Executive Issues

Overcoming the 'Mission Myth'
February 17, 2012

In her book, "The Mission Myth: Building Nonprofit Momentum Through Better Business," author Deirdre Maloney addresses this very topic, laying out why nonprofits need more than passion and heart for their missions to reach sustained success. Here, FundRaising Success talks with Maloney, founder and president of Momentum, a firm that helps nonprofits meet their missions through better business, about the book and why it's important for fundraisers to implement business practices so their organizations can thrive.

4 Steps to Keeping the Love Alive
February 1, 2012

Follow these four steps for a fundraising/marcom partnership that breaks records in building understanding of your supporters and engaging them for the long run. And one that makes your daily to-do list more interesting than ever.

5 Nonprofit Trends to Watch in 2012
January 9, 2012

I truly believe that our challenging economy offers nonprofits a real opportunity to reinvent themselves. So here are my five predictions (hopes) for what the nonprofit sector will move toward in 2012.

How to Plan to Make 2012 Your Best Year Ever
January 5, 2012

Too often, planning is relegated to the “when I’ve finished everything else” pile. We’re too busy raising money for today or tomorrow to plan what we need to do next week, next month — or even next year — to cover those as-yet-unseen needs. End results? Last-minute stress, less-than-perfect outcomes and lost opportunities.

Boo! Don’t Scare Away Your Donors
November 1, 2011

Since Halloween is approaching as I write this (and probably just passed as you read it) — and since I can't get the "Little Shop of Horrors" song out of my head — I thought I'd share some of the scariest mistakes I've seen from small 
nonprofits. My hope is that you take heed and learn from these so you can avoid them.

Meyer Foundation and CompassPoint Release Nonprofit Executive Directors Briefs
August 15, 2011

The Meyer Foundation and CompassPoint Nonprofit Services released The Board Paradox, completing a series of three briefs based on a national study of more than 3,000 nonprofit executive directors. The briefs report survey results and findings not included in the Daring to Lead 2011 main report, which was released in late June. The three briefs in the series are: