Strategic Planning

Do you want to learn more about engagement and revenue? I think it’s something we’d all like to learn about. I don’t know if there is such a thing as too much engagement or too much revenue. In the nonprofit sector, it’s never enough—especially when you’re going all-in for a cause you care...

Have you ever heard that quote in the title? If not, you might want to brush up on your sales skills. It could be the difference between getting a donation or not. Let’s set the record straight, I’m not diminishing fundraising as just “sales.” I’m elevating sales as a process and technique to help us be more successful in our fundraising...

Our market is changing, isn’t it? Not to say print is dead, but our industry has entered the digital era where almost everything is available electronically and new technologies are popping up like dandelions! To thrive in this new environment, we need to be adaptable—to always be able to acclimate to the changing market...

To say that nonprofits play an important role in our society is something of an understatement, but this sentiment runs even deeper than you might think. According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are over 1.5 million tax-empty nonprofit organizations currently operating in the U.S...

Nonprofit board members have a lot on their plate. Some are more educated and prepared to fill the role due to past board experience or an excellent board orientation and an ongoing education and evaluation program...

What’s one quality that makes a great marketer (or even a great fundraiser)? You guessed it: Passion. When someone has great passion for something—whether it’s to to aid in wildlife conservation, to end world hunger, to prevent and find treatment for deadly diseases, to advocate women’s equality, to support the LGBT community...

Are we simply letting our programs happen without a clear path to achieving our highest and most important goals? As a fundraiser, your ultimate goal should be to build sustainable funding that supports your organization’s mission. Have you instead been focusing your time and energy on the revolving door of acquiring new givers?...

Nonprofit boards of directors operate on many different levels of sophistication, from a 25-member national board that follows “Robert’s Rules of Order” to the letter at every meeting, to the five-person local board that has never heard of “Robert’s Rules of Order,” and on which the sitting members are all friends with the organization’s founder...

Have you hit anyone up this week? Have you twisted arms? Have you called in the big guns to help you lean on your best targets? Do those words make you cringe? I sure hope so. Because if they don’t, then you’ve got some serious work to do to reshape the way you think about fundraising...

For a number of years, I attempted to take up golf. I say “attempted” inasmuch as after three rounds of lessons and many hours invested, I never really got beyond the frustration level of competence. It’s a great game. You’re often in beautiful settings with the opportunity to spend time with people you like. So, why didn’t I do better?...