From Catch All to Catalyst: Rethinking Development Job Descriptions
5-minute read If you have ever read a development job description and thought this role sounds like a grant writer, major gifts officer, event planner, database manager, marketing director, and part time therapist rolled into one, you are not imagining things. Too many organizations treat development work as the catch all. If it touches donors, […]
The Step You Can’t Skip: Why Discovery Defines Campaign Success
By Danielle Gentry-Barth 3-minute read Every successful campaign begins long before the first ask is made. It begins with listening, learning, and laying the groundwork for success. This phase, the discovery process, the feasibility study, the behind-the-scenes conversations, the research, and the reflection, shape everything that follows. Yet, too often, organizations rush past it. They’re […]
Labor Day Launch: Preparing for the Most Generous Time of Year
By Danielle Gentry-Barth 3 minute read As Labor Day approaches, many of us are squeezing in the last bit of summer. But for fundraisers, this season marks the unofficial starting line for year-end giving. September through December is when the majority of individual gifts are made, and your organization’s readiness now can make all the […]
Stop Saying No for Your Donors: Why You Have to Ask
By Danielle Gentry-Barth 3-minute read We hear it all the time- organizational leaders saying something like, “We can’t possibly ask Mr. Soandso for a gift right now because of (insert any type of reason).” Why do we do this? Really, ask yourself- how many times have you said “no” on behalf of a donor without […]
Fundraising and Baseball: They’re more alike than you’d think
4-minute read I’m a huge baseball fan. I grew up spending every summer day and night watching games with my dad, who loved teaching me the ins and outs of the sport. Heck, my first words were “Go Pete,” and few things made my dad, a die-hard Big Red Machine fan, happier. The passing of […]
Make it Simple – Segmenting that captures the hearts and minds of donors!
by Danielle Gentry-Barth and Lauran McHaffie 3-Minute Read Your stories are amazing. Your mission changes lives. You do great work- day in and day out. But is that enough to pull in individual and corporate donors? In a matter of seconds our brains decide if we should click, read or scroll on by. In a […]
The Legacy Behind MASON Consulting Group: Part 1
Entering a new career chapter is always an interesting experience. It’s scary to embrace change and plan for the years ahead. It’s also exhilarating to reflect on the journey and think of all the wonderful “nexts.” Over the last twenty plus years, I’ve had the tremendous pleasure of working and volunteering for several amazing organizations […]