Community centered or donor centered? I attended a conference last week (thank you, Liberty Bank Foundation). The estimable and hysterical Vu Le offered the keynote address. If you know Vu, you know we were holding our stomachs and behaving in otherwise undignified ways because we were laughing so hard. (If you don’t know Vu, get […]
How to grow your nonprofit
Too small to grow? In my consulting practice, I’ve worked with some new, tiny or small-ish organizations. They’re all feeling the same frustration, however – how to grow. They want simple things: stability, maybe a salary for the ED or maybe for enough staff to do the job right. They feel the lack of prospects, […]
Dear fundraiser: are you making these big mistakes?
∗This post was originally published several years ago. I’ve updated it to include some helpful comments from colleagues. I hope you enjoy it! Dear Fundraiser, Some things you do really bug me. As your colleague, I’m cheering for your success. So in a helpful spirit, I offer you my list below. I wish you wouldn’t: […]
How you can make a culture of philanthropy work
By now, you’ve probably heard about a culture of philanthropy. You’ve read about how important it is that you have one. You understand that this culture of philanthropy is a reflection of the key role fundraising plays, not just in income, but in the health of an organization. And you know that treating donors as […]
Social Media Tactics for Nonprofit Development Done Right
I love to look at an item and think: How else can I use that? Unused scraps of pretty paper? Flip them over to use as note paper. Use them as filler in packages or presents. Cut them up into itty bitty pieces for your next event, put them in the helium balloons that people […]