February 2nd, 2022 by Barbara Barron It’s February 2022. A new year. But if you’re feeling like me, it feels more like the same old, same old. A client moved their Board retreat at which I offered training to remote. We were ALL looking forward to being in the trustee’s living room for that experience. Their county went back to …
Finishing Strong in a Strange Year
May 5th, 2021 by Barbara Barron As we head into the final stretch of this fiscal and school year, now is a great time to stop and take a quick assessment. For many, you may be right where you hoped and planned to be. (Awesome!) For others, you may be behind where you were in the B.C. days. Or even …
What Would Happen if We Picked Up the Phone and Started Calling?
by Barbara Barron | Posted September 2nd, 2020 Around the country, schools and other non-profits are staring at the calendar and trying to decide how and when to launch their Annual Funds. Truthfully, no one really wants to do this. But is there even an option? How many of us work at organizations that can just skip raising those annual …
What Are We Actually Raising Money for During This Crisis?
by Barbara Barron • Posted May 12th, 2020 For a few weeks now – sheesh, is it really only weeks? – I’ve been recommending (see: prodding) those of us in advancement to “screw our courage to the sticking place” – a favorite expression of my mom’s – and reach out to our wonderful donors. As you well know, this is …
Can We Collect Unpaid Pledges Right Now?
by Barbara Barron | Posted April 23rd, 2020 This article is the first cousin to one I wrote a few weeks ago: “How Can We Think of Money in a Time Like This?” I hope I made the case that not only can you raise money during the Covid-19 crisis, you really ought to. I’ll start by telling you what …
How Can We Think About Raising Money in a Time Like This?
by Barbara Barron | Posted April 6th, 2020 If ever there was a topic that seems nearly too hot to handle, it’s the notion of raising money right now. Is it unseemly? Inappropriate? Insensitive? Too soon? Certainly the prevailing feeling (last week, anyway!) is that it is too early for schools to do anything other than batten down the hatches, …
How Can We Practice Stewardship During the Coronavirus Shutdown?
by Barbara Barron | Posted March 18th, 2020 We’re only in the first few days of this shutdown and our “new normal”. Whether we are all back in school after April 7 is still a question. All my client schools have postponed or canceled their spring fundraising events and have suspended any annual giving activity. The few still engaged in …
Is There a Role for Advancement During a Crisis?
by Barbara Barron | Posted March 4th, 2020 This week, due to the Coronavirus outbreak, my inbox is full of conversation threads about whether schools are thinking about canceling their spring galas. Or if travel to conferences and other major events ought to be rescheduled. Even when and if School Heads will decide to close the school and arrange to …