irving Botanical Gardens and Irving Academy for the Environment.
Dr. Ogilvie will bring those qualities to the Senate. He’s not a man to rest on his laurels. Here’s the scoop.
And now, some good news for the little guys
Friday, August 21st, 2009For those among us who cheerlead for the little guys…those smaller non profits that generally have a harder time in raising money…check out this quick article.
Kudos to the four man shop at non profit Critical Exposure for taking a page out of the Obama book and leveraging their networks through technology, for fundraising. They proved that tenacity and innovation can win the day.
What’s in Bloom
Sunday, August 16th, 2009Welcome to the Bloom blog! Get connected on what’s happening in the non-profit marketing and fundraising community in Canada. Post comments to our moderated blog and subscribe to the RSS feed. Cheers!