Believe it or not, when you're writing a gift announcement, the best story you can tell is *not* the gift announcement.

Donors want to know they're investing in a sure bet. But how can you provide proof points for something that doesn't exist yet? Here are three ideas.

Nonprofit and higher ed comms and development leaders know that if they want to start new program or revamp an existing one, conducting stakeholder research is a prerequisite for success. Here's why hiring a freelancer to do it is essential.

Frequently in higher ed, we talk about needing to bring in talent from other industries. Here are five reasons why the value can go both ways.

We're very good at identifying things to raise money for. We're pretty good at tying those things to experiences. We're not good at explaining why any of that matters beyond our bubbles.

There *is* a way to get people to actually read development content: balance the celebration of a donor's impact while telling compelling stories about the people, places, and ideas their contributions will support.

Spring is the perfect time to lay the groundwork for compelling storytelling in your nonprofit's year-end solicitation and stewardship plans.

We *can* tell better fundraising stories, and it doesn't have to hurt. I share lessons learned from the trenches in this post for Donor Relations Guru.