January is the month of new beginnings and new resolutions. As you implement your New Year’s resolutions, let me pass on some quirky advice I received years ago. Before I discovered this awesome field of Advancement, I worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. I was a member of their Management Development Program, … Continue reading Read the Thin Ones
Category: Management
Found Time
We’ve learned that Advancement work during a pandemic is different. It requires increasingly empathic approaches and more targeted messaging. It calls for greater creativity. And it certainly requires persistence. Something else that’s different about Advancement work right now: found time. That is, there is more of it. Certain constituents aren’t interested in meeting with you … Continue reading Found Time
Zig When Others Zag
“What begins as a failure of the imagination ends as a market inefficiency." Michael Lewis, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game Maybe you haven’t read the book from which this quote was taken. But I’m guessing you’ve seen or heard of the movie adaptation … Continue reading Zig When Others Zag
Virtual Meetings: 4 Strategies for Greater Involvement
By now, I hope you’re convinced that video meetings are here to stay even beyond the pandemic, you can upgrade your virtual meeting environment and thereby improve the experience for your guests, and you can enhance your chances for securing virtual meetings with the different and creative approaches. Now, what can you do to achieve … Continue reading Virtual Meetings: 4 Strategies for Greater Involvement
The Way of the Horse?
Given time and retrospection, this quote has been rendered ludicrous and laughable. But when uttered more than 100 years ago, it represented a sentiment of the times. Which got me to wondering: What is our horse-is-here-to-stay reality? How about in-person meetings? We know that when done well, our work is relational, not transactional. And forming … Continue reading The Way of the Horse?
Press On!
Members of my college fraternity have a tradition when writing to fellow members. At the end of the correspondence, "Pergé" is inserted. It's meaning? Press On! This encouragement feels relevant for the times we're living in, where it's easy to succumb to inaction in hope that clarity will arrive tomorrow. Questions swirl for which we … Continue reading Press On!
Luxury or Necessity?
In the last eight weeks, 36.5 million Americans have lost their jobs. April's unemployment rate registered 14.7 percent. Job loss was roughly double what was experienced during any similar time period in the Great Recession. For those still employed, anxiety abounds as leaders at impacted institutions ponder making difficult decisions on ways to "cut back" … Continue reading Luxury or Necessity?
Welcome to my blog!
Since you’ve found my blog, I'm assuming you work in the fantastic field of advancement, as it is designed to be read by those working in various roles of this industry (advancement services, alumni relations, development directors, major gift officers, chief advancement officers, et al). In this space, I plan to share thoughts that link to one … Continue reading Welcome to my blog!
Kent's Blog 