Executive Issues

One of the great fallacies in the nonprofit fundraising world is that fundraising professionals take donor relationships with them from organization to organization. It is not an effective strategy, and it is wrong and unethical. It is a significant way fundraising differs from other professions...

“All politics is local” is a famous saying by late Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill, who believed the success or failure of elected representatives had more to do with how the constituents in their home districts viewed their job performance than what was happening nationally. Based on my experience, I believe nonprofits also tend…

Many nonprofits are stuck. They’re tethered to their early decisions—often made by others who came before them. But times change. Organizations evolve. Or they don’t...

Being disciplined to work out your plan is the absolute key to major gift success. Conversely, it’s the downfall of many major gift fundraisers. At Veritus, we know that introducing a disciplined approach to major gifts will lead to deeper relationships with donors, higher retention rates, lower value attrition rates and much more revenue...

Being disciplined to work out your plan is the absolute key to major gift success. Conversely, it’s the downfall of many major gift fundraisers. At Veritus, we know that introducing a disciplined approach to major gifts will lead to deeper relationships with donors, higher retention rates, lower value attrition rates and much more revenue. It’s […]

Several years ago, I was asked to be part of a meeting between a nonprofit and a significant business in the community. At first glance, one would expect that the nonprofit did not have the total resources it needed for success. The business the nonprofit was soliciting had tremendous resources, plus community clout. I was just asked to attend and observe...

Whether you’re a one-person charity or a multinational nonprofit, the question of whether to go “big” or stay “small” is always there. Make the smart choice, and you’ll soar. Guess wrong, and you’ll be stuck in the doldrums—or worse...

In my first executive director position, I forgot about the board. Chalk it up to inexperience, but I didn’t yet understand how the board could make me a more effective executive, or how they could boost our success. While I met all the technical requirements and complied with the usual responsibilities, in my heart I felt the board was mostly a nuisance...

Type 1 diabetes, a condition that affects 1.25 million Americans, has seen its fair share of scientific advancements in the past few decades as researchers learn more about the disease, which affects the body's ability to monitor blood sugar levels. But at the same time, those advancements haven't necessarily reached patients. So, JDRF the largest funder…

Yes, indeed, “on-boarding” has become the latest buzzword for what many of us older folks refer to as “board orientation.” Language aside, it is important to do something to orient new board members to their new positions...