Executive Issues

Venture capital firms certainly have no shortage of cash to invest in startups. PitchBook released its 2017 PE and VC Fundraising report today for North America and Europe. Through July, $27.5 billion has been raised across 165 firms as venture fundraising is on pace to exceed $40 billion for the fourth consecutive year. It’s also…

Passion for mission, also known as the dissatisfaction with the status quo, is often described as the driver for what brings individuals to a nonprofit board. But remember, a board consists of individuals, and while years of service can often result in an aligned board being clear about values and interests, a “Theory of Change” exercise is an efficient and effective process and resultant tool for developing a collective “term of agreement...

The term “cult of personality” tends to conjure dramatic images of political or religious leaders influencing the masses. It seems grandiose and powerful. Cult of personality has varied definitions, but they all basically boil down to this: The situation that arises when an individual person gains intense loyalty from a group of people from the sheer force of his or her personality...

“Fundraising is both a science and an art,” says M. Gasby Brown of Bridge Philanthropic Consulting, one of the nation’s foremost fundraising firms. “It is great to give strategy,” adds her partner, Dwayne Ashley, “but an organization needs money coming in the door. If you don’t drive that result, nothing else matters.” Before Brown and…

Your volunteer has two relationships you need to worry about: one with the organization you represent, and one with the mission of that organization. We’ve all seen a volunteer became disenchanted with an organization, but not with the mission...

If you have ever experienced a TED Talk, you know that every single speaker consistently presents a topic in a fascinating and engaging way. A friend of mine recently told me that he had wondered why each presentation was so good. So he researched the subject and discovered that TED Talk organizers actually have specific guidelines for each of their speakers...

I have just returned from teaching a weeklong Salvation Army Continuing Education Program class with my instructor partner, Mike Rowland. Mike is the director of community relations for The Salvation Army Indiana Division...

A cursory search on the Internet for “volunteer handbooks” produces disappointing results. Most examples are no more than a couple of pages stapled together, highlighting dress codes, attendance policies and general volunteering expectations...

Over the past 20 years, I have had my share of jobs and have started some fundraising offices within nonprofits as part of my consulting practice. As a result, I have gotten pretty good at figuring out the first steps when setting up your development office...

I recently responded to my third recruiter’s plea (in a week) for interest in a chief development officer position. They wanted to know if I was interested in a great, next job opportunity. If not, could I recommend anyone to them...