Try this: Look at your next 10 tasks. Would someone else know exactly what you’re trying to accomplish? If not - you’re not ready for the next step.

Frontliners - what does your task list reveal about your pipeline right now?

Specificity reveals thinking. Vagueness hides it.

Systems are mirrors. They show you where you’re clear, where you’re guessing, and where you’re avoiding the real conversation.

Your CRM is telling on you.

If your tasks only include: “Send update”, “Check in” and/or “Follow up”, you don’t have a complete strategy.

Strong pipelines have more teeth:
💪 “Confirm interest in X initiative”
❓ “Ask about family foundation priorities”
🕰️ “Explore timing for next conversation”

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” - Leo Tolstoy

A simple check with the giver:
“Would it be helpful if I put something together for you?”
If they don’t say yes… Don’t send it.

Frontliners - have you ever sent something too early and felt it stall?

Messaging should confirm understanding before advancing. Storytelling should surface interest before structuring an ask. Systems should slow you down when you’re about to jump steps.

Here’s why this often backfires:
A proposal answers questions the giver may not be asking yet. It assumes clarity that may not exist. It moves to “decision” before alignment.

🚨 Unforced Error Alert 🚨

Sending a proposal no one asked for.

It happens all the time. You had a good meeting. They seemed interested. You wanted to “keep momentum.”

So you built a proposal. Sent it over. And waited.

Silence.

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Greetings friends and I trust this week is getting off to a great start for you!
I'm a new grandpa!!!! It's an exciting new chapter 💖

(Anything you query using this tool is private to you. I cannot view your thread or any chat history)

ChatGPT - JappaFry Writer 2.0 ChatGPT helps you get answers, find inspiration, and be more productive.

So I built JappaFry Writer to help with exactly that. It is a simple tool designed to serve major gift fundraisers with clarity, curiosity, and care.

If it is helpful, use it. If not, no worries at all.
Here is the link: buff.ly/pAGFQk8

You do not need AI to be smarter than you (it’s not anyway).
You need it to help you hear yourself.
The writing, solving, and creating are already inside you.

BTW: A number of fundraisers have asked how I think through writing, messaging, and reflection.

“I want to reflect on my work, energy, and posture as a major gift fundraiser. Please interview me to help surface what is life giving, what is draining, and what might need attention. Ask slowly. One question at a time. Put me to work!”

If you want to use AI well in major gift fundraising, try this experiment.

Open your favorite AI tool and paste this in:

“The trouble is, you think you have time.” - Jack Kornfield

This final post in The Clear-Eyed Series will help you see your work with more clarity and steadiness. This work is relational at its core.

If you’re not subscribed, you can still get it here:
👉https://buff.ly/q7my3aF

Faithfulness in major gift work often looks ordinary in the moment.

A conversation.
A follow-up.
A shared meal.
A simple act of care.

Over time, those moments build something real.

Squirrel!

Merging Cells is so last year! 💁‍♀️ Try this instead! | Kat Norton (Miss Excel) | 12 comments Merging Cells is so last year! 💁‍♀️ Try this instead! | 12 comments on LinkedIn

And last but not least, Kat Norton (Miss Excel) give us Excel nerds a cool pro tip on how to center text across a selection without merging cells - buff.ly/goeusCc - sadly this is not currently possible in Google Sheets…

Thanks everyone!

What would the world look like in 10 years if children and youth learn to live generously today? | Cherise Vermeulen What would the world look like in 10 years if children and youth learn to live generously today?

* Cherise Vermeulen - buff.ly/iEnjpTD - Generous Generations (Gen-G) is one of the most special initiatives I’ve come across in all my career in missions. Follow Cherise and GenG and put your support behind them!

Dennis and Eileen Bakke embodied for us what it means to be a wise and godly steward of money. These billionaires were humble and generous and responsible with what the Lord had given them. | The Wichtermans Dennis and Eileen Bakke embodied for us what it means to be a wise and godly steward of money. These billionaires were humble and generous and responsible with what the Lord had given them.

* The Wichtermans - buff.ly/zbZSEMK - The Bakke family have been amazing role models to so many of us. My first experience of them was in the mid 90s.

We hired you because you're the best cake baker in the country. We've conducted an extensive recruitment effort for cake bakers, and you beat out every other baker we interviewed. We talked to many… | Andrew Olsen | 193 comments We hired you because you're the best cake baker in the country. We've conducted an extensive recruitment effort for cake bakers, and you beat out every other baker we interviewed. We talked to many…

* Andrew Olsen - buff.ly/5V56EJ5 - This (painfully real and accurate) post has nothing to do with baking cakes.

Ecclesiastes: Questioned by Life | The Gathering | Fred Smith “Truthfully, the Boomers are probably just now ready for King Lear and Ecclesiastes but I'm afraid we'll be distracted by reading Mature Health, exploring travel for seniors and poring over…

* Fred Smith - buff.ly/zoFTpDc - No blessing detached from its purpose can produce the joy intended.

Amen. Stay focused on what you're building. | Gary Vaynerchuk | 158 comments Amen. Stay focused on what you're building. | 158 comments on LinkedIn

* Gary Vaynerchuk - buff.ly/5crbUA9 - Another truth bomb. No F-bombs, I promise.

🌳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹...…𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲. Unlike fruit, donations don’t come with a… | Michelle Benson | 45 comments 🌳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹...…𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲. Unlike fruit, donations don’t come with a…

* Michelle Benson - buff.ly/pA4e6Uv - If your philanthropic soil lacks nutrients it can't bear fruit.

Major gifts aren't about the ask. They're about what happened in the 18 months before it. The organizations that close significant gifts consistently aren't better at asking. They're better at… | Amanda Smith, MBA, MPA, bCRE-PRO Major gifts aren't about the ask. They're about what happened in the 18 months before it. The organizations that close significant gifts consistently aren't better at asking. They're better at…

* Amanda Smith, MBA, MPA, bCRE-PRO - buff.ly/cZTu7NF - Are you able to be patient in a field that keeps telling you to "make the ask."?

Every email sends a signal. | Rohan Sheth Every email sends a signal. But most people have no idea what they're showing. Think about how many times you’ve opened a message and immediately thought, “Here we go…” Where the person reaching out…

* Rohan Sheth - buff.ly/PHay8iq - Every email sends a signal. Stay aware.

The Emerging Forces in Philanthropy: Diaspora, Faith, Crypto, and Gen Z | Reana Rossouw - Next Generation Consultants | 18 comments Philanthropy is entering a period of accelerated change. Between now and 2030, shifts in technology, wealth, climate risk, and social expectations are reshaping how capital is mobilised for public…

DHTFaT;GMYF [Don’t Have Time For All These; Give Me Your Favorite]
* Reana Rossouw - buff.ly/KRdvGQN - This is a super helpful and sneaky smart article on four sources of funding that are often overlooked.

That’s why I’m grateful for friends and connections here on LinkedIn who keep showing up to share wisdom, tools, insights, and even a few laughs.

Each Saturday I choose 10 posts that stood out to me from across the major gift and philanthropy world. Enjoy!