It’s not an exaggeration to say that this year has been challenging. No matter where you live, your life has likely been affected either directly or by the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic.

For the charitable sector, this has been an especially difficult time as we face billions of dollars in lost revenue, disruptions to service delivery and mass lay-offs. All new challenges to a sector where the long-standing social issues we work towards have yet to be addressed.  

If you’re respon...

I started the Fundraising Lab in the fall of 2019 as an addition to my consulting business, Cathy Mann & Associates, as a way to offer affordable digital fundraising courses.

The past year of building the Fundraising Lab alongside my work with Cathy Mann & Associates has changed the way I think about the fundraising consulting space.

I started my consulting practice 13 years ago to help social change charities raise more money to serve their important missions.

Today, the Fundraising Lab is t...

Tip of the Morning to You!

Cathy here, president of the Fundraising Lab. Today's tip is for those at Step 2 of their fundraising journey, which I refer to as "Building the Plane While Flying It". You’ve been at it for a while now and have learned a lot, but you may be a bit overwhelmed. And as always, you still have to raise more money.

Tip #6 is to to find sponsors, not just mentors. Credit where credit is due. I heard about this notion from Lacey Kempinski, who was interviewing Megan Tregun...

Welcome to “Tip of the Morning, to you!” where Cathy shares a quick tip about the Fundraiser’s 4-step Learning and Action Journey. The journey is a common path that fundraisers follow as they move through their careers.

Step 2 of the journey is called "Building the Plane While Flying It." You’ve been at it for a while now and have learned so much. In fact, you might a bit overwhelmed. There is so much to do and still you have TO RAISE MONEY! You’re keen to learn even more.

Tip #5: VOLUNTEER. C...

Welcome to another installment of “Tip of the Morning to You!” If you’re on Step 1 (I Can Do This!) of a Fundraisers Learning and Action Journey, you’re enthusiastic and have some experience working or volunteering in the sector. While you bring a lot of skills to the job, there are a lot of things you’re not familiar with or aware of: about the job, about the sector and about the profession. But you’re keen to learn.

Tip #4:  DON’T EXPECT PERFECTION OF YOURSELF – you’re learning new skills. An...

Welcome to “Tip of the Morning to You!”

Step 1: I Can Do This!

You’re enthusiastic and have some experience working or volunteering in the sector. While you bring a lot of skills to the job, there are a lot of things you’re not familiar with or aware of: about the job, about the sector and about the profession. But you’re keen to learn.

Tip #3: PRACTICE HUMILITY. 

Ours is a profession with a body of knowledge. If you are coming to this sector from another sector, acknowledge that we have ye...

Welcome to “Tip of the Morning to You!” If you’re on Step 1 (I Can Do This!) of a Fundraiser’s Learning and Action Journey, you’re enthusiastic and have some experience working or volunteering in the sector. While you bring a lot of skills to the job, there are a lot of things you’re not familiar with or aware of: about the job, about the sector and about the profession. But you’re keen to learn.

Tip #2: LEARN the rules so you can be strategic and confident about breaking them. There is so much...

Welcome to my series: “Tip of the Morning, to you!” where I share a quick tip about the Fundraiser’s 4-step Learning and Action Journey I created and that you can find in my online Membership Community, Spark.

It’s a common path that fundraisers follow as they move through their careers. It’s a learning journey because the best fundraisers I know never stop learning. And I’ve added in the action part because fundraising requires us to raise money, so we have a lot to DO, too.

Step 1: I Can Do ...

This is a time for Resilience. Grit. Perseverance. Collaboration. Selflessness. Altruism. Not just in our world of fundraising but in all life. This a time for EQ – not IQ. Above all, this is a time for kindness.

In today's video, I will be talking about some of the interactions I have been having over the past week, some thoughts to keep in mind, and a little bit of advice to get you through this trying time,

Take gentle care.

Cathy

And we’re being asked to be extraordinary in response. 

For some it feels like the world is swirling out of control and we're seeing and hearing about the fear, concern and downright panic people are feeling.

So, this is our attempt at offering some comfort – or at least some perspective as you try to adjust in these trying times.

We hope you like it.