by Adam M. Doyno, MPA, CFRE - Executive Director and Chief Development Officer, CUNY School of Public Health Foundation

A brief LinkedIn search reveals an unusually active market for chief development officers across New York. At the time of writing, bedrock organizations including United Way of New York City, Sesame Workshop, New York Public Radio, HELP USA, Partnership with Children, and many others are seeking senior fundraising leadership. Executive turnover is inevitable, and every transition has its own circumstances. But the concentration of open positions raises a question our profession should confront: Why has sustained fundraising leadership become so difficult to achieve?

Today's chief development officer operates amid extraordinary uncertainty. Changes in federal funding are pressuring nonprofit business models. Federal actions targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion have affected organizations and programs. Political attitudes toward many communities nonprofits exist to serve have shifted. Changes to federal tax policy are altering longstanding benefits surrounding charitable giving and endowments. Fundraisers are being asked to raise more private capital as other revenue sources become less certain, sometimes while representing missions that have themselves become politically contested.

The underlying fundraising market presents another challenge. American charitable giving reached a record $617.2 billion in 2025, yet the number of donors declined 3.6 percent, continuing a downward trend that began in 2021. Overall donor retention was just 43.3 percent. Earlier 2025 data showed that donors giving between $1 and $100—57 percent of all donors—declined by 11.1 percent.

We are, in other words, raising more money from fewer people while retaining fewer than half of prior-year donors.

Yet expectations for fundraising growth have hardly diminished. Boards need balanced budgets. CEOs need resources to sustain and expand programs. Organizations need major gifts, institutional support, campaigns, annual giving, and new donors. The chief development officer sits at the intersection of those pressures, responsible for generating increasingly consequential revenue in an increasingly complicated environment.

The most current research - from 2022 - suggests the picture is more complicated than the oft-repeated claim that fundraisers leave every 18 months. Research from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy found that U.S. fundraisers reported a mean tenure of 3.6 years in their current positions and a median tenure of two years, and 20 percent said they intended to leave their current organization within the following year.

More troubling is what we do not know. There appears to be no current, widely cited national dataset focused specifically on chief development officer tenure, turnover, vacancy duration, reasons for departure, or the organizational conditions associated with retention. For a role responsible for one of the nonprofit sector’s most consequential functions, that lack of data should concern us. We cannot meaningfully diagnose a leadership retention problem—or distinguish ordinary executive mobility from a systemic problem—without measuring it.

Fundraising is a long-term enterprise. Donor relationships mature over years. Major gift pipelines require sustained cultivation. Institutional partnerships depend upon trust. High-performing development teams require investment and stability. When boards respond to short-term revenue pressure by repeatedly changing fundraising leadership, they risk disrupting the relationships and strategies that underpin future revenue.

Patience, therefore, is not an excuse for poor performance; it is part of responsible governance. Boards should expect clear strategies, measurable progress, and accountability. They should also assess whether pipelines are growing, relationships are deepening, retention is improving, board members are becoming more engaged, and the infrastructure necessary for sustainable philanthropy is being built. Before concluding that the fundraiser is the problem, organizational leaders should ask whether they have created the conditions necessary for fundraising success.

The consequences of instability extend beyond today's revenue. They threaten tomorrow's leadership.

Fundraising remains, in important ways, an apprenticeship profession. Experienced leaders teach younger professionals how to cultivate donors, navigate difficult conversations, work with board members, develop strategy, and exercise judgment that no textbook or webinar can fully impart. When senior fundraising leadership continually turns over, that developmental chain is interrupted. Emerging professionals lose mentors, organizations lose institutional knowledge, and the profession weakens its own leadership pipeline.

If younger fundraisers see senior roles characterized by extraordinary expectations, insufficient resources, organizational impatience, and short tenure, we should not assume they will aspire to those positions—or be prepared to assume them when the opportunity arrives. We cannot build the next generation of fundraising leadership without sustaining the current one.

AFP Global advocates on federal charitable giving policy, invests in research, supports mentorship and scholarships, and regularly collects data about the fundraising workforce. But we still lack contemporary research focused specifically on the tenure and turnover of chief development officers. That is an evidence gap our profession should no longer accept.

We need a study of senior fundraising leadership: how long CDOs stay, why they leave, how long positions remain vacant, what organizational conditions predict retention, and what turnover costs organizations in lost relationships, stalled pipelines, staff departures, and revenue. AFP-NYC can help bring CEOs, trustees, search firms, and fundraisers into that work and translate the findings into better practice.

Research alone, of course, will not retain fundraising leaders. Organizations will have to act on what it tells us. Boards and CEOs should examine whether their expectations, resources, governance, and timelines actually create the conditions in which fundraising leaders can succeed. Fundraisers themselves should be willing to identify the practices that drive talented colleagues from organizations—and the ones that persuade them to stay.

The first step, however, is knowing the scope of the problem. At a moment when nonprofits need private philanthropy more than ever, we should know whether the leaders responsible for generating it are being given a reasonable chance to succeed. And if they are not, our profession should be prepared not merely to document that reality, but to change it. This is our moment to study and understand the problem, and then to lead in creating a solution. 

Adam M. Doyno, CFRE, is the Founding Executive Director of the CUNY SPH Foundation and the Inaugural Chief Development Officer of the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, where since 2018 he has built and led the school’s comprehensive fundraising enterprise. He has been a driving force in advancing CUNY SPH’s growth as an independent, accredited, and nationally recognized public health institution, securing philanthropic support that expands access and opportunity for students and communities across New York City. Previously, he held senior development roles at FPWA, the National Kidney Foundation, and United Way of New York City, leading donor-centered strategies across local and national platforms. Adam is an active nonprofit leader, serving on the Board of Directors of the Association of Fundraising Professionals–NYC Chapter, the Harmony Health Foundation, and the 125th Street Business Improvement District, and has been recognized for his contributions to the field with multiple professional honors.

by Scott Rosenkrans
Head of AI an Growth, EverTrue

Every fundraising team has run a wealth screen. Fewer have asked the question that actually matters: not who can give, but who's ready to.

That distinction is where most prospect research programs quietly stall. A wealth screen hands you a list ranked by net worth, real estate, and business affiliations. It's a real starting point. But it doesn't tell you whether that constituent has ever made a charitable gift, what causes they care about, or how likely they are to respond when your organization actually makes the ask. Capacity tells you the ceiling. It doesn't tell you who's close to reaching it.

The programs pulling ahead right now have made a shift: from capacity-first research to behavior- and intent-first research. The tool behind that shift is predictive modeling, and it's more accessible than most teams assume. It doesn't require a data science team, a six-figure build, or a multi-year implementation. It requires the right data, the right model, and a clear sense of what your program needs answered.

The Four Questions Worth Asking

Here's a fast test for your current research infrastructure. Can your team answer these four questions with a reliable, data-driven yes, not a guess?

1. Who in our non-donor pool is most likely to make a first gift?
2. Which first-time donors are we at risk of losing before they give again?
3. Who in our current donor base has real room to give significantly more?
4. Who should we be cultivating for a recurring giving program?

If those feel hard to answer with confidence, that's not a failure of research instinct. It's a tooling gap. Most teams are working from capacity scores, tribal knowledge, and whatever the CRM happens to surface that day.

This matters more than portfolio size. Gift officers are already carrying more names than they can meaningfully work. The challenge was never generating more activity. It's making sure the activity that already exists is pointed at the right people. A researcher who walks into a portfolio review with "these 40 names scored highest on our upgrade model, and here's why" is having a fundamentally different conversation than one who sorted by capacity and flagged the top quartile.

National Models vs. Custom Models

Predictive modeling sounds like it belongs to enterprise teams with in-house data scientists. For most organizations, it isn't.

National models are built by a vendor using giving behavior across anonymized data from thousands of organizations, then applied to your file against those broader patterns. No custom data science work required, and the lift over capacity-only screening is real.

Custom models are built from your organization's own giving and engagement history enriched with external philanthropic data. They reflect your donors specifically, and the accuracy ceiling is higher, but so are the data, financial and time investments.

For most teams, particularly those new to predictive modeling, national models are the right place to start: accessible, fast to deploy, and a meaningful upgrade in prioritization without the complexity of a custom build. A file with four years of clean gift transactions and a constituent list is enough to run most national models. You don't need perfect data. You need enough of it.

What This Looks Like in Practice

A global museum had segmented its year-end appeal into two audiences, visitors and concert attendees, for years. The team wondered whether that split reflected how donors actually engaged, or whether it was just an assumption no one had tested. They built a predictive model against four years of appeal data, scored roughly 25,000 constituents, and surfaced donors already in their database who'd never been part of a prior appeal, then unified the messaging around a single story instead of two.

A two-person foundation supporting a public school district had a goal that usually comes with a research team attached: shifting from event-driven annual giving to a multi-million dollar endowment. By layering giving history, engagement, and capacity signals onto their existing list, they found where the real opportunity already lived, small past gifts included, and walked into their board with a confident silent-phase strategy. No new hire required.

The common thread in both stories isn't "we found donors we never knew existed." It's "we found donors who were already there. We just didn't know to call them."

Where to Start

Don't try to implement every model at once. Pick the goal in front of you right now, an event, a lapsing donor problem, a leadership giving pipeline, and start with the model built for it. Get comfortable with the score, build it into the workflow, and let the next question tell you what to add.

Capacity tells you the ceiling. Predictive modeling tells you who's ready to reach it. The organizations doing both well aren't guessing anymore, they're making decisions based on evidence.

Curious what predictive modeling could surface in your own database? Request a demo of EverTrue and see which of your constituents are already ready to give, you just don't know it yet.

Want the full breakdown, including the four questions, the model-by-model decision framework, and a checklist for evaluating predictive modeling vendors? Download the complete guide, Beyond the Wealth Screen.

Scott Rosenkrans is Head of AI Growth at EverTrue, where he helps nonprofits apply AI and analytics to strengthen donor engagement and drive mission impact. With nearly a decade of experience designing predictive and generative AI products for the nonprofit sector, Scott specializes in translating complex technology into strategy, training, and services that deepen—not replace—human relationships. He’s a Certified AI Governance Professional (AIGP), co-host of the Fundraising.AI Podcast, and co-author of Nonprofit AI: A Comprehensive Guide to Implementing Artificial Intelligence for Social Good.

by Karen Houghton
Infinite Giving

Nonprofits are doing some of the most essential, life-changing work in our communities. And yet, far too many are operating in survival mode.

I’ve seen this from every angle: running my own nonprofit, supporting hundreds of organizations during the pandemic, and now watching leaders navigate today’s reality of budget cuts, increased demand, and declining donations. One truth has become clear:

Passion alone can’t fund sustainability. Money fuels the mission.

Nonprofit financial leadership looks different in today’s market than it did just two years ago. Funding cuts, drops in donations, and dwindling grant opportunities have all left many organizations in a scarcity mindset.

For nonprofit leaders, this raises an important question: is your money working as hard as your mission?

To help organizations think more holistically about financial resilience, Infinite Giving developed the RISE Framework, a practical approach to strengthening your funding model in any economic climate.

RISE stands for Raise, Invest, Steward, Endow.

Below, we provide you with a self-assessment of this new financial framework to see where your nonprofit may have potential to better fund your mission for the long-term.

R - Raise
Sustainable funding starts with how you raise capital.

Modern donors don’t just give cash. They give appreciated stock, crypto, and grants from donor-advised funds (DAFs). In fact, non-cash gifts are often some of the most tax-efficient and generous gifts donors can make.

Sustainable funding starts with how you raise capital.

Modern donors don’t just give cash. They give appreciated stock, crypto, and grants from donor-advised funds (DAFs). In fact, https://www.infinitegiving.com/state-of-nonprofit-asset-gifts-report non-cash gifts are often some of the most tax-efficient and generous gives donors can make.

you aren’t equipped to accept them, you may be unintentionally limiting generosity.

Self-assessment question: Do you currently have the technology and internal processes in place to easily accept non-cash gifts like stock, crypto, and DAF grants?

Raising well means removing friction and meeting donors where they are financially.

I - Invest

Once funds are raised, what happens next?

For many nonprofits, excess cash sits in a checking or savings account earning minimal interest. In a falling-rate environment, that approach becomes even less strategic.

Thoughtful investing doesn’t mean taking unnecessary risk. It means aligning portions of your reserves with time horizon, liquidity needs, and return objectives.

Idle cash slowly loses opportunity. Invested cash can support future programming, growth initiatives, or strategic stability.

Self-assessment question: Are your cash reserves segmented by time horizon (short-, mid-, and long-term), or is most of your capital sitting in low-yield bank accounts?

Investment strategy should reflect intention, not inertia.

S - Steward

Stewardship is more than thanking donors. It includes how you manage and protect the resources entrusted to you.

Strong stewardship requires clarity around liquidity needs, board oversight, and an Investment Policy Statement (IPS) that guides decision-making.

When markets shift, organizations without a framework often react emotionally. Organizations with a policy respond strategically.

Self-assessment question: Do you have a board-approved Investment Policy Statement that clearly defines liquidity needs, risk tolerance, and oversight responsibilities?

Financial stewardship is leadership in action.

E - Endow

Finally, resilient organizations think beyond the next campaign.

Endowment structures, whether true endowments, board-designated (quasi) endowments, or term funds, create long-term sustainability. They allow your mission to generate funding from invested capital, not just annual fundraising cycles.

Endowment strategy is no longer reserved for billion-dollar institutions. Smaller and mid-sized nonprofits now have more accessible tools to build sustainable funding engines.

Self-assessment question: Have you explored whether an endowment or board-designated reserve could strengthen your long-term financial resilience?

Endowment thinking shifts your organization from surviving year to year to building generational impact.

Rise With Intention

The RISE Framework isn’t about chasing returns. It’s about aligning financial strategy with mission sustainability.

In today’s rate environment, leaving capital idle may feel safe, but it can quietly limit future impact. Our team at Infinite Giving is here to help your nonprofit:

Raise strategically
Invest intentionally
Steward responsibly
Endow sustainably

Because fundraising keeps you going, but funding, done well, helps your mission last.

A Final Word to Nonprofit Leaders

You are the bridge to a better financial future, not only for your organization but also for the communities you serve. And you don’t have to navigate this alone.

My mission is to give nonprofits the tools, encouragement, and perspective to build something stable, scalable, and truly sustainable so your mission can thrive for generations.

Infinite Giving is here to help. Download a sample chapter of Funding Your Mission. This is a practical financial guide for nonprofit leaders who are ready to stop surviving and start building lasting impact. We offer a fresh, mission-aligned framework for how nonprofits can steward resources with strategy, confidence, and clarity.

Or if you’d like to set up a time to dig into your fundraising and financial strategy, get started here.

Thank you for all the amazing work you do each and every day to help build better communities, and ultimately, a better world.

Karen Houghton is the bestselling author of Funding Your Mission and the CEO of Infinite Giving, a financial technology and Registered Investment Advisory firm serving nonprofits nationwide. A former nonprofit executive and board member, Karen brings firsthand operational experience to advising mission-driven leaders on reserves, governance, and strategic growth.

With a background in both nonprofit leadership and venture capital, Karen brings a rare blend of heart and strategy to financial stewardship. She is passionate about democratizing access to wealth-building tools and guiding mission-driven organizations toward long-term financial health. As a trusted advisor and advocate, Karen is reshaping how nonprofits think about money as a powerful resource for growing impact. 

Under Karen’s leadership, Infinite Giving has been recognized for world-changing financial technology by Fast Company and received multiple industry awards for innovation.

by Gary Weinberg
President, DM Pros

At The Bridge Conference in Washington, D.C., I attended a presentation focused on modern giving pathways presented by Woodrow Rosenbaum (Chief Data Officer at GivingTuesday) and Steve Froehlich (Chief Customer Growth Officer at GoFundMe).

The research presented was fascinating. While the fundraising sector faces ongoing challenges with donor retention and small-dollar decline, GivingTuesday’s data reveals that generosity itself isn't dying—it's evolving. People are as eager to support causes as ever, but fundraisers must shift their approach to capture this potential by:

• Looking beyond traditional audiences
• Embracing the donor mindset of the next generation

The opportunities to expand the base of donors are clear — fundraisers simply need to adapt their strategies to capture them.

Tapping Untapped Potential: Strategies for Growth

Rosenbaum outlined three high-impact strategies to unlock what GivingTuesday’s research projects to be $52 billion in underutilized donor support:

• Deseasonalize Giving: GivingTuesday proved that donors respond enthusiastically when invited to give outside the standard year-end crunch. Relying strictly on Q4 campaigns leaves massive potential on the table. Extending solicitations, giving days, and strategic touchpoints across the entire calendar could unlock an estimated $23 billion in additional giving.
• Expand Recurring Giving: Currently, only 7.9% of donors participate in recurring giving programs and only 2% of donors are acquired as recurring givers. GivingTuesday research indicates that increasing the share of new donors who sign up on recurring schedules by just 5% could yield an additional $10 billion, while a 10% increase could generate $10 billion to $20 billion.
• Broaden Engagement Beyond the "Usual Suspects": Traditional acquisition models tend to solicit the same core demographics repeatedly, leaving vast populations untouched. GivingTuesday’s GivingPulse survey data found that 10% of people who aren’t currently being solicited would give if they were invited. Broader engagement across these groups could increase total donations by $19 billion to $46 billion.

Understanding and Engaging Gen Z

Twenty years ago, there was a running joke about engaging younger generations:

    “We need younger donors. How can I get a Millennial to donate to our cause?”

    “Wait for her to turn 55.”

The assumption was that life stage—becoming an empty-nester with disposable income—was the primary driver of giving (and that the majority of donors are women). While life-stage is still very significant, Gen Z (today’s younger generation) has fundamentally different giving habits and motivational drivers than past generations.

To capture these donors and build a sustainable pipeline, fundraisers must adapt to how younger generations approach philanthropy. Froehlich shared key insights into Gen Z’s unique behaviors, busting the myth that younger demographics are disengaged:

What Gen Z Is Telling Us

• 71% gave in some form (monetary, item, or advocacy) in the past week.
• 57% say family or peers directly shape their giving decisions.
• They are 10 times more likely than Boomers to share their donations on social media.
• 91% of Gen Z who give on community fundraising platforms like GoFundMe, also give to registered nonprofits—and they are 16% more likely to give than peers who don’t use crowdfunding platforms.

The Gen Z Pathway: See  Share  Fundraise  Give

Engaging Gen Z requires adapting to their social-first ecosystem:

• See  Share: Gen Z often shares a cause with their personal network before making a financial contribution.
• • Tactic: Ensure every campaign is frictionless to discover and share on social media.
• Share  Fundraise: When supporters share, they mobilize their networks.
• • Tactic: Provide turn-key peer-to-peer tools that empower supporters to rally their personal circles around your mission.
• Fundraise  Give  Repeat: Community fundraising acts as an entry point. Gen Z users who engage for causes on platforms like GoFundMe are primed to become repeat donors to registered nonprofits over time.

Designing Experiences to Tap Gen Z Generosity

To turn Gen Z's natural habits into long-term organizational support, nonprofits should focus on three execution rules:

1. Build for the Full Spectrum of Generosity: Gen Z engages through sharing, digital storytelling, peer-to-peer fundraising, livestreams, and advocacy—not just traditional donation forms.
2. Reduce Friction Across Every Action: Community-powered fundraising should be fast to start, flexible to shape, and easy to join. Every extra step or field creates donor drop-off.
3. Create Seamless Pathways Between Ways of Giving: Supporters move fluidly between helping individuals, mobilizing peers, and supporting formal organizations. Your digital experiences should feel unified rather than siloed.

Practical Takeaways For You To Apply Today

To turn these high-level research insights into actionable fundraising wins, here are a few immediate strategies to test in your upcoming campaigns:

1. Deseasonalization Tactics

• Keep Asking in the Summer: Don't go silent in July. Donors remain engaged online year-round if given a reason to respond.
• Create Custom "Giving Days": Anchor mid-year campaigns to mission-aligned calendar events—such as Earth Day for environmental groups, "Clear the Shelters" for animal welfare organizations, or a "Summer Hunger" appeal in June when school meal programs pause.

2. Recurring Giving Growth

• Make Recurring Gift Asks Part of Your Acquisition Effort: Test direct mail and digital acquisition programs by featuring monthly giving as the primary option—or even the default/only option. Use a simple, compelling message showing how reliable, ongoing support fuels your mission. Many animal welfare organizations use this tactic effectively in Direct Response Television (DRTV) campaigns ("We need 1,000 new partners to commit $19 a month by midnight...)
• Layer Strategic Upgrades for Active Sustainers: Don't leave active recurring donors on autopilot. Ask your monthly sustainers for a one-time extra gift twice a year, and invite them to upgrade their monthly giving amount annually.

3. Broadening Engagement

• Identify Overlooked Audiences: Look beyond traditional wealth scores. Community groups, volunteers, local churchgoers, and event participants represent warm, highly engaged pools waiting to be invited into donor relationships.
• Expand Direct Mail & Digital Lists: If you rent acquisition lists, test geographic areas you normally don’t solicit and interest-based pools that fall outside your traditional solicitation footprint.

4. Making Gen Z Engagement Fun & Easy – Empower Your Supporters to Become Champions For Your Mission

• Event Selfies & Digital Postcards: Provide event attendees with a digital frame or photo booth setup so they can text or post a branded selfie ("I'm at [Event Name] supporting [Cause]!").
• Statement-of-Support Forwarding: Create a 1-sentence "Why I Care" image card on your donation thank-you page that givers can immediately post to their Instagram Stories or text to three friends.

Looking Ahead

Organizations must think outside the traditional direct-response box to meet donors where they already gather and give. The opportunities to broaden your donor base, build recurring revenue, and engage the next generation are vast—you simply need to take the first step.

Resources:

GivingPulse Reports: https://www.givingpulse.givingtuesday.org/

GoFundMe Gen-Z Nonprofit Report: https://pro.gofundme.com/c/resources/gen-z-nonprofit-report/

Gary Weinberg is an individual giving specialist with over 35 years of leadership experience in direct mail and direct response fundraising communications. He takes a holistic approach to development, managing the complete donor lifecycle—from integrated digital and direct mail solicitations to meaningful acknowledgment and long-term stewardship.

A dedicated leader in the philanthropic sector, Gary serves on the Board of Directors for AFP-NYC, where he chairs the Government Relations Committee—advocating for charitable giving policies in Albany and Washington, D.C.—and contributes to the Chapter’s Professional Advancement Committee. He also serves on nonprofit boards ranging from the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx to the Hastings High School Alumni Association.

As a third-generation direct mail professional, Gary affectionately refers to himself as "the son of a son of a mailer."

by Lynsie Slachetka
Founder and Chief Digital Officer
aJuxt Media Group

We live in an era where in-person and digital relationships blend so seamlessly that entirely new ways of interacting have emerged. Parasocial relationships, asynchronous collaboration, second-screening, and group threads are now commonplace. Yet navigating this new environment as a nonprofit fundraising professional can feel more complex than ever. New communications tools and platforms are constantly popping up, and the attention of those you’re trying to connect with continues to fragment. Today’s best practice is tomorrow’s ineffective approach. 

This is especially true when it comes to moving an engaging real-world conversation into a digital follow-up strategy. At in-person events like a donor reception or resource fair, you’re one-on-one with like-minded people who could support your mission with time, money, or connections. Conversations flow, you exchange information, and maybe you mutually agree it would be productive to meet again. But back in the office, if next steps are murky or feel onerous, follow-up tends to get deprioritized. More urgent day-to-day tasks take precedence, and opportunities are lost. 

The good news is that you don’t actually need new software or a bigger team to effectively bring real-world connections into a digital nurture campaign. All you need is an intentional system that's authentic to you and uses automation where appropriate.

The First and Most Essential Step: Capture Context

Building trusted relationships is vital for nonprofits, but that’s less likely to happen when contacts are treated as inventory to be stored on a spreadsheet. The person you met isn’t a line item of name, email, and telephone. They're someone who leaned in when you talked about your youth mentoring program, or asked a sharp question about how you track outcomes.

Briefly noting what you actually talked about, for example, "asked about our summer program capacity, has a niece in foster care" instead of “met at gala,” can be what makes the difference between a nurture campaign that feels personal and one that feels like a mail merge. Create a way to do that on the spot, and make it a habit. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Using a notes app, a shared document, or even the back of a business card you photograph and upload can be effective. How you do it matters less than how consistently you do it.

The goal is carrying the thread of an in-person conversation through to the digital follow-up. If someone mentioned their company's volunteer day, for example, that's your next email subject line, and it will feel like a continuation of the conversation when it happens in the right timeframe, 24-48 hours after the event.

Segment by Relationship, Not Just Interest Area

That initial note becomes a seed for future touchpoints when you enter it in your CRM. Add organization and sophistication to your efforts with a tagging system. For example, your CRM probably already tags people by giving history or program interest. Adding a second layer like relationship temperature lets you build individualized nurture campaigns. A "hot lead" from a gala table who leaned forward the entire dinner needs a different cadence than a "long-term prospect" you chatted with for two minutes at a mixer.

Simple tags work fine: donor prospect, board prospect, volunteer lead, media contact, warm reconnect. The point isn't precision. It's making sure your digital nurture sequence reflects how close the relationship actually is, so a major gift prospect isn't getting the same generic monthly newsletter as someone who just joined your list from a webform. Real relationships deserve differentiated follow-up, and your segmentation should say so.

The First Follow-Up Should Show You Listened

The single easiest way to make a digital campaign feel human is to open with something only a human would know. "It was great talking with you about your family's foundation at Thursday's breakfast" does more relationship-building work than any perfectly designed template. This is where that one sentence you captured earlier pays off.

Keep the first email short and personal. You're continuing a conversation and building trust, not asking for anything. Reference a specific thing they said, and offer something genuinely useful, like an impact story tied to what they care about or a briefing series you’re conducting. Make it easy to reply by asking permission to send them that resource and explaining exactly what they’ll receive. Specificity and plain language send signals that you were listening and that you want to be helpful. 

Short Sequences Can Be More Effective Than Sprawling Ones

A three- or four-step sequence that feels considered, whether it’s through LinkedIn, email, text, phone, or all of the above, is highly likely to outperform a twelve-touch drip that feels automated. Give each touch a clear job: reconnect, inform, invite. Resist the urge to say everything at once. One example sequence: after a personal opening note, follow with an impact story, then a light invitation, like a briefing, tour, or volunteer opportunity. This cycle moves from in-person to digital and back again, with relationship-building happening at every point.

When used intentionally, AI can lighten your workload. To build a prompt that results in content that sounds like you and does what you want, remember that AI is a tool assembling information for you. It needs to know how to act (“you are a…” or “act like a…” statements work well). AI does well with a specific task list. It needs context (the “why”) and reference materials such as your website, writing samples, the event’s website, and other relevant information. 

Space out each step in the sequence. Every three weeks is often enough to stay present without becoming the pesky organization that shows up in someone's inbox too often. And be sure to build in a human checkpoint. If someone opens every email but never replies, that's a signal for you to pick up the phone instead of sending another automated touch.

Track Metrics That Matter for Cultivation

Digital nurture and real-time relationship-building should go hand in hand in fundraising, just like they do in our personal relationships. Open rates and click-throughs tell you whether your emails are landing in inboxes, but they can’t tell you whether trust and understanding are actually deepening. To do that, you need to measure a different set of engagement indicators. Tracking replies, attendance at a follow-up event, calls taken, and questions asked can show that a connection successfully made the jump into your digital pipeline. 

Ask your team: Which of these relationships feel closer now than they did the day you met them? If relationships aren’t evolving, the sequence needs fewer templates and more specific, human details that made the original conversation worth having in the first place.

Meet Lynsie Slachetka, founder of aJuxt Media Group and social media early adopter, who always knows what's ‘in’ and what's ‘out’ in the ever-changing digital landscape. Known for her strategic creativity, she's guided multiple nonprofit organizations to uplevel their digital marketing and achieve real results. A former staffer at Hearst Digital Media Services and co-owner of Tallahassee-based marketing agency Voxy Media Group, Lynsie is a Midwestern gal at heart who loves kayaking and exploring with her family. Her motto is: "Nothing is impossible if you just start it."

by Jane McIntosh, CFRE
Chief Philanthropy and External Affairs Officer
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation

Over the last two years, I've mentored several early-career fundraising professionals, and I'm struck by two things: how much they emphasize networking as essential to success and how heavily they weigh professional development when evaluating job opportunities.

Those conversations have been an interesting contrast to the way I remember beginning my own career.

I scoured the want ads in The New York Times, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and The Village Voice. I wrote cover letters and résumés, printed them at the public library, and mailed them to prospective employers. Then I'd come home from various temp jobs hoping the light on my answering machine would be blinking with an invitation to interview. The process took weeks—sometimes months. It was hard.

My first fundraising job was in the music department of a prominent New York City church. As the development associate, I was responsible for the annual appeal. After carefully running spell check, I proudly printed 5,000 appeal letters. They were folded, stuffed, sealed, and ready to be mailed.

Thankfully, before they went out, a member of the choir happened to read one.

Instead of promoting the church's public organ recital series, my letter invited donors to the pubic organ rectal series.

My cheeks stayed pink for days.

I share that story because fundraising is a craft, and like every craft, it is learned through apprenticeship. You learn by making mistakes, watching experienced colleagues, asking questions, and doing the work.

Master the fundamentals. Learn prospect research and portfolio management. Understand donor cultivation and stewardship. Learn to write compelling proposals and tell stories that inspire generosity. Build relationships not only with donors but also with colleagues in finance, IT, human resources, marketing, and programs. Fundraising doesn't happen in isolation. The more you understand how your organization works—and how your role contributes to its success—the more effective you'll become.

Watch how experienced colleagues prepare for meetings, write proposals, navigate setbacks, and build trust over time. Ask not only how they do something, but why.

The early years of your career aren't about collecting titles. They're about collecting lessons.

Every organization you work for and every person you work with has something to teach you—both what to do and what not to do. Observe. Learn. Adapt. Over time, you'll develop your own judgment, your own style, and your own voice.

Networking matters. Professional development matters. Both can accelerate your growth—but they are most valuable when they complement the experience gained by doing the work.

There are no shortcuts.

Master the craft, and the career will follow.

Jane McIntosh is Chief Philanthropy & External Affairs Officer at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), where she leads the Foundation’s fundraising, communications, and external engagement strategy in support of its mission to accelerate the discovery of drugs to prevent, treat, and cure Alzheimer’s disease. With more than 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience, Jane has helped mission-driven organizations build the relationships and resources needed to advance ambitious ideas. Her career has spanned cultural and scientific organizations, where she has led strategic growth, strengthened organizations, and cultivated enduring philanthropic partnerships. Jane holds a master’s degree in arts management from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree in English from Binghamton University.

by Kate Jaeger-Thomas
CEO, Heller Fundraising Group

As development professionals, you already know the value of a feasibility study and understand how this crucial step can set your campaign up for maximum success. By taking the time to hone your budget and your message, engage with donors, and build out your leadership team, you’re also mapping out a clear roadmap for the months and years ahead.

At the Heller Fundraising Group, we’ve advised our clients on how to build the infrastructure, leadership and messaging that lays the groundwork for a truly transformational campaign. We have a few recommendations on how to jumpstart this process with your own team, whether you need their buy-in to conduct a study or want to be intentional about how you engage them along the way.

Make the case to your leadership

As both a development director and a consultant, I’ve heard all kinds of reasons why you should skip the research and move straight into campaign mode. Your board might be pushing you to start raising funds now for critical needs, or a one-in-a-generation opportunity is on the table and you feel pressure to move quickly. They might argue that you know your donor database inside and out and there’s little new information to learn about your top prospects—especially from an outsider.

We argue that feasibility studies go far deeper than answering questions like “How much can I raise?” and “Who are my top donors?”

A truly effective feasibility study can help you identify gaps in your knowledge, whether that’s in the giving capacity of donors, what is needed from leadership, or the time and resources of staff. It can also reveal opportunities that can be leveraged in new and compelling ways — new champions, overlooked donor segments, stronger case language, or untapped community enthusiasm.

In fact, we often call them planning studies because the end result isn’t just a dollar goal and a list of names. At Heller Fundraising Group, we work closely with clients to develop a detailed strategy with tested, data-driven recommendations for how and when to present your campaign to donors.

Think beyond your dollar goal

Some might question the cost of bringing in a consultant to lead your study instead of doing it yourself. But the right consultant should take the pressure off your in-house development teams, not add to it. Instead of managing a campaign on top of your day-to-day work, you have a partner to share the load.

Also, campaigns are a chance to break out of longstanding patterns, whether that’s how you engage with existing donors or finding new champions. Bringing in fresh perspectives can help you shake things up and see your organization and your donors in a new light. Not only can a consultant guide you to a successful campaign; their strategic planning can strengthen your team well past the campaign’s end.

When you find the right partner, outside experts should help you maximize your fundraising—and should even pay for themselves.

Lay the foundation with comprehensive pre-planning

Well before your first donor interview, you should be assessing the scope of your project, estimating costs, and figuring out a clear and compelling way to make your case to donors—all of the ingredients you’ll need to test during your study.

It’s a tough needle to thread. You might be wondering how you can scope a project before you know how much money you can raise. Or if there’s anyone on your board you should tap to serve as campaign chair. You might be unsure if your database is set up to manage the gift processing flow, or if your team even has the capacity to take on a campaign.

At the Heller Fundraising Group, we developed a pre-planning guide that’s designed to jumpstart this early planning stage and make even the most complex campaigns feel attainable. By asking the right questions of the right people, you can enter your feasibility study with clarity and purpose.

This advance work also strengthens the findings from your study, and ensures you have a solid plan from which to build. When your campaign runs into an unexpected detour or roadblock—which, let’s face it, will inevitably happen—you’ll have the research and understanding to know how to pivot.

A fundraising campaign can transform your organization’s future and strengthen your community around its mission. They’re also a huge undertaking, requiring months—if not years—of in-depth analysis and planning. Taking the time for thoughtful planning and deep analysis will give you a comprehensive plan for how to move forward in the weeks, months and years ahead.

Get our Feasibility Study Readiness Guide

We created our Feasibility Study Readiness Guide to help development professionals take the first steps in campaign planning. It has prompts to help you clarify early questions, organize internal thinking, and prepare for the deeper insights a feasibility study will provide.

Kate Jaeger-Thomas was named Heller Fundraising Group’s first Chief Executive Officer in May of 2026, after serving as Consulting Services Director for over three years. She has spent her 20+ year career helping organizations grow stronger so they continue to positively impact their communities for years to come.

Kate’s first major campaign came during her tenure as Director of Development at Signature Theatre Company in NYC. She led the $70 million capital campaign to build its new 75,000-square-foot home, the Frank Gehry-designed Pershing Square Signature Center. Her experience at Signature sparked her passion for the transformative impact of major fundraising campaigns, laying the path that led her to the Heller Fundraising Group.

by Kimberly Teller-Foss
Assistant Vice President, CCS Fundraising

Coming off the highs of the Men's World Cup, where community, camaraderie, and teamwork were on full display, I can't help but wonder: when was the last time fundraising felt like a team sport?

In fundraising offices across the country, gift officers are asked to work toward a common goal, raising critical funds to support missions, programs, operations, and growth. Yet despite sharing the same objective, many of us approach fundraising as if we're competing against one another. We compare portfolios, gift totals, and campaign results. Performance often influences recognition, promotions, and opportunities. As a result, too many fundraisers focus on scoring the game-winning goal while overlooking the value of the assist. When people don't feel comfortable asking colleagues for advice, sharing challenges, or seeking support, organizations leave fundraising potential, and ultimately revenue, on the table.

How did we get here? We didn’t get here by accident. Many of the structures we use in fundraising emphasize individual performance. We are measured as individuals, assigned individual portfolios, and held accountable for individual goals. We celebrate major gifts and fundraising successes, often highlighting the donor, the campaign, or the final result, while the collaborative effort often goes unnoticed. The problem is that fundraising was never meant to be an individual endeavor. Our collective knowledge, experience, and perspectives often lead to stronger strategies, deeper donor relationships, and better outcomes than any one fundraiser could achieve alone.

So, I ask - what would happen if fundraisers felt safe asking for help? What would happen if asking for help was viewed as a strength instead of a weakness?

Imagine a top-performing gift officer helping a newer fundraiser prepare for an important donor conversation. Imagine a fundraiser whose strategy isn't working approaching a colleague for advice rather than continuing down the same path.

It looks like colleagues gathered around a conference table, huddled on Zoom, or chatting in the hallway about a prospect they can't seem to move forward with.

Most importantly, it helps build confidence. Google's Project Aristotle found that psychological safety was the most important characteristic of high-performing teams, reinforcing the idea that people perform better when they feel comfortable speaking up, sharing ideas, and asking for help. (1)

When people feel safe asking for help, they are also less likely to avoid difficult situations. Mistakes happen in fundraising. Donors stop responding. Solicitation strategies fall flat. Relationships stall. Without support, it can be easier to avoid the challenge altogether. With support, fundraisers have access to the collective experience of their team. Someone may have faced a similar situation before, made the mistake already, or found a successful approach worth trying.

The result is faster growth, stronger fundraisers, and better outcomes. The goal isn't to create one superstar fundraiser. It's to build a team of strong fundraisers, people who have more confidence in donor conversations. And when more fundraisers are successful, organizations build stronger donor relationships, close more gifts, and ultimately raise more money in support of their mission.

For asking for help to become part of the norm, it must become part of the culture.

Culture drives performance far more than perks. A strong organizational culture isn't built through free snacks, unlimited happy hours, or committee events. While those things can contribute to a positive workplace, they don't create trust.

Culture is how people treat one another. It's whether people feel safe admitting they don't know something. It's whether they share both their wins and their struggles. It's whether leaders model vulnerability and create space for others to do the same.

So how can leaders build that environment?

• Normalize Asking Questions
  When leaders demonstrate that they don't have all the answers, they give others permission to do the same. Encourage your team to talk openly about what's working, what's not, and where they need support.
  
  
• Celebrate Collaboration, Not Just Results
  Most organizations are good at celebrating the fundraiser who closes the gift. We should be equally intentional about celebrating the people who helped make that success possible. Did someone help develop the strategy? Provide an introduction? Offer coaching before the ask? Recognize those contributions publicly. When collaboration is celebrated, people begin to see helping others as part of success, not separate from it.
  
  
• Create Mentorship Opportunities
  Not all mentorship needs to happen through a formal reporting relationship.
  In many cases, the colleague whose office you stop by or with whom you chat on Teams with when you're stuck can have as much impact as a supervisor. Peer mentorship creates opportunities to share knowledge, build confidence, and help newer fundraisers navigate challenges in a safe environment.
  
  The Association of Fundraising Professionals notes that organizations that “invest in mentorship see benefits, including stronger fundraising results, higher retention, and a culture of learning and collaboration.”(2)
  
  
• Create Space to Share Challenges
  Many teams regularly discuss successes. Fewer spend time discussing challenges. One practice I often use is asking people to share their "headwinds and tailwinds." What are you proud of this week? Where are you stuck? What could benefit from a few more brains in the room? These conversations create visibility, encourage problem-solving, and remind people that they don't have to navigate every obstacle alone.

Fundraising goals matter. Performance matters. Revenue matters. But if we want better results, we have to pay attention to the environment we're creating for the people responsible for achieving them.

When fundraisers feel supported, trusted, and comfortable asking for help, everyone benefits. Individual fundraisers grow, teams become stronger, and organizations raise more money. As consultants, we see these cultures in action, and the strongest teams rarely rely on a single superstar fundraiser.

A team where people freely ask for help will almost always outperform a team where everyone feels they need to succeed alone.

Personally, I'd rather celebrate a win with my team than chase one by myself. At the end of the day, fundraising isn't about who scored the goal; it's about whether we achieved the mission. Sometimes the most important contribution isn't the goal. It's the assist.

 (1) Google re:Work. (2015). Understand Team Effectiveness: Project Aristotle. Google. Retrieved from https://rework.withgoogle.com/intl/en/guides/understand-team-effectiveness
(2) Association of Fundraising Professionals. Mentorship. AFP Global. Retrieved from https://afpglobal.org/career-support/mentorship

Kimberly Teller-Foss is an Assistant Vice President at CCS Fundraising and a nonprofit fundraising professional specializing in campaign strategy, donor engagement, major gifts, and organizational development. She partners with mission-driven organizations to strengthen fundraising performance, build meaningful donor relationships, and position their institutions for sustainable growth. Throughout her career, she has worked across a range of nonprofit sectors, helping leaders navigate change, align stakeholders, and advance ambitious philanthropic goals. Kimberly is particularly interested in the intersection of strategy, leadership, and philanthropy and enjoys sharing insights that help organizations cultivate stronger cultures of giving. She also serves as National Vice President of Sigma Delta Tau and is passionate about mentoring the next generation of women leaders.

by Gary Weinberg
President, DM Pros

According to the AFP’s Fundraising Effectiveness Project data (www.FEPReports.org), only 19% of first-time donors give a second time. Even among repeat donors who have given two or more times, annual retention hovers around 60%. Our industry can—and must—do better!

Stewardship isn’t an expense—it’s an investment in your organization’s future. Every thank-you note, impact update, and thoughtful touchpoint plants the seed for your next gift.

For individual giving managers, beating the odds isn't about running flashier campaigns—it’s about what happens after the check clears. You need a disciplined blend of rapid individual touchpoints, authentic storytelling, and strategic direct mail appeals to turn first-time givers into lifelong partners.

1. The Immediate Response: Beyond the Tax Receipt

The first 48 hours dictate whether a donor feels like a valued partner or a cash machine. Yes, that is how fast your acknowledgment letter should go out. While everyone would agree prompt gratitude is vital, you’d be amazed by the number of thank-you letters I’ve received from well-established organizations that arrive several months after my gift was made.

Tell an Impactful Story

Ditch the dry, automated receipt template. Your acknowledgment letter should arrive quickly in their postal mailbox, telling the human story of what their donation makes possible:

• "Your gift of $50 ensures local children start every day with a warm, nutritious breakfast and the school supplies they need to thrive. Because of your kindness, kids like Maya walk into class focused, nourished, and confident."

The Leadership Touch

Set a clear rule: any donor giving above a designated threshold (such as $100 or $250) or making a landmark first gift receives a handwritten note from the Executive Director or leadership team. It doesn't need to be an essay—two simple sentences in the margin saying, "I personally wanted to welcome you to our family, Sarah. We are so grateful for you!" can double the likelihood of a second gift.

The New Donor Welcome Kit

Follow the acknowledgment letter with a physical Welcome Kit to serve as a warm introduction to your mission:

• A welcome letter from leadership.
• Your most recent printed newsletter.
• A concise "Impact One-Pager" showcasing core programs.
• A small branded bookmark or magnet as a token of appreciation.

2. Structuring a Cadence: Blending Impact Messages and Solicitations

Donors rarely stop giving because they lose interest—they stop giving because they feel forgotten. Striking the right balance between stewardship (showing impact) and solicitations (asking) is vital. Data shows that the sooner you ask again after properly thanking a donor, the more likely they are to give again.

• Printed Newsletters/Impact Reports: Pack newsletters with beneficiary stories showing donor-funded impact. Add QR codes linking to online videos to bring stories alive.
• Format Tip: A simple 4-page, 11x17 sheet folded to fit into a 6x9 envelope with an outer teaser like "Summer Newsletter Update" distinguishes it from an appeal letter, inspiring donors to open.
• The "Soft Ask": Include a generic Kos Kut remittance envelope inside printed newsletters. Many donors respond to soft asks as an extra gift outside their regular cycle because they feel good about the work and experience zero pressure.
• E-Newsletters: As part of your digital strategy, include short digital e-newsletters strictly focused on current activities, impact stories, video updates, and community news without hard solicitations.

3. Unlocking Sustainers & Legacy Donors

Monthly givers are the lifeblood of financial stability. Never "set them and forget them"—include sustainers in your regular newsletter distributions and stewardship activities.

Further, feature donor spotlights that showcase why a peer chose to give monthly or include your organization in their estate plans. Reading a fellow donor saying, "Setting up a $20/month gift was the easiest way for me to make a continuous impact," normalizes the behavior and encourages peers to follow suit.

4. Additional Creative Stewardship Techniques

To stay top-of-mind, integrate other touchpoints throughout the year:

• Impact Anniversary Postcards ("Giversaries"): Send a card 365 days after a donor's first gift: "Today marks 1 year since you joined our mission. Look at what you accomplished!"
• Sustainer-versaries: Send an annual card celebrating a monthly donor's ongoing commitment.
• Donor Survey Enclosures: Include a brief 3-question survey in a stewardship mailing to learn what program areas donors care about most, then segment future appeals accordingly.
• Postcard Updates: Mail a postcard with a bold image, short success story, and a QR code taking the donor online to watch a video.
• Behind-the-Scenes Invites: Invite donors to a virtual Town Hall or an in-person, small-group walk-through of your facility to see operations firsthand (food banks and theaters have so much “backstage” to show).

The Annual Blueprint

Even a small team can set up a simple, structured fundraising calendar mixing appeals, newsletters, and stewardship:

1. Schedule 2 Direct Mail Appeals: Target core fundraising months like April and November.
2. Add 2 Printed Newsletters: Schedule these 1–2 months before each appeal to prime your audience.
3. Layer in Digital & Other Touchpoints: Drop in a simple e-newsletter every 1–2 months alongside anniversary postcards and surveys.

You can easily expand this blueprint based on donor base size, staff bandwidth, and budget. Through a thoughtful mix of stewardship and strategic appeals, you will retain more donors and advance them to higher levels of giving for years to come.

Gary Weinberg is an individual giving specialist with over 35 years of leadership experience in direct mail and direct response fundraising communications. He takes a holistic approach to development, managing the complete donor lifecycle—from integrated digital and direct mail solicitations to meaningful acknowledgment and long-term stewardship.

A dedicated leader in the philanthropic sector, Gary serves on the Board of Directors for AFP-NYC, where he Chairs the Government Relations Committee—advocating for charitable giving policies in Albany and Washington, D.C.—and contributes to the Professional Advancement Committee. He also serves on nonprofit boards ranging from the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx to the Hastings High School Alumni Association.

As a third-generation direct mail professional, Gary affectionately refers to himself as "the son of a son of a mailer."

by Chanel B. Heckstall
Independent Consultant

When I look back on the moments that have shaped my career, a pattern emerges.

They all started when I raised my hand.

Not because I felt completely prepared. Not because I had every answer. And certainly not because I knew exactly where the opportunity would lead.

I simply said yes.

Over the past year, serving on the AFP-NYC Board and co-chairing the Emerging Leaders Collective has given me more of those moments than I expected. I walked into rooms where I admired nearly everyone at the table and wondered whether my voice belonged there. I have joined panel discussions, helped plan events, and worked alongside fundraisers whose experience and generosity continue to teach me. Each opportunity stretched me in a different way, and each reminded me that growth rarely arrives with a sense of readiness. More often, it begins when we step forward while still feeling unsure.

One of those moments came when I decided to pursue a leadership role with AFP-NYC. If I'm honest, there was a part of me that wondered whether I had enough experience to contribute at that level. Like many professionals, I compared myself to people whose careers I admired and questioned whether I belonged in the room. But I raised my hand anyway. What I discovered was that leadership is not about having the longest résumé or the loudest voice. It is about showing up, contributing your perspective, and being willing to learn. Serving on the Board has expanded my network, challenged my thinking, and given me opportunities to grow in ways I never anticipated when I first said yes.

That realization has stayed with me because, as fundraisers, we spend our careers asking others to believe in possibility. We invite donors to trust a vision, support a mission, and invest in impact that may take time to unfold. Yet I have not always offered myself that same generosity. I have waited for more experience, more confidence, or a clearer sign that I was ready. Some of the most meaningful opportunities in my career came when I stopped waiting for certainty and chose to participate.

I have learned this lesson repeatedly. Every time I volunteered for something new, joined a committee, contributed an idea, or asked a question in a room where I felt a little out of place, I have grown. None of those moments came with a guarantee that I would succeed. They simply offered me the chance to learn by showing up.

The truth is, I have rarely felt completely ready before stepping into something meaningful. I have learned that readiness often comes after the yes, not before it. Waiting until we feel fully prepared can keep us from the very experiences that build our confidence, deepen our skills, and open doors for others.

It has made me more aware of who is invited into those rooms and who may still be standing just outside them, wondering if they belong. Our organizations, communities, and profession are stronger when more people bring their perspectives to the table, especially emerging leaders and individuals whose experiences may differ from the voices already present.

I know how much an invitation can matter because I have benefited from many of them. Mentors, colleagues, and leaders have encouraged me to step into spaces that felt unfamiliar before I saw myself there. Their belief helped me see possibilities I may not have recognized on my own. Whether I was applying for a leadership opportunity, serving on a committee, or taking on a new challenge, that encouragement made a difference.

Today, I understand that part of leadership is extending that same encouragement to others.

That is why I believe one of the responsibilities of leadership is to extend that same encouragement to others. We create pathways for the next generation of fundraisers when we mentor, volunteer, share what we know, and invite people into conversations where they may not yet see themselves.

Sometimes all someone needs is an invitation.

I am grateful for every opportunity that pushed me beyond my comfort zone. Each one taught me something about leadership, service, and myself. More importantly, each connected me with people who challenged me to grow and reminded me that leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about being willing to learn in public, contribute what you can, and keep showing up.

My hope for anyone reading this is simple: don't wait until you feel ready.

Speak up in the meeting.

Share your perspective.

Take the chance.

Because growth rarely begins when we have all the answers. In my experience, it begins in the smaller, quieter moment when we decide to raise our hand.

So, the next time an opportunity presents itself, I encourage you to do one simple thing:

Raise your hand.

You never know where it might lead.

Chanel B. Heckstall is a Harlem native and fundraising professional with more than a decade of experience in donor relations, development operations, annual giving, and special events. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Fundraising Professionals New York City Chapter, where she co-chairs the Emerging Leaders Collective and is committed to supporting the next generation of fundraising professionals. Chanel is a proud alumna of Hampton University and Public Allies New York. She is passionate about building meaningful relationships and creating opportunities for others to grow.

Outside of her professional work, Chanel is entering her 11th year as a Girl Scout Troop Leader, leading one of the largest troops in Manhattan. She enjoys reading, building Legos, and trying new cuisines with family and friends.