As an industry, nonprofits have spent decades perfecting today's business model. So, change will not happen overnight. Nor will change come easily. But, with a carefully managed approach focusing on the critical levers required for success, change will come and the benefits will assure that we not only survive, but thrive in the fast-changing nonprofit environment...
The Boy Scouts of America announced Monday that it's lifting the ban on gay adults as Scout leaders. "On Monday July 27 the national executive board ratified a resolution removing the national restriction on openly gay leaders and employees," Boy Scouts of America president Robert Gates said in a video statement on Monday. The move…
We were sitting in the main conference room high above the city doing some major gift training with a fantastic group of major gift officers. The training was about asking for the gift—a session we regularly conduct with our clients. The MGOs sitting around the table were a mixture of seasoned professionals and employees newer to major gifts. Part of our session had been the day before, where we were dealing with the reasons MGOs do not ask donors for what they could give.
I don’t know much about fishing. And while it’s one of those relaxing things I do sporadically on vacation, I have to admit it’s not something I profess to be very good at. Each year, I stop by the local bait shop to pick up some supplies and get important intel from the locals—what type of fish are people catching, what kind of bait are they using and where should I go?
A Baltimore venue has canceled a fundraiser for six local police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, after it was revealed that the event would feature a blackface performance. Bobby Berger, a 67-year-old retired Baltimore police officer, was set to perform in blackface at the Nov. 1 fundraiser. Berger was fired from the…
A claim by the American Red Cross that it was contractually prohibited from releasing information about some of its activities in Haiti drew fire from some nonprofit leaders, who say such contracts are a handy way to block disclosure without good cause. And the practice, which involves including nondisclosure language in contracts for services between…
Did you know that a Tsetse fly inhabits much of mid-continental Africa between the Sahara and Kalahari deserts? It is a large biting fly, and the first Tsetse fly is known to be at least 34 million years old. There are 23 species of this fly. Why in the world should this information matter if you are not a Ph.D. in the field of insects? It matters because my first assignment in my first nonprofit position at the University of Louisville was to help a faculty member obtain funds to eradicate the Tsetse fly...
Paula Kent Meehan made a fortune after launching the Redken hair-care products company in the 1960s. She spent the last years of her life giving that money to charity. One of the biggest beneficiaries was supposed to be St. John's Health Center, a storied Santa Monica, Calif. hospital founded by Roman Catholic nuns that has…
George Roberts, who co-founded the enormously successful KKR private equity firm in 1976, is worth billions. But in a July 16 interview for the Business Times' special section this week on corporate philanthropy, Roberts talked primarily about his work helping the homeless in San Francisco (and why it wasn't easy), his views on philanthropy and why…
In recent weeks, a number of people have approached me with questions, all variations on a theme: effective solicitation. The minister who shies from asking his parishioners to support an important project because he wants to preserve his role as a counselor, the board members who don’t always want to be the ones out asking, the executive director who just plain feels awkward approaching others for money.
