Strategic Planning

The day after Thanksgiving, the holidays hit full-force. And it’s not just the radio stations blasting “Here Comes Santa Claus” every half hour—it’s the shopping frenzies of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Thankfully, (no pun intended) for the past four years, we’ve had a day to shift the focus away from materialism and back to the true spirit of the holidays: Giving Tuesday...

My mother was known for having impeccable manners. At her memorial service, it seemed as if every other person who shared a memory talked about her manners. They did so not in a nitpicking way, but in a loving way. It seemed she always knew just the right thing to do to show her appreciation...

When the time draws near for the yearly 10K run or the cleaning drive at the local park, nonprofits always call on their volunteers to take the lead and make sure things run smoothly. If your nonprofit hasn’t gotten around to setting up a workflow for volunteer management or if you’re still on the fence about using volunteers...

Leadership makes the difference! Of this, I have no doubt. Effective CEOs can transform an organization, and donors look to the CEO as a benchmark when considering a major investment. However, I believe that there is one leadership role more important to an organization—and more critical to its short and long-term success...

Your organization’s current fundraising programs may be getting results. They’re working—or so it seems. But what if your results could be getting better… and better and better? The highest performing nonprofits continually test their appeals programs to optimize programs...

Generating compelling success stories won’t happen by magic. In order to get the stories, you need to help your staff understand the importance of stories in the organization’s marketing and fundraising efforts and to feel comfortable asking clients for their stories...

You wouldn’t leave your house and drive your car aimlessly hoping you’d eventually find your great aunt Marge’s house in Tucson, even though you’ve never even been to Arizona. So as a nonprofit professional or volunteer, why would you just start doing random things to try to raise money for your organization and hope that the outcome is enough money?...

Millennials are going to change the nonprofit world in incredible ways. Their enthusiasm and capabilities are significantly different than the generations that came before them, and they are motivated to make the world a better place...

Be sure that the meetings you hold are needed. If so, take a few steps to ensure that you have the right people at the table, you have the right agenda to achieve your goals and you guide the meeting to keep the discussion on point and on schedule...

Just to say thank you. For years, we’ve heard that it takes 21 days to create a habit for the long haul. But in reality, it turns out that’s a bit of a myth. I say, commit to these daily calls, come hell or high water, for three months straight. Jot it down on your calendar and begin tomorrow—no ifs, ands or buts about it. And then, reach out. I want to hear from you. What habits are you embracing to ramp up your fundraising this year?...