Published September 7, 2016 by

Fundraising: Final Thoughts from Leah Lamb

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In this final Series post, Leah Lamb offers a few additional fundraising insights, including: Rainmakers are rare; approaching all generations of people (e.g. Millennials and Baby Boomers) the same way is unwise.  In this post, Lamb will explore the role of boards, in effective fundraising, and the importance of understanding each generation’s distinct preferences – when supporting a non-profit organization or cause.

Leah Y. Lamb works for the See Forever Foundation & Maya Angelou Schools.  As I mused on what to write in this introduction, I wondered this: Why are the schools named for Dr. Angelou? According to their website, the school-supporting See Forever Foundation was opened in 1997 as “a comprehensive program for 20 teens”. They sponsored a school-naming contest. The winning student essay, written by Sherti Hendrix, was powerful! It states:

The students of See Forever need a school name that represents the power and the importance of education. I think our charter school should be named after Dr. Maya Angelou . . . like [her] when she was a child, See Forever students have had a lot of problems, too. We have problems in our neighborhoods, our homes, and inside of ourselves. But like Dr. Angelou, the students of See Forever are using hard work and education to create a new future”.

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Published August 16, 2016 by

Fundraising 202: Making the Investment, Getting Major Gifts

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Have you sought to conduct a major fundraising campaign in the past year? In this post, Leah Lamb offers nuanced insight into the best way to successfully solicit major gifts for your non-profit. If major campaigns aren’t rushed or starved for resources, they can be very fruitful.

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If you’re seeking to conduct a big campaign, you’ll need to solicit major gifts. To get major gifts for your non-profit, you should take the following 4 steps, namely:

  • Introduce
  • Cultivate
  • Educate
  • Solicit

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Published July 12, 2016 by

Fundraising 201: Avoiding Traps, Achieving Success

 

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Fundraising is very important to the sustainability of most non-profit organizations. As noted in an earlier series: No money, no mission.  In this post, Leah Lamb offers insight into successfully conducting campaigns.  She explores these in the context of earlier posts in this Your Outcomes Well series.  Going the wrong way, as a fundraiser seeks to raise funds the right way, can block a non-profit’s success.

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In this Series I’ve tried to offer some insight into an area I’ve worked in for many years: Fundraising. As important as knowing what to do, to be a successful fundraiser, is also knowing what not to do. Routinely making mistakes or falling into traps are signs of an ineffectual fundraising operation.

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Published May 31, 2016 by

Non-profits: 4 Fundraising Mistakes to Avoid Making

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A mission is a terrible thing to waste. However worthwhile an organization’s mission, without funds a non-profit can’t operate.  In this post Leah Lamb shares four (4) fundraising mistakes a non-profit should strive not to make.  

Effective, successful fundraisers understand the mistake-prone areas she cites and generally avoid falling into the traps they present.

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I’ve shared, in my last two posts, the key to thriving as a fundraiser. In this post I thought I’d address the success-blocking mistakes that I’ve observed in my 25+ years working in the non-profit sector. If you make these four (4) mistakes regularly, you’ll likely be surviving – not thriving.

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Published May 10, 2016 by

Fundraising: The Best Way To Motivate Giving (Non-profits)

 

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Who donates to a Non-profit and who doesn’t?  What moves donors to donate?  Leah Lamb, in the 3rd post in this Series, shares the three things she regularly strives to do to successfully motivate people to give.  

Fundraising should rarely be done by a single person (or department) within a non-profit organization. To put it simply, Lone Rangers rarely flourish.

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Published April 27, 2016 by

5 Habits of Highly-Effective Fundraisers

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A non-profit’s sustainability is greatly benefited when they can fundraise successfully.  

In this post, Leah Lamb shares what allows fundraisers to be highly effective.  Her experience as a seasoned professional allows her to clearly capture what allows fundraisers to go beyond just surviving – and thrive.

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What qualities and factors explain the success of the best fundraisers?  I’ve worked in the non-profit sector for over 25 years. I would cite five habits which allow the best fundraisers to flourish.

  1. Connecting with people. In general, fundraising is people driven. As I noted in my last post, people generally give to people, not causes or organizations. A fundraiser who isn’t able to connect well with others isn’t generally going to do too well. In getting an organization’s message across, a good fundraiser is able to compel people to get involved and give.

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Published April 15, 2016 by

Mission Fulfillment & Fundraising: Leah Lamb’s Non-profit Journey

As we talked with Leah Y. Lamb in mid-March, the Chief Development Officer’s insight into fundraising, nonprofit management, communications, & donor relations was hard to hide.  In her leadership position at the See Forever Foundation & Maya Angelou Schools (Charter) in Washington, D.C. since 2013, Lamb spoke eloquently on several non-profit issues.

  • Our 4th blog Series, which begins today with this post, will strive to capture several of the strategies, views, and thoughts shared by Lamb. This post will help you understand the non-profit journey of this seasoned fundraising professional.

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Published January 15, 2016 by

Financial Talk for Non-profits: From a Seasoned Pro

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Published November 19, 2015 by

5 Habits of People who Start Non-profits Successfully

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Published October 15, 2015 by

Unconditional Service: Robin Morgan’s Non-profit Mission

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