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Happy Miracle Gift Day!
Greetings!
 
On November 15 in 2002, at Poetry Magazine's 90th anniversary dinnerpleased to meet you! celebration, Ruth Lilly's $100 million pledge was announced.  The Poetry Foundation (pre-Lilly) was a modest magazine publisher with a staff of four and $1.3 million budget. 
 
If it does your heart good in these scary financial times to imagine a gift of 77 times your operating budget, enjoy a blissful moment of dreaming about your own Miracle Gift Day.  (A joyful 2004 movie called "Millions" plays on that delight.  I recommend it whole heartedly.)  After your moment, drift gently back to earth and think about a gift that equals, say, one year's operating budget.  What audacious things would you do with such a gift? 
 
There may be someone among your circle of supporters who is capable of a gift like that.  If you know who that person is, make a goal of spending an hour with him or her in the next six months, without asking for a gift.  Talk about your dreams for the organization in 5-10 years.  Listen.  Listen.  Listen.  And ask if you can come back for another conversation in six months as your plans crystallize.
 
Sometimes, good things happen to good people.
 

 
 New Book!  Wisdom about Fund raising careers
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My friend and colleague Anne M. McCaw's Guide to Fundraising & Philanthropy (written for Vault Publications) provides an insider's perspective on the wide variety of jobs associated with the business of getting and giving away money for charitable purposes.  In addition to an overview of the field that describes the down-and-dirty mechanics of fundraising and philanthropy, the guide provides a wide range of practical tips for starting a career in the field offered by seasoned professionals.  The guide also profiles a number of specific jobs, frankly describing the perks and problems that come with these positions.

The book can be purchased through the Vault website.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS AND PRESENTATIONS: 
 
Getting Ready for your First Capital Campaign in Washington, sponsored by SALSA on November 19, 2008, from 6:45 PM-8:45 PM.  Click here for details.
 
Basics of Individual Giving in Largo, MD, sponsored by the Human Services Coalition of Prince Georges County on December 10, 2008, from 12:00 to 2:00 PM.  Click here for details.
 
It's All about Relationships: Working with Family Foundations in Washington, sponsored by the Foundation Center on December 18, 2008, from 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM.  Click here for details.
 
Fundamentals of Major Gifts Fund Raising, in Washington, sponsored by the Center for Non Profit Advancement on January 15, 2009, from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM.  Click here for details.
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Free Consultation 
If you are associated with an organization that might benefit from creative thinking about its relationship with major donors, send an email or call 301 758 3410.