Development for Conservation

David's on a rant this week....

A Major Gift Fundraising Rant   18 May 2021 By David Allen, Development for Conservation   I need to get something off my chest.   Major gift fundraising is the most important fundraising you can do.   OK …

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"I read a lot of fundraising letters. And waaaay too many are written like a news article. Take three paragraphs of factually accurate reporting, vaguely represent that “because of you…” this or that happened, append an unspecific ask paragraph, and include a PS note about a matching grant."

Need Help Writing Your Spring Appeal Letter?   27 April 2021 By David Allen, Development for Conservation   I started raising money as a canvasser in Eugene Oregon. It was to be a summer job in 1983, and it turned into a career. I…

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Sure, we’re looking for rich people - who already know us and understand the WHY part. But here “rich” is relative. On whatever economic scale our current supporters represent, we’re looking for the top 10-20 percent. The more important part is that we’re looking for people who already know us and love what we do. And whom we already know.

How to find Major Gift Prospects   20 April 2021 By David Allen, Development for Conservation   HAPPY EARTH DAY! Before I start this week, I want to put in a plug for donor stories. I am beginning to hear heartwarming …

Many Board directors are substantially unaware of how their organizations are supposed to work and therefore effectively incapable of exercising their role in Governance. Like slow leaks in the organizational basement, this has the potential for becoming a major organizational headache someday.

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When Organizational Policies Become Leaks in the Basement   13 April 2021 By David Allen, Development for Conservation   Dear Board Director: Does your organization have a Conflict-of-Interest Policy? Do you – specifically you – know what it…

A GIFT is something that is given freely, without expectations of receiving something of value (gifts and services) in return. It seems pathetically obvious, doesn’t it? So why do we consistently muck this up?

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What is a Gift?   16 March 2021 By David Allen, Development for Conservation   I’m developing a new workshop this year on fundraising basics. I feel like one of the most important lessons of 2020 was t…

Read the latest post from Development for Conservation, "Othering" in Land Conservation.

"What about the possibility that they might offer a solution to something we’re working on? Are we willing to listen that hard? To approach them as equals? How do we learn to listen for wisdom we can apply for ourselves instead of just ideas that connect to our solutions for them?"

“Othering” in Land Conservation   9 March 2021 By David Allen, Development for Conservation   Several years ago, Vu Le (Non-Profit AF) wrote a critique of donor-centric fundraising. In the several weeks that followed,…