Dear [First Name],

I hope you are having a productive and successful summer of fundraising! As we kick off August, I wanted to check in with some of my peers in the field to see what they've been up to and what they have coming up. Be sure to check them out!

Andy Robinson, in partnership with Marlboro College, is launching a new Training, Facilitation, and Consulting Certificate Program beginning this fall. It includes:

• Two in-person workshops—October 2017 and April 2018—at a beautiful retreat center in New Hampshire – a total of five days of intensive, hands-on training.
• Personalized coaching, including opportunities to shadow and learn from the instructors.
• Monthly webinars, conference calls, and other learning opportunities with a network of peers.
• Upon completion, a Certificate in Training, Facilitation, and Consulting.

For more information, contact Andy at andy@andyrobinsononline.com.

Master storyteller & fundraising culture change expert, Lori L. Jacobwith, knows exactly how to help you share mission moment stories that will help you raise more money.

Her free ebook Boring2Brilliant has 20 pages of templates & information to help you craft stories for appeals, website, newsletters and meetings.

Need help with one-on-one coaching? On August 15th, Lori's Ignite Your Fundraising Results exclusive master class begins!

Asking Matters resident training expert Joe Tumolo has been busy this summer, and is gearing up for an exciting Fall. In June, Joe spoke to a standing room crowd at AFP Fundraising Day in NYC, and presented his Go See People program. 

Joe's book, Go See People, is coming out September 2017 and will be available on Amazon. In it, Joe helps you transform the way you work and interact with donors and prospects, leading to stronger relationships and bigger gifts.  The difference between moderate growth in a program and significant growth often comes down to the relationships that donors have with a charity and its fundraisers so make sure to grab Joe's book to help up your game.  More info in September.

Joe will also be speaking at the Everence Development Conference Friday, September 22 in Lancaster, PA – registration is available online, but only until August 28th!

If you're like most fundraisers, sometimes the art of cultivation can seem overwhelming. So many donors, so little time!

Part of the challenge comes from not being diligent in deciding who's a major gift prospect. If you set out to cultivate everyone, you'll end up cultivating no one! So you need to be clear about that threshold.

But the other challenge comes from the misconception of how much cultivation is enough. Thinking you've got to be seeing your donors all the time makes the task impossible. How much cultivation is enough?  I believe it takes a lot less than you might think. Take a look at my newest post to learn more.

It took me years to realize that fundraisers face this amusing conundrum. If we ask for a gift and someone immediately says yes, we think to ourselves – "gee, we could've asked for more." If we ask for a gift and someone says they need to think about it, we're concerned we won’t get the gift! Well, which would we prefer?!

Actually, I think maybe is a great answer. When someone lets me know they will consider the gift requested, I believe that to be the case. And I believe I've asked for a gift that takes some reflection, some other input, or some analysis, and this means I've asked for a personally significant gift.

The Awesome Ask: How to Approach Your Donors for Gifts in a Way That's Comfortable and Effective!

Asking for charitable gifts in person is the most effective fundraising you can do. Research of non-profits shows that 75% of all in-person asks of individuals result in a gift. Those are incredible odds. It’s also the most challenging fundraising you will do, and you need the understanding and tools to do it comfortably and effectively.

Join me as I show you how to use your personal Asking Style every step of the way from identifying the best prospects for you to soliciting them for quality gifts. Sessions available on Wednesday, September 13th at 1:00pm ET, or Tuesday, September 19th at 3:00pm ET.

Here's to another great month of fundraising.

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