Lessons About Fundraising From the Seat of a Bike

Have a plan
If we get on the trail close to our house and take all the right turns, we end up at the ocean. It's an exhilarating ride, and the payoff is pretty great, too. But if we don't follow a plan, we're likely to end up in a far less desirable place.

And so it is with our nonprofit organization. "We want to grow" is OK, but how are you going to accomplish that? When you talk about "getting to the next level," have you defined that so you'll know where you're heading? "We may be lost, but we're making good time" is humorous, but it's no way to run a fundraising program.