Blueprint Fundraising

Partners in Organizational Development (POD) is one of the very few granting programs to fund capacity building in the areas of fundraising, governance and marketing. The grant allows you to hire a consultant to help you with a specific challenge, such as developing a fundraising plan. There are two deadlines coming up for the program:

For arts and heritage organizations, the deadline for ArtsPOD’s fall grant cycle is September 21st, 2007.

For community service organizations, the deadline for Social ServicesPOD’s fall grant cycle is October 26th, 2007.

Hello friends! What a summer I’ve had. I haven’t actually been away ever since my last posting but you know how this time of year is… I hope your summer was relaxing and that you are tackling your fall fundraising with a feeling of refreshment.

I’m excited! I can’t quite say why, except maybe my time off really did its job. Lake Anne was wonderful. And my first (but not last) trip to Burning Man was amazing! I might blog about it from the perspective of Masterful Management of an Insane Special Event Involving 45,000 Unusual People and Lots of Fire.

Meanwhile, here’s something my partner Andy came across whilst doing some summer reading.

Have people been really complaining of donor fatigue since 1891? The answer is yes.

From The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde:

‘Humph! Tell your Aunt Agatha, Harry, not to bother me anymore with her charity appeals. I am sick of them. Why, the good woman thinks I have nothing to do but write cheques for her silly fads.’

‘All right, Uncle George, I’ll tell her, but it won’t have any effect. Philanthropic people lose all sense of humanity. It is their distinguishing characteristic.’