Development Department

Development Department

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Latest — 08 May 2026

Developing a Spiritual Practice of Fundraising

Fundraising is a deeply spiritual practice. Generosity is at the foundation of every major religion. This, to me, means that generosity is a fundamental invariant - one of the building blocks of human nature. Many religions agree. Christianity espouses the significance of charity through the principle of agape love, emphasizing

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Protection Rackets

I have a meeting with the CEO in thirty minutes. It's just a check-in, but I'm anxious. I've been up all night. It feels like a gremlin is on my chest, telling me that I'm about to be found out. He will

Notes on AI Philanthropists

Two shifts are converging, and we're not prepared. Scenario One is already here. Donors and funders are using AI to make giving decisions. Almost every donor advisor I know uses some form of AI to sift proposals, and evaluate impact claims. They're triaging without human intervention.

Generosity is the substrate

Generosity is never produced or created. It's within the substrate of existence itself. No matter how good you are, you can't persuade someone to be generous. You've got to remove all the obstacles and stories that get in the way of their generosity. When

Poetic Fundraising

To move a donor, treat your words with the precision of a poet. Every sentence must carry weight. Every syllable must serve a purpose. Effective fundraising requires skillful switching between two distinct voices: a "stately" voice to inspire trust in the mission and a "raw" voice

A Retention Story

I quit an internet group recently. It was one of those "mastermind" type cohorts. I paid a high-side-of-normal sum, applied and was accepted, and participated in the welcome session. Overall it was fairly well organized as far as these groups go. But I quit because I didn'

Fundraising as Moment of Freedom

Every ask and every gift is a confrontation with the idea of freedom itself. Fundraising reveals the weight of what it means for humans to have a choice. The fundraiser is the one who sets the context choice and then invites the donor into their absolute freedom. They can say

Decision Velocity: The Key to Strong Organizations

Organizations are groups of people making decisions together. That’s why it’s always been a little surprising to me how little attention is paid to the way those decisions are made. My philosophy on decision-making is pretty simple: winning organizations are the ones who make the most decisions in

Writing a Case for Support

A case for support answers the urgent question: “What makes this program worthy of winning someone’s financial support.” It is the backbone of any successful fundraising campaign and outlines why a donor should contribute to your cause. It’s more than just a list of facts and figures -

Systems Fundraisers and Rolodex Fundraisers

Every project will have solicitors - sometimes paid, sometimes volunteer, sometimes you, who will help us bring in more donors. Finding and managing these solicitors is a challenge in itself. In the professional class you’ll find two subcategories of fundraiser - the rolodex fundraiser and the systems fundraiser. Rolodex