My mother was known for having impeccable manners. At her memorial service, it seemed as if every other person who shared a memory talked about her manners. They did so not in a nitpicking way, but in a loving way. It seemed she always knew just the right thing to do to show her appreciation...
Learn from others. Measure what matters. Start out right. Live out thankfulness. This old dog knows that it takes more than these four things to be a successful and fulfilled fundraiser, but this isn’t a bad place to begin for anyone new to the profession or looking to hit the reset button on his or her career in the nonprofit sector...
Just as many nonprofit organizations have one-size-fits-all fundraising appeals, they also tend to treat all their donors the same. “What’s wrong with that?” you say. “Are they supposed to give the big guys special treatment?” Well, yes—and no...
Leadership makes the difference! Of this, I have no doubt. Effective CEOs can transform an organization, and donors look to the CEO as a benchmark when considering a major investment. However, I believe that there is one leadership role more important to an organization—and more critical to its short and long-term success...
Big-eyed kittens and cute puppies are great ways to catch donors’ attention and play on their heartstrings. But sadly, we’re not all animal welfare groups, and we need creative that represents our missions and brands. There are many techniques and tactics that can help you make the most of digital marketing when you can’t rely on easy imagery...
Times have changed and so have the skills needed to excel in the area of marketing. If you are the head of a marketing team and/or fundraising team and you think through these five (or four primary) skillets, where is your team’s strength and where are the gaps?...
Do you remember my previous blog post titled “Stay or Leave? Pros and Cons of Changing Jobs”? If you’ve been in the sector for any length of time, you’ve probably experienced the following...
Nonprofit marketing has to accomplish a lot more with less. What works for business doesn’t always work for nonprofits...
I have a friend who jokingly says to me: “Richard, do you believe what you believe?” And I laugh and respond that I do. But then, as I have been thinking about it, I really don’t believe everything I believe. I think I believe some things, but when I put them in the light of day, those beliefs are either outdated or just plain wrong...
A few weeks ago, NonProfit Pro shared an interesting NACHA case study on the long-term retention of those donors who give automatically through their bank account, also called EFT, Direct Debit, Direct Payment via ACH or automatic bank withdrawal...
