Strategic Planning

Many fundraisers can point to specific successes that are a result of doing research and applying the findings to create a new program or refine an existing strategy. While surveys are still used for many research efforts, I had an opportunity to probe 21st century research for nonprofits with Dave Goetz, president of CZ Strategy, a marketing firm that helps organizations make sense of their data and then implement messaging and communication changes based on the findings...

In the past 30 years, the way that economists understand people’s behavior has undergone a revolution. While classical economics is based on the notion that people act with rational self-interest, many of their decisions seem far from rational. Behavioral economics was born out of the necessity to explain these seemingly irrational choices...

These days, it seems like there’s a subscription box for everything—from snacks to skin care to dog treats. In fact, websites for subscription boxes received 800 percent more traffic in 2017 than in 2014. Even Condé Nast, the media giant, is making a name for itself in the subscription space...

Once you recruit powerful volunteers to serve in leadership positions of your capital campaign, you have an obligation to make sure they succeed. Period! The leaders and philanthropists of your community put their reputations on the line when they agree to serve on your campaign committees or in leadership positions. To let them down and embarrass them by letting a campaign fail will have serious negative consequences for years to come. So, don’t make failure an option...

If you are in the nonprofit career path or considering going into the nonprofit career path, there is one thing you should know: You will have many interviews during your work career. According to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median number of years that wage and salary workers have been with their current employer was 4.2 years in January 2016...

The problem with any single metric is, as either or both of Karl Pearson and Peter Drucker have said, “That which is measured, improves.” My corollary to this is, “What isn’t measured is sacrificed to improve that which is measured.”...

In the last few years, the term “implicit bias” has gone mainstream, and the idea has infiltrated even the backwoods of Virginia. Otis and I talk about this kind of stuff almost every day in our home life and at work. So, implicit bias was on my mind last Sunday as I drove home three hours to go to church with my dad. We sat on the back pew, as is my family’s way...

There’s a new trend emerging, and it’s taking the world by storm. Actually, this tactic is something that has been around for quite a while—and it’s remarkably effective—but we’ve recently been seeing it in the headlines in our sector of late: video storytelling...

CEOs of nonprofits have been talking with me a lot about three matters that are weighing heavily on their minds: financial challenges, regulatory change and expansion. It is not news that nonprofits face financial challenges, but the challenges have been gradually exacerbating. They are seeing increased competition for donations, time and attention...

This question comes up regularly, but especially now, as nonprofits are starting to prepare their fall and year-end appeals. Should you or should you not ask your monthly donors for money? The answer is a resounding yes...