Strategic Planning

Our market is changing, isn’t it? Not to say print is dead, but our industry has entered the digital era where almost everything is available electronically and new technologies are popping up like dandelions! To thrive in this new environment, we need to be adaptable—to always be able to acclimate to the changing market...

To say that nonprofits play an important role in our society is something of an understatement, but this sentiment runs even deeper than you might think. According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are over 1.5 million tax-empty nonprofit organizations currently operating in the U.S...

Nonprofit board members have a lot on their plate. Some are more educated and prepared to fill the role due to past board experience or an excellent board orientation and an ongoing education and evaluation program...

What’s one quality that makes a great marketer (or even a great fundraiser)? You guessed it: Passion. When someone has great passion for something—whether it’s to to aid in wildlife conservation, to end world hunger, to prevent and find treatment for deadly diseases, to advocate women’s equality, to support the LGBT community...

Are we simply letting our programs happen without a clear path to achieving our highest and most important goals? As a fundraiser, your ultimate goal should be to build sustainable funding that supports your organization’s mission. Have you instead been focusing your time and energy on the revolving door of acquiring new givers?...

Nonprofit boards of directors operate on many different levels of sophistication, from a 25-member national board that follows “Robert’s Rules of Order” to the letter at every meeting, to the five-person local board that has never heard of “Robert’s Rules of Order,” and on which the sitting members are all friends with the organization’s founder...

Have you hit anyone up this week? Have you twisted arms? Have you called in the big guns to help you lean on your best targets? Do those words make you cringe? I sure hope so. Because if they don’t, then you’ve got some serious work to do to reshape the way you think about fundraising...

For a number of years, I attempted to take up golf. I say “attempted” inasmuch as after three rounds of lessons and many hours invested, I never really got beyond the frustration level of competence. It’s a great game. You’re often in beautiful settings with the opportunity to spend time with people you like. So, why didn’t I do better?...

Let’s face it—there’s a plethora of information out in the vast cyberspace about different types of technologies available to help improve your nonprofit. It can all get a little confusing, can’t it? But it all comes down to what your nonprofit it looking to improve. Are you looking to create more brand awareness to drive more donations? Let’s take a look at a tool out there that we’ve all heard of, but (maybe) are not taking advantage of...

Don’t forget fundraising compliance. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that moving your fundraising campaign online means the rules don’t apply. Who rules and manages the Internet? If a donor decides to give to you online, that’s on them, right?...