In 2009, Tony co-authored a chapter of a book about fundraising in an unpredictable market with Margaret Bennett.[1] Although his thinking was in response to the recession of 2008, much is relevant to the situation caused by Covid 19 which many fundraisers face today. Below we have included some ... [Continue Reading]
Inspiration from Tony
Tony was prolific in his cutting edge thinking about fundraising, the future and how to achieve success. We have provided a selection of his inspirational written pieces and presentation clips below and these will be updated periodically so keep checking back to get some inspiration.
"Fundraising is about people, it's about dialogue, not monologue" Tony Elischer
What’s New
Check here to get an update on the latest blogs from our participants and mentors, thinking from across the sector and interesting published research. This is not an exhaustive library but a place to go with a cup of coffee when you just need to recharge your creative thinking about fundraising.
If you have suggestions of what you would like to see here, let us know via info@tonyelischerfoundation.org
Look Outside
One of my long term mantra’s has been to ‘use windows, not mirrors’, a simple way of reminding myself that truly to move forward, be in line with the market place and to have any hope of innovating, you have to focus on the outside world and not the internal world of an organisation. Charities ... [Continue Reading]
So we have some ‘investors’, now what?
The New Lexicon of Fundraising Part 5 “One loyal friend is worth 10,000 relatives.” Euripides We are all familiar with the normal division used in a direct marketing or individual giving teams: acquisition, development and high value; a simple way of dividing out the task of ensuring maximum ... [Continue Reading]
Do We Know What We Need?
The New Lexicon of Fundraising Part 4 “Emotions are the lubricants of reason.” F.Yakob When you first become a fundraiser the focus is on techniques, channels and strategies, learning the art and craft of fundraising. It takes time to realise that all of these elements are actually ... [Continue Reading]
Building a New Lexicon Part 1: Fundraising
We train, we read, we study, we connect, we exchange, but is this enough? Are we truly seeking ways to transform our fundraising and to reengineer the DNA of fundraising as we know it today? With all the tools available to us I believe the most powerful is the one we focus on least, our mind-set. ... [Continue Reading]
Branding
The New Lexicon of Fundraising Part 8 “Love is friendship caught on fire.” Northern Exposure One of the core lessons of leadership and management is that people can only take so much change. So, on the basis that we have come to the last of an eight part blog series to define a new lexicon ... [Continue Reading]
How Does Your Garden Grow?
The New Lexicon of Fundraising Part 7 ‘As with any journey, who you travel with can be more important than the destination.’ One of the most shameful statistics of 2013 came out of the AFP Fundraising Effectiveness report that concluded that overall donor retention was now only 39% in the USA! ... [Continue Reading]
‘Major Donors’, who are you kidding?
The New Lexicon of Fundraising Part 6 Greek word: ‘philanthropos’ = Humanity loving There has never been so much interest, focus or activity around what we have traditionally called ‘major donors’. The Sector has a new found confidence in this area and has realised that it can be approached ... [Continue Reading]
Quality not Quantity is the Key to Future Growth
The New Lexicon of Fundraising: Part 3 “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world.” Buddha So having looked at the very core of our profession, fundraising, and the centre of our world, the donor, we now move down the slippery slope of ... [Continue Reading]
What Does a Donor REALLY Mean To You?
The New Lexicon of Fundraising; Part 2 Change your words, change your mind, change your outlook, change your actions and change the world. In this second challenge piece on the words we use to describe our actions and profession I want to focus on the true ‘centre piece’ of our attentions and ... [Continue Reading]