Forget the Silent Auction: How to Focus Your Fundraising Energy
By Rhea Wong
Dear Rhea,
I’m part of a small team building our major gifts program, and it’s a bit of a mess right now. We’re juggling an annual fund, a new CEO, unclear program priorities, and pressure to grow individual giving—all at once. We have a list of potential donors, but we don’t really know them. Some of us think we should wait until programs are better defined before making calls. Others think we should just start outreach and let conversations shape the strategy.
On top of that, there’s a little internal friction. I want to give honest feedback on things like the pitch or donor materials, but it’s tricky because my CEO is also in the room. It feels politically sensitive, and I’m not sure how to navigate that without blowing things up.
So here’s my double-barreled question: How do we prioritize action when everything feels half-baked—and how do I give honest feedback when my boss is in the room?
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