For-profit common sense can help your organization ‘sell’ its cause.

By Carsten Walter

With this in mind, I always take time at the beginning of each year to reflect on the previous year and look at lessons learned.

Lesson 1: Don’t underestimate the intelligence of your donors.
The typical American is being inundated with more messages today than ever before. And often what they are hearing from the media about nonprofits is not positive: misuse of funds, scams, donor intent being ignored and worse. Donors are asking more questions about how their gifts are being used and are more cautious about making gifts. They are being turned off by the “gift is due” or “account is lapsed” treatment they are receiving from many of the organizations they choose to support.