Strategic Planning

“Any brand of toothpaste is peddled with far more sophistication than the life-saving work of aid groups,” Nicholas Kristof once wrote. Nonprofits and social enterprises, unsurprisingly, struggle to compete with brands that collectively spend billions on marketing. But some have more success. Charity: Water, a nonprofit that has raised more than $260 million for clean…

It’s so important—and so hard—to have this conversation with you. But they said it would be best if we just ripped off the Band-Aid, so to speak, so here goes: Your "To-Do" list needs to go to rehab. Right now. Wait, don’t get up! Please sit down and listen. We’re telling you this because we all love you and want you to get the help you need. Here, just listen...

Most nonprofit organizations face unique challenges when launching or simply optimizing an existing website. With so many audiences to engage—from members, advocates, donors and policymakers—content needs to resonate with a range of users, each with varying preferences, behaviors and world views...

Unfortunately, in the nonprofit sector, sympathy is one of the most common feelings caused by sharing a story. We rush to share some facts and leave little room to connect with the person and their conflict. We simply end up feeling sorry for the person. That is not the kind of storytelling that causes listeners and readers to take action...

In my experience, if you hire correctly, and orient and train employees the right way, you will have a happier staff. You need to work each day at providing a positive attitude toward each employee. Lead by example and encourage others to lead. Be a servant leader and understand leading begins with good following...

Many fundraisers can point to specific successes that are a result of doing research and applying the findings to create a new program or refine an existing strategy. While surveys are still used for many research efforts, I had an opportunity to probe 21st century research for nonprofits with Dave Goetz, president of CZ Strategy, a marketing firm that helps organizations make sense of their data and then implement messaging and communication changes based on the findings...

In the past 30 years, the way that economists understand people’s behavior has undergone a revolution. While classical economics is based on the notion that people act with rational self-interest, many of their decisions seem far from rational. Behavioral economics was born out of the necessity to explain these seemingly irrational choices...

These days, it seems like there’s a subscription box for everything—from snacks to skin care to dog treats. In fact, websites for subscription boxes received 800 percent more traffic in 2017 than in 2014. Even Condé Nast, the media giant, is making a name for itself in the subscription space...

Once you recruit powerful volunteers to serve in leadership positions of your capital campaign, you have an obligation to make sure they succeed. Period! The leaders and philanthropists of your community put their reputations on the line when they agree to serve on your campaign committees or in leadership positions. To let them down and embarrass them by letting a campaign fail will have serious negative consequences for years to come. So, don’t make failure an option...

If you are in the nonprofit career path or considering going into the nonprofit career path, there is one thing you should know: You will have many interviews during your work career. According to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median number of years that wage and salary workers have been with their current employer was 4.2 years in January 2016...