Using Community Planning & Infrastructure Investment to Become More Competitive

Person riding bike down a road in a community with strong infrastructure

Meeting your community’s existing needs while laying the groundwork for its anticipated need is more critical than ever. Meanwhile, the concept of infrastructure is evolving. In addition to being functional, capital improvements now need to be aesthetically pleasing and sustainable. They must also be planned, executed, and publicized to make the community feel more connected. Strategic […]

Proving ROI in Funding Quality of Place Improvements

Picture of an attractive downtown building with improvements from a capital campaign

Proving ROI for quality of place improvements typically centers around job creation and talent attraction. Economic development organizations understand that if their community does not have the workforce, they will likely not attract new companies to their area or see expansions in their local industries. A community’s quality of life and quality of place quite […]

Is Your School Ready for a Capital Campaign?

School Capital Campaign Cheer

Walking before you run, reading over your notes before the big exam, pouring the foundation before the main structure–these all seem like obvious steps in achieving a goal. Yet, in my career as Head of School at several institutions over the past 30 years, I have seen numerous schools fall short of their capital campaign […]

Turn Your Downtown Into a Destination Residents Want to Visit

Picture of a polished downtown destination

Turning your downtown into a destination is a strategy that can help retain current residents and attract new ones. “We see rural communities struggle to retain their youth after graduation. Creating a thriving downtown area is one way to encourage them to stay. It creates a sense of place and community gathering spot they will […]

Recession Fears Shouldn’t Stop Fundraising

Recession Fears

It’s hard not to let concerns of an impending recession creep into one’s thoughts. You avoid looking at your 401 (k) because it’s depressing. You consider taking out a loan just to fill up your SUV’s gas tank. You find yourself talking about the good old days when mortgage rates were 3 percent. More times […]

Turning Data into Dollars

Woman smiling with a projected data overlay

A data-driven approach to major gift fundraising and capital campaigns can help you set the bar high, but at an appropriate level, and assure that your funding effort will have the best possible chance for success. I’ll share two examples I’ve recently encountered: Organization A received an abnormally large investment from a first-time donor via […]