August week 2 1024x768 1

What to Do When Your Workload Is Overwhelming

Productivity, Time Management
Last week really sucked for me. I had too much going on: projects with tight deadlines. Meetings that kept me from getting work done. A confusing and scary letter from the IRS. I felt overwhelmed and defeated. Worse yet, the…
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August week 1 1024x768 1

How to Handle It When They Doubt Your Fundraising Expertise

Productivity, Tribute
“Mr. Brooks, there’s no way that can be true. I think you are lying.” I’ve been told that more than once, specifically to my claim that longer messages usually work better than short ones in fundraising. It’s one of the…
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Week 5 False Urgency

Is “False Urgency” Stressing You Out and Making Your Organization Less Effective?

Productivity, Time Management, Workplace
Urgency at work is a fact of life. Especially at nonprofits. There’s so much to do, and usually not enough people to do it all. Emergencies come up out of the blue, throwing the best of planning and schedules out…
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Moceanic blog post 1

12 Surprising Productivity Tips for Getting More Done

Productivity
I can only speak for myself, but for me, the big battle I fight day-in and day-out isn’t finding great stories, creating motivating offers, or persuading bosses not to damage fundraising … What really makes a difference is staying as…
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Pop Art To Do List

4 Ways to Reclaim Your Productivity from Negative Emotions

Productivity, Self-Care
Remember that old thought experiment where you imagine you have a choice: A job where the work is fulfilling and the pay is great, but all your work is destroyed every day. You make no impact on the world. A…
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Deadline

Check out These Productivity Boosters of the Fundraising Pros

Productivity, Self-Care
What keeps you productive? We asked our community of fundraisers in The Fundraisingology Lab that question and got a ton of great ideas. These hardworking professionals have a lot of ways of getting more done than they’re already doing. Here…
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5 Proven Ways to Make Your Fundraising Life Easier

5 Proven Ways to Make Your Fundraising Life Easier

Productivity, Self-Care
Call me lazy. I prefer to call myself busy. Either way, I’m always looking for ways to make life easier. And you and I are in the same boat: We create fundraising messages, and it’s hard work.  Especially this time…
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3 barriers

It’s Not Just You: 3 Barriers to Success in Fundraising

Productivity, Self-Care, Writing
Some of the most common reasons fundraising can be difficult are in your own mind. Barriers to success built by you, for you. But don’t beat yourself up. It’s not just you. I know this because I do it too.…
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Deadline 1

Deadlines Getting You Down? Here’s Help that Could Really Transform Your Work-Life

Books, Productivity
Book Review: The Deadline Effect: How to Work Like it’s the Last Minute—Before the Last Minute by Christopher Cox   Like many copywriters, I have a “complicated” relationship with deadlines. I hate them. They are the pain and terror of…
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Moceanic meetings

Are Meetings Destroying Your Soul? Here’s How to Change That

Productivity
That could have been done with an email! How often have you said that after a tedious, time-wasting meeting? It’s a helpful question to ask. If you could have gathered the information you need by emailing the people you need…
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