Accountability

Diane is the executive director of a medium-sized nonprofit in the Southwest. In her projections for next year, she has inked in moderate bumps in her fundraising goals. Seems like that’s insufficient for her finance committee. The members of her committee want absolute certainty on the 2016 numbers. You read it right, absolute certainty...

One day after Wreaths Across America told WTOP it still needed 8,000 wreaths to be able to afford putting one on each headstone at Arlington National Cemetery, the nonprofit has reached its goal. “We are very humbled by the response from so many and in such a short amount of time,” said organization chairman Wayne…

I consider these three words the holy trinity of fundraising success. They are simple. They are easy to remember. They really work. Plus, if you wrap them up with some emotional color, you’ve got an offer that can’t be refused. Let’s take a look...

“When you develop visit scripts, do we have to learn them verbatim?” the client asked. I was shocked. We develop scripts for every pre-solicitation and solicitation visit in a campaign. However, these outlines are not something to regurgitate word for word. They are outlines to use to become familiar with the flow of a visit...

As the Girl Scouts, Turning Points for Children and countless other nonprofits have shown, crisis comes in ways that are impossible to imagine. It’s up to the organization to be proactive and transparent, to have a plan...

As the year comes to an end, we have the opportunity to reflect on our lives, give thanks and plan for the coming year. We reflect on family, our relationships with friends and community, and often our work life. With this column we offer 10 questions you can use to reflect on your role as…

The Global Energy Balance Network (GEBN), a nonprofit organization funded by the Coca-Cola Co., said on its website late Monday that it will discontinue its operations. The announcement comes four months after it was revealed that the Atlanta, Georgia-based beverage maker was involved in the activities of the group. GEBN, which was formed with an…

“How do we double our program’s revenue?” is a question we hear a lot, and not just from the peer-to-peer fundraising directors, but also from the very senior level people in an organization. Personally, regardless of who is asking, I love this question because it supports a “go big or go home” mentality, and yet,…

Can philanthropy be taught in a classroom? And would philanthropic donors armed with MBAs in impact and effectiveness actually be a good thing for the voluntary sector? Sir Thomas Hughes-Hallett thinks so. He’s spent the last three years setting up the London School of Economics' (LSE) new Marshall Institute for Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship. Having…

Donors ultimately give to successful and winning organizations. The question is: Who rates nonprofits, and how do they rate them? A number of organizations exist to rate charities. These organizations need to be transparent, honest and ethical. In addition to an organization’s sample-rating criteria, I would like to see background information and results on the following areas to provide more insight when rating the fundraising organization...