I think of it as The Oprah Syndrome. And if you raise money for a nonprofit, I’m betting you’ve run into it, too. Picture this: you’re at a board meeting. The topic of discussion is a forecast deficit for the year. “What are we to do?”, the finance chair moans. Board members look around, hoping […]
Just call me Cassandra
Do you recall Cassandra of Greek mythology? Apollo granted her the power of prophecy. But when she refused his advances, he twisted the gift. She’d still see what was coming. But no one would believe her. Development staff often have to be the speakers of unfortunate truths. Like Cassandra, we’re castigated and disbelieved. It doesn’t […]
Should strategy or tactics drive your choices?
Hard choices are part of our nonprofit life. Be honest: if you’ve spent any time working with a nonprofit with a budget short of 3 million, you’ve seen the tendency to put out today’s fires with the water you need for tomorrow. We all assume that we can magically make it work. In a way […]