Accountability
December 2, 2015 at 9:42 am
“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...
December 1, 2015 at 11:50 am
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...
December 1, 2015 at 10:00 am
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…
December 1, 2015 at 9:56 am
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…
December 1, 2015 at 9:40 am
“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,…
November 30, 2015 at 11:38 am
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…
November 30, 2015 at 11:08 am
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...
November 25, 2015 at 10:05 am
Whenever we present a plan or report, it is based on research. More often than not, our recommendations are embraced with enthusiasm. The leaders understand the process and the outcomes. In a few instances, though, there are leaders who immediately question a process that they have been a part of and the resulting recommendations. They rationalize...
November 25, 2015 at 9:36 am
A nonprofit founded to combat obesity says the $1.5 million it received from Coke has no influence on its work. But emails obtained by The Associated Press show the world’s largest beverage maker was instrumental in shaping the Global Energy Balance Network, which is led by a professor at the University of Colorado School of…
November 25, 2015 at 9:16 am
A four-year study by archaeologists has comprehensively demolished cherished myths about one of the most romantic religious sites in England, Glastonbury Abbey. Those feet, immortalized in William Blake’s poem "Jerusalem," never walked on the green and pleasant land of Glastonbury; the oldest church in England was not built there by Christ’s disciples; Joseph of Arimathea’s…
