Strategic Planning

I’ve always found it curious that while many organizations diligently develop a strategic plan, few take the time to craft a sustainability plan. By “sustainability” I don’t mean the environmental kind, but rather a plan for sustaining your programs and services over the long-term...

There is no substitute for effective and focused cultivation. It brings new donors into the fold, and it strengthens the bonds with existing donors. It also helps nurture staff and volunteers—coaching and training them for a campaign...

What percentage of your campaign goal should your board members give to your capital campaign? Twenty-five percent? Forty percent? Ten percent? Again and again, I’ve seen board members stumble over this question. They want to do what’s right; but really, they have no idea what’s appropriate or more importantly, what’s possible...

My question for you is this: What is the size of your caseload? If it’s above 150, it’s way to high. So, take steps to trim it down. It may feel counterintuitive, but if you focus on fewer good donors and go deep with them your result will be much better on several levels—relationally for the donor and for you and economically for the organization...

Start today to position yourself for future positions by acquiring proper and needed attributes. Prepare yourself properly for the complex nonprofit future and never stop running down a dream! Do not wait for the dream that “might” come to you. Be proactive and go for it!...

Use of the Internet to fundraise was launched in the late 1990s, and through a process of trial and error, nonprofit organizations have slowly been able to build donor’s confidence in the technology and grow their online database for giving...

The right attribution for your organization opens a new world of more effective spending. The right attribution enables you to raise more money or give money back to the organization to spend on its important mission...

Your nonprofit has served its mission statement well. So well in fact, that the directory of volunteers has grown from a half-page to just over three pages. Since those first meetings in a living room more than a decade ago, the nonprofit now has a conference room in a rented office. No more garage storage…

In our sector, we are constantly faced with obstacles of how we can increase charitable giving; but more particularly, how can we get our donors to continue to give over the years. A donor-advised fund is an account sponsored by a nonprofit organization that enables donors to give to charities and receive tax benefits—essentially a charitable savings account…

Every morning at 7:00 a.m., I (Otis) get a very interesting email. It tells me everyone who has visited the Turnkey website in the past 24 hours. The names are ordered from top to bottom depending on how many times they have interacted with our website or opened our emails in the past...