The Fundraising Talent Podcast
Business:Non-Profit
Today I enjoyed the opportunity to talk with best-selling author and 4x TED-speaker Margaret Heffernan about her new book Uncharted: How To Map the Future. Our conversation began with what she refers to as prediction addiction; our deep-seated need to predict the future. Throughout my fundraising career, I have observed this addiction to prediction playing out in our being hesitant to call a donor, running wealth screen reports as if they were credit checks, and criticizing each other’s forecasts of the effects of yet-to-be enacted tax legislation. It all stems from a desire to avoid what we fear the most: uncertainty.
As I shared with Margaret, there never seems to be a shortage of those in our space who will try to capitalize on our addiction. They will sell us anything that makes us feel more content in a world that is not deterministic. Heffernan calls this the commercialization of fantasy: “the belief that the future is knowable, that all life is susceptible to certain laws if we could only figure out what they were, and that there are some special people or processes that can reveal what the future holds.“
As always, we are grateful to OneCause for being our sponsor. And if you’d like more information about Responsive’s training programs, email me at jason@responsivefundraising.com
206 | What important lessons do two decades in fundraising have to offer?
205 | Will fundraisers mail their year-end appeals to a more diverse and inclusive audience this year?
Has contemporary fundraising become too much form over substance?
What do we do when the CEO insists on changing the name of our nonprofit?
Will discernment be among the most desirable skills for future fundraising professionals?
Why are some fundraisers so bad at scheduling meetings with their donors?
Is now a good time for nonprofits to hire (or fire) a fundraising professional?
How might agencies play a more strategic rather than tactical role in fundraising?
What can a brand say about an organization in such uncertain times?
Is the rising generation of fundraising professionals more thoughtful about their work?
Are fundraising professionals telling themselves and their donors the wrong story?
Is fundraising really ready for the Baby Boom generation of major donors?
Will fundraising part ways with some of its sacred practices in order to be a truly inclusive endeavor?
Is "keep asking" the only advice that fundraising experts really know how to give?
What lessons have AFP leaders learned about keeping their community vibrant and in tact?
Do feasbility studies curate a flawed sensibiity about how fundraising really works?
#190 | How do we get technology in the right place for higher ed fundraising?
#189 | Perhaps consumerism is not the right framework for fundraising?
#188 | Is now a great time to retool what has worked for fundraising the past?
#187 | Are fundraising professionals forgetting about their volunteers?
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