We love watching Christmas movies. Christmas is such a busy season that we don’t get to watch very many, so we take turns picking the movie. Often, the pick is a Christmas classic - Elf, Home Alone, The Grinch (no, not Die Hard or The Christmas Story!).

Today is one of my favorite days of the year.

This morning, I’ll sit down in one of my favorite coffee shops and reflect on the year as it comes to a close.

As I write this, I've just crossed my one-millionth mile flown. 😱✈️🌎

I’m on a flight back to Seattle from D.C. after spending a few days at the NonProfit POWER Summit in Baltimore, where I previewed my upcoming book about how nonprofit leaders can tap into the subscription economy to grow recurring giving. 

Today’s Wave Report will be a reflective one – I hope it provides some perspective. 

I believe that gratitude and generosity form a virtuous cycle. Each leads to the other, and they reinforce one another.

When I practice generosity, that leads to gratitude.

A record number of people plan to shop over the holiday stretch known as Cyber Five, from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday this year.

The National Retail Federation reports that a record 183.4 million people plan to shop in-store and online from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday.

Today, November 15, is National Philanthropy Day. 

Officially recognized as a national day by President Reagan in 1986, National Philanthropy Day is an annual day of celebration that recognizes the contributions of philanthropy to the world. 

Simply defined, philanthropy is the use of private resources for public purposes. The giving of resources like time, talent, and treasure has deep roots in human history.

While recurring giving has been a bright spot amidst the gloomy clouds of fundraising trends for years now, there are many charities that have not yet tapped into recurring giving in a meaningful way. 

Reliable, recurring revenue is a crucial resource many nonprofits aspire to achieve but often can’t fully realize. 

I might be describing your organization. You might sense there is much more potential to develop a strong, resilient, growing stream of recurring income. 

What do the Atlanta Braves, Chick-fil-A, and North Point Church have in common? 

They are all in Atlanta. 

But also Jeff Henderson.

For nonprofit fundraisers, the ideal donor is one who gives faithfully month after month, year after year. They are bought into the cause and they give on a recurring basis

However, for most charities, most donors do not start as recurring. Like so many others, they give a single gift in response to some sort of catalyst – an ask from a friend, a disaster, a moving appeal. 

It’s on nonprofit leaders then to identify the right time and method to invite these single-gift donors into recurring, sustainable giving. 

But when is the best time to invite a new donor to commit to a recurring gift?

The answer is unwaveringly clear – in the first 30 days.

Artificial intelligence has been a fantastic personal and professional help in my life. 

I use AI tools weekly in at least a dozen ways, big and small. They help me communicate more clearly, work more efficiently, make better decisions, and do things that would take staff time or skills I wouldn’t have access to otherwise.

“Dave, the way you’re wired, you are going to be good at stuff for about two years, or 90%, whichever comes first.”

I was stunned. Was that supposed to be a compliment??

I was 25 years old at the time, and I was having lunch with a consultant our agency had hired when he sprung this “wisdom” on me. 

At the time, I couldn’t hear anything but a backhanded compliment. 

This week’s a fun one – the second episode of Season 5 of the Purpose & Profit Podcast just dropped last week, and it’s all about the power of story, leveraging cultural moments, and turning storytelling into profit.

Just over five centuries ago, in September 1522, one of the most important acts of innovation in history took place.
I’ve written previously about the importance of stepping outside of conventional expertise when you need breakthrough innovation

This week, I traveled to Louisville to speak at Priority 2024, hosted by Missio Nexus.
It was fun to preview some of the lessons from my upcoming book on Subscription Giving, which I can share will officially be unveiled soon!

After a brief summer break, Season 5 of the Purpose & Profit Podcast premiered this week with an insight-filled interview with David Farmer, VP of Innovation at Chick-fil-A.

In this episode, Carly and I dive deep with David into how innovation, culture, and values intersect. I was grateful for the conversation, from how innovation in drive-thru capacity relates to nonprofts, to the importance of prototyping for healthy growth. It was an honor to have David helping us kick off Season 5 of the show sharing insights that are both practical and inspiring.

It’s a huge honor to be asked to speak on innovation, specifically on leveraging AI to grow innovation and impact.

But I have to be honest. Until recently, I didn’t think of “innovation” when I thought of Chick-fil-A. Wasn’t the idea to keep things the same and not innovate?

I’m writing this Wave Report with a great sense of relief. The manuscript of the book is now – finally – with the editor! 😮‍💨😁🙌

If you are new around here, I’m deeply passionate about helping leaders create profitable growth through innovation, and I’m writing a book about how the Subscription Economy is transforming recurring giving – and what nonprofits can do to benefit. There are many steps to go, but I’m celebrating this one step closer to putting this important message into the world.

I’ve got a problem with retention. 

A bone to pick. 

A beef, if you will. 

More specifically, my issue is not with retaining donors year after year, which is very important. My beef is with the focus on the measurement of retention – a metric that fundraisers and marketers all over the world rely on as a core indicator of the health of their fundraising program. 

Tomorrow, August 17, is National Nonprofit Day. It’s a day to honor nonprofits, the role that charities play in society, and the people who make that vital work possible.

Bonjour, mon ami. 👋

We are home from our summer living in France, so I thought I would share some reflections and lessons on life, leadership, and innovation from the time.

My wife Heather and our daughters deemed this our summer of Joie de Vivre. Joie de vivre is a French saying that means the “joy of life.”

Joie de vivre is about being fully present in the moment and with the people in front of you. The joy of living is not only about happiness, but about embracing whatever life offers in the moment.