Strategic Planning

Every morning at 7:00 a.m., I (Otis) get a very interesting email. It tells me everyone who has visited the Turnkey website in the past 24 hours. The names are ordered from top to bottom depending on how many times they have interacted with our website or opened our emails in the past...

Build a culture of philanthropy. Challenge your board and staff to embrace a donor-focused, relational approach. Invest in your board and staff and build a development program that is built to last—through leadership transitions and that grows stronger and stronger with the success and capacity-building of each campaign...

Do you think your digital presence is vital? Most of your potential donors, employees, volunteers and people who need what your organization offers will find you through your website. As a specialist in the nonprofit digital marketing field, one of the biggest issues I face with clients is their website...

In a previous blog post, I briefly examined what appears to be a growing sentiment in the nonprofit industry that direct mail fundraising is somehow flawed. Fundraisers have been slow to abandon outdated business practices or to evolve quick enough to react to the mounting challenges facing nonprofits today—and yes, there are many that we must overcome...

Letting go… It’s not always easy, is it? Anyone who has had to take their child to college or end a relationship knows saying goodbye is never easy. It’s also not easy for you as a major gift officer (MGO) when a donor, who you have been stewarding and cultivating over time, no longer meets the criteria as a major donor...

When fundraisers ask me this, the answer is: no better time like the present! And, you should be asking all the time! The more you ask, the more monthly donors you’ll generate...

When we seek to get the attention of a philanthropist to give to our cause, how do we go about it? The approach you choose will materially affect your level of success and has everything to do with how you view your donors...

I once had a great mentor who would regularly share hard truths on me. Once, for instance, when I was dating the wrong guy, he told me that it was like I’d “lost the steering to my own damn car.” He was right. Well, I think we sometimes need that kind of tough love in the nonprofit sector, too. How are you steering your fundraising program for success?...

These days, it’s simply not enough to want to make a difference. More recently, donors are more and more interested in finding out how their contribution to a charity influences its overall success. And who could blame them? The nonprofit sector is growing at a rapid pace, with over 1.5 million nonprofit organizations to-date...

We are officially one day away from our beloved NonProfit PRO Leadership Conference! We are ecstatic to meet everyone and throw on a great show. With that said, today is the last day to register for the conference. We still have a few spots available, so please take advantage of this and secure your spot before it disappears...