Perry Jowsey, Director of Development, Freedom Service Dogs

By Heather Fletcher

Governed by a plan to grow revenue modestly, with [a] 10 percent or so target, begin building the narrative with your key stakeholders about the state of your union, how they've helped you get to this point and what opportunities the future holds directly due to their support. Take time during slow periods of growth to shore up operations and to tangibly measure and articulate the impact of your mission. Come up with innovative ideas, even for small audiences, as a way of touching people and perhaps getting some media coverage for the novelty of your idea. Be frugal with expenses, and try to work in a "doing more with less" component to your message, but do not cut funding to anything core to your ability to generate revenue.