Outlook: Connecting the Dots for Donors
CURRENTS Article The author argues that educational institutions need to sell themselves to alumni and potential donors the same way they sell ourselves to prospective students. What can we offer them? What value will they get from giving?

Be Succinct and Specific when Making Cold Calls, Speaker Says
BriefCASE Article When making a cold call to a prospective donor, be succinct and specific by saying your name, noting where you're calling from and proposing a concrete time to meet in person, recommends a major gift officer who spoke at a recent CASE conference.

Getting Face to Face with Prospective Donors: The Art of Asking Strategic Questions
Product This webinar discusses the strategic questions that need to be asked in order to develop and advance philanthropic relationships. This multimedia file is a recording of an Online Speaker Series webinar originally presented June 14, 2011.

Faith and Fundraising
CURRENTS Article This article examines fundraising practices at schools with religious affiliations. Faith plays an important though usually subtle role in these institutions' advancement efforts because it is often important to the donors they seek out. Overall, development officers at religious colleges, universities, and independent schools use the same tactics as their colleagues working at secular schools. But the religious nature of their schools often creates strong ties between the institution and alumni, parents, and other constituents that can be beneficial when raising funds.

True Confessions
CURRENTS Article Examining fundraising best practices is a great way to improve a development program, but looking at worse practices can also be enlightening. In this story, fundraisers reveal embarrassing blunders that subsequently may prove instructive.

Tell More Stories: How Stories Improve Your Confidence and Results When Meeting Donors
Product This webinar focuses on ways to use stories to effectively engage an audience, inspire action and advance the mission of an institution. It also focuses on adapting stories to meet different donor situations. This multimedia file is a recording of an Online Speaker Series originally presented March 9, 2011.

Askophobia: A Guide for Anxious Fund-Raising Volunteers (Packet of 25)
Product This booklet is designed to help volunteers overcome the fear of asking for gifts and provides step-by-step advice on planning and making the call, discussing the amount of the ask and handling a yes, no, or maybe.

Askophobia: A Guide for Anxious Fund-Raising Volunteers (Packet of 10)
Product This booklet is designed to help volunteers overcome the fear of asking for gifts and provides step-by-step advice on planning and making the call, discussing the amount of the ask and handling a yes, no, or maybe. .

Askophobia: A Guide for Anxious Fund-Raising Volunteers (Single copy - PDF)
Product This booklet is designed to help volunteers overcome the fear of asking for gifts and provides step-by-step advice on planning and making the call, discussing the amount of the ask and handling a yes, no, or maybe.

Art of Asking (Single copy - PDF)
Product A useful tool for training new and experienced volunteers, The Art of Asking provides guidelines that volunteers can use in preparing for prospect calls and asking for gifts.

Art of Asking (Packet of 10)
Product A useful tool for training new and experienced volunteers, The Art of Asking provides guidelines that volunteers can use in preparing for prospect calls and asking for gifts.

Art of Asking (Packet of 25)
Product A useful tool for training new and experienced volunteers, The Art of Asking provides guidelines that volunteers can use in preparing for prospect calls and asking for gifts.

Winning Communication Techniques for Fundraisers
Product This webinar helps fundraisers hone their communication skills with current and potential donors. It teaches techniques for creating phone, voicemail and e-mail messages that yield good results. This multimedia file is a recording of an Online Speaker Series webinar originally presented April 7, 2011.

11 Questions Every Donor Asks and the Answers All Donors Crave: How You Can Inspire Someone to Give Generously
Product This book addresses basic questions that are on the mind of every donor and helps fundraisers be prepared to answer them.

Bringing Your Story to Life
Product This webinar discusses seven characteristics that distinguish true narrative storytelling from “brochure storytelling” that most organizations tend to default to, in which the story itself never gets interesting. The speaker also offers six guidelines for gathering stories that will help a writer dig out all the facts and feelings that bring a story to life. This multimedia file is a recording of an Online Speaker Series webinar originally presented May 24, 2010.

The Way We Ask Now
CURRENTS Article Frontline fundraisers discuss the highs and lows of trying to raise major gifts during the economic downturn.

Major Gifts: Solicitation Strategies
Product The updated and expanded third edition of this book presents a systems approach to major gift fund raising, from enlisting institutional commitment to ensuring an attitude of confidence on the part of the development officer. Includes case studies to test the reader’s knowledge and skills.

The Art of Woo: Using Strategic Persuasion to Sell Your Ideas
Product This book discusses how to persuade people wtih coercion by using relationship-based, emotionally intelligent influencing. Includes a self-assessment process that helps the reader determine which type of influencer role is a "best fit" and talks about how to strengthen persuasion skills in every aspect of life.

Overcoming the Fear of Making the Ask for a Major Gift
Product This webinar focuses on helping fundraisers make a successful, respectful ask that addresses objections and clearly identifies the next steps needed for success. This multimedia file is a recording of an Online Speaker Series webinar originally presented Feb. 25, 2010.

Study Proves Personal Ask is Most Effective
BriefCASE Article Donors to charitable organizations give more when they are asked in person and when someone they know makes the request, according to a new study conducted by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

Asking
Product This book presents step-by-step guidelines to help volunteers and staffers prepare for prospect calls and for making the ask for gifts. It addresses the fear of asking as well as how to overcome objections from donors.

Ask Strategic Questions and Listen to Reach Donors
BriefCASE Article What’s the best way to engage donors and generate interest in your institution?

Overcoming the Fear of Asking for a Major Gift: An Eight-Step Process for Success
Product This webinar teaches an eight-step process that can be used to increase success in making an ask for a major gift. It discusses how a successful, respectful ask addresses donor objections and clearly identifies next steps. This multimedia file is a recording of an Online Speaker Series webinar originally presented Feb. 7, 2008.

Career Path: Hook, Line, and Sinker
CURRENTS Article Fishing gave this university president critical lessons on how to work with donors and reel in large fundraisers.

Stranger Than Fiction
CURRENTS Article Any fundraiser has amusing, odd, or unbelievable stories about prospect visits. Here are a few real-life tales.

Art of the Cold Call
Product This webinar explores techniques for getting face-to-face with prospects, including strategies for getting the appointment, getting in the door and making a cold call less “cold.” This is a recording of an Online Speaker Series webinar originally presented Jan. 18, 2007.

Soliciting Face-to-Face: Ask with Ease and Effectiveness
Product This webinar will help fundraisers make a successful, respectful ask that answers objections and clearly identifies the next steps. It explores communication that is useful in the solicitation meeting and discusses a proven formula for making a thoughtful ask. This multimedia file is a recording of an Online Speaker Series webinar originally presented Nov. j9, 2006.

You're Not Welcome
CURRENTS Article When a major supporter suddenly breaks off connections for no apparent reason, the problem may be burnout.

12 Ways to Blow the Ask
CURRENTS Article Frequently an ask fails because of something the fund raiser does—or neglects to do. Dahnert summarizes 12 common, preventable solicitation errors.

Askophobia: A Guide for Anxious Fund-Raising Volunteers (Packet of 50)
Product This booklet is designed to help volunteers overcome the fear of asking for gifts and provides step-by-step advice on planning and making the call, discussing the amount of the ask and handling a yes, no, or maybe.

Art of Asking (Packet of 50)
Product A useful tool for training new and experienced volunteers, The Art of Asking provides guidelines that volunteers can use in preparing for prospect calls and asking for gifts.