Day Tripper
Sunday driver, yeah. I work freelance. No sick days. No vacations. If I don’t work, I don’t get paid, so vacations of the take-the-family-to-Disneyland, rent-a-beach-house type just don’t happen. The last time we took an actual trip was in 2007, when we went to see my daughter in California when she was on tour with […]
Things to Do at 5 a.m.
Who Makes Grants?
One of the most daunting barriers when starting out writing grants is what all the different types of funders are. There are many, many sources of grants, but not all grant-making entities are created equally. Here’s a quick outline. Government Agency There are local (city and county), state, regional and national grants in nearly any […]
How Shall You Give to Me? Let Me Count the Ways
I’m sitting here, like the rest of America, listening to my local NPR station (free plug) running their quarter-annual pledge drive. In just the past 10 minutes, I have heard no fewer than 10 different pitches: Guilt Stop being a freeloader, you listen all the time, so pay up Altruism Donate so that people who […]
How to Spot a Ninja Board Member
You know who I’m talking about. (Don’t name them! It only makes them stronger) Every board has one–the member who seems to think his mission in life is to make it as hard as possible to get anything done. Unfortunately, there’s no way to keep them off your board, because they’re sneaky and are hard […]
“If You Build It…”
The worst thing that ever happened to development was that baseball movie– “If you build it, they will come.” From my observation, every Executive Director in Christendom has taken this as gospel and now believes that the simple power of their marvelousness will lead donors inexorably to their door. No other effort needed. Further, there’s […]