Accountability

Volunteer Retention: 3 Strategies for 2018
January 10, 2018 at 12:54 pm

Volunteer retention is as important going into 2018 as it has ever been before. Volunteer behavior is changing and supporters want to be engaged in exchange for their time. What strategies is your nonprofit deploying to keep volunteers coming back? How is your organization measuring volunteer impact and communicating with your volunteer base?...

When Someone Says, ‘I Know All This Stuff!’
December 11, 2017 at 12:11 pm

It was time to trot out my PowerPoint presentation and go through all the points of what we did as a company, the results we secured and how we did it. I was invited into the office of the president of a very prestigious eastern nonprofit. The purpose of the meeting was to explain what…

Say ‘Thank You,’ Why Don’t You?
December 11, 2017 at 12:09 pm

A few weeks ago, I shared how I made 20 online donations on Black Friday. For some, this was a repeat donation; for others, it was my first. Of course, all organizations sent me an auto-responder message and a “thank you” email message. So far, so good...

Self-Care Through Resiliency, Rhythms and Community
November 14, 2017 at 11:13 am

When you hear the words “self-care,” what images come to mind? Maybe you imagine peace and quiet on an empty beach with crystal blue waters or getting pampered at a local spa, but it could be as simple as being given an hour alone to catch up on a good book or enjoying a cup of coffee at your local park...

Set an Example: Leading Successful Fundraising Teams
November 6, 2017 at 11:54 am

I have had the good fortune to personally experience many examples of great leadership. Regrettably, I’ve also seen firsthand the way poor leadership can negatively impact fundraising results. Bad leadership results not only in poor morale (as in the Rensselaer example), but also in ineffective execution and, ultimately, the underfunding of vital philanthropic missions...

3 Musts When Asking for a Nonprofit Gift
November 1, 2017 at 10:27 am

From October to December, nonprofits dedicate time and energy to fundraising. They reach out to supporters and ask them to give. They share their impact—what they have done this year and what they will do next year. They share stories from those whose lives have been changed as a result of donations from people just…

3 Essential Ingredients to Recruit and Retain Top Nonprofit Talent
November 1, 2017 at 10:20 am

Not too long ago, I got into a conversation with an executive director who brought up the survey that was published by Guidestar and Nonprofit HR. He recently graduated with a Master's in organizational development, and he genuinely wanted to see if he could recruit and retain top talent at his nonprofit organization with his newfound knowledge and expertise...

Cybersecurity Questions to Ask Your Vendor: Part 2
October 4, 2017 at 12:55 pm

Strapped for time and resources, nonprofits often need vendors to get things done. But just because you outsource projects, it doesn’t mean your data is safe from cybersecurity threats. In part one of this series, “Employ These Corporate Cyber Security Safeguards Now," we examined critical initiatives you can employ to help protect your constituent data internally...