Executive Issues

My 3-year-old daughter recently started youth soccer, which means I’m becoming familiar with the phenomenon called “bunch ball.” For those who haven’t witnessed this firsthand, the scene is not hard to imagine: the ball traveling up and down the field surrounded by a dozen little Ronaldos, all jockeying for control.

I’ve found myself reflecting on bunch ball through the lens of organizational theory and nonprofit fundraising. And I realize that the symptoms of bunch ball bear a great deal of resemblance to the symptoms of a similar malady afflicting many nonprofit fundraising programs.

Sadly, transitions in staff replacements in the nonprofit world typically do not lend themselves to smooth transitions of information.

This year, the FSV advisors tackled the issues every-sized organization and mission need to know to thrive well into the next decades.

Just because you need something doesn't mean everyone will be excited when asked to contribute. Make sure your needs are sound and validated throughout all levels of the organization.

A common complaint from major-gift officers concerns their CEOs or executive directors and their hatred for fundraising. Here they have people who are supposed to be the leaders of their organizations, with vision and passion, but they won’t even talk to donors or support the development team. Now, I know it’s not easy to turn CEOs around on this issue, but I’ve seen it happen. It is possible. Therefore, I’ve put together a few ideas to help ignite a passion in your CEO to begin to love fundraising.

Follow this 11-step path to turn your devil’s advocate into a productive partner. Let me know how it goes!

Two weeks ago, the heat index in New York City was 107 degrees. One would have thought the session I participated in with a finance executive and a bunch of fundraising executives would have been just that hot, right?

Many organizations pay lip service to supporting their fundraising team but end up failing miserably. Your board, your executive director, and your program and administration staff can undercut fundraising efforts easily. And in many organizations it’s happening all the time. Take this simple quiz to see if your organization has a supportive culture of philanthropy.

This clip is from the video roundtable held at the Reinventors Network. The conversation included Jacob Harold of GuideStar, Mari Kurashi of GlobalGiving and Clara Miller of The F.B. Heron Foundation. The full conversation is online here. My comments are focused on the system of philanthropy — individual and institutional, recognizing the digital infrastructure on which it now stands. The panelists had all just been asked to think about how these funds — voluntary, fragmented and privately controlled — could be directed toward major, rapidly threatening crises such as climate change.

In "Give and Take," Adam Grant’s premise is that there is more to the secret of success than hard work, talent and luck. What’s missing is generosity. Givers excel in a collaborate work environment, but can burn out easily if they don’t see the impact of their contributions or don’t learn how to set boundaries. This is especially true for people in helping professions such as nonprofit leadership, cause marketing and social responsibility. Here are Grant’s four tips for creating a cultures of successful givers at your organization.