Executive Issues

I had a conversation last night that focused on the fact that no matter where you are raising funds, how or for whom, the basics remain the same. That reminded me of this August 2006 column by Tim Burgess, co-founder of the Domain Group who now is a City Councilman runing for mayor of Seatlle. The column, "Calling All Agents of Change," explored four organizational shifts that were coming to light back then and are every bit as important now.

The nonprofit starvation cycle is one nonprofit leaders know only too well. Nonprofit organizations rarely have the technology, staff and systems to function effectively. So they scrape by trying to wring one more drop out of a completely dry rock. But instead of waiting for funders to fix the situation, it is up to nonprofit leaders themselves to break free. And you break free by raising capacity capital.

Donors want confidence that an organization's important initiatives have been carefully thought out and are aligned with its mission. This is where having a strategic plan is an important step in being prepared for a successful major campaign.

Fiscal strength is one of the keys to being prepared to embark on a successful campaign. Make it your duty to be the worthy cause — both in deed and fiscal management — that prompts high-grade investments from potential donors.
 

In the end, it’s not about creating a new goal; it’s about creating a better way to achieve that goal. Marketing innovation helps you keep your current constituents and helps you find new constituents faster and more efficiently. Aren’t those your goals already? So, why isn’t innovation a formal part of the plan? Ask yourself that … and then ask your executives.

In April 2009, global management and fundraising consultant Bernard Ross wrote a cover story, "Roll the Stone (of Mediocrity) Away," that perfectly illuminates Engage's focus on that magic mixture of creativity, innovation and fearlessness that is necessary to realize growth for any nonprofit.

This week I was in Austin, TX for SXSW Interactive Festival where I presented or facilitated at several social good sessions or events.

There are alternatives to leaving our organizations vulnerable to lurching from one leader to another. We could fill the organization with leaders (with and without positional power) who are effective, knowledgeable, and aligned around the organization’s mission and strategy. What are the stakes — the risks — involved with not doing so?

Pamela Grow invites nonprofit consultant Heidi Massey to talk about the sometimes contentious relationship between fundraisers and program professionals: Although I am not a fundraiser, I suspect that there are many who have also shared knowing glances with other fundraisers while in conversation with a nonprofit program professional. They, too, are convinced that what they are doing is the most important work of the organization because without them, the organization cannot survive. Realistically though, organizations only thrive when both the program and fundraising professionals are skillfully executing their responsibilities.

Nonprofits have experienced a dramatically changed climate in the last decade — yet, unfortunately, most nonprofits have not changed themselves.