Executive Issues

Is the nonprofit sector for you? If you have any doubts, do some soul-searching and due diligence. At the end of the day, I care passionately to help others, and I am purpose-driven. It is about making a difference...

Often, when the topic of sustainability arises, the focus is on money. But after several decades working in the nonprofit sector, I’ve become convinced sustainability is about so much more than money. I have developed 20 key strategies any organization can use to build long-term sustainability...

You want to develop a major gift program for your nonprofit, but you’re not sure you have enough donors to warrant hiring a major gift officer. Or you are growing your major gift program, and you’re wondering when it makes sense to hire another MGO to add to your team...

To be the best professional you can be, always strive to improve your memory and acquire new learning concepts. I have found that letter association helps me create lists around concepts. Whatever letter you use, letter association should help you in your quest to cluster concepts...

When you’re evaluating of the effectiveness of a fundraising program, you often have to look no farther than the internal language being used by the staff and volunteers who execute that program. Professional jargon is an unfortunate occurrence in just about any profession...

I love the Beatles and heard the song, “A Day in the Life,” the other day. This song, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, was released in 1967 on the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely-Hearts Club Band” album. The song title inspired me to write this blog post about a day in my life as a not-for-profit pro...

There’s no substitute for the basics, as boring and tedious as they may be. This is true with anything in life, and major gifts development is no exception. The basics are boring, but they’re fundamental to your success...

Most of us can identify with this experience: Agreeing to help out with a project or an organization, ending up more involved than we intended and vowing to say “no” to future requests. And yet, here I am, year after year, running tickets for Hot Times, Holy Enchilada and the other games of chance. The truth is, I fell prey to a technique we subscribe to at Turnkey to help our clients raise more money for their various missions...

As development professionals, the level of service and excellence in which your organization delivers its mission impacts us directly. We must be ever-vigilant in observing and being proactive in solving situations...

Before February 2013, the museum’s operating budget was in the negative and the educational programs were stagnant. Since her appointment to executive director of the Annapolis Maritime Museum, Alice Estrada has successfully developed and executed a bold new vision for the expansion of the museum’s facilities, exhibits and programs...