Strategic Planning
February 21, 2017 at 12:59 pm
Most nonprofits work with agencies in the marketing and fundraising arena. But some of those relationships are not “healthy.” Is it about management style? Is this a “carrot versus stick” debate?...
February 16, 2017 at 11:16 am
If Trump is successful in repealing the Johnson Amendment, the nonprofit sector will face a heavy burden. The beauty is the Johnson Amendment has been protecting nonprofits from politicians for over 60 years by keeping these organizations nonpartisan, but with its removal, the floodgates would open, and political candidates will begin knocking on the doors of nonprofits seeking endorsements for their...
February 14, 2017 at 10:01 am
There is definitely the tendency in our sector to write off “in-memoriam” donors as one-time donors, yet I think we must understand the emotional connection and make an effort to grow that relationship—with tact and in the gentlest, most-loving way possible...
February 10, 2017 at 11:16 am
I truly believe the profession involving fundraising and nonprofit management is a calling. You must be honest, ethical, committed and dedicated to service before yourself. I am proud of being a fund raiser. Just like any profession, there are some members that give the profession a bad name, but they will come and go.
February 8, 2017 at 11:18 am
When we attend the same conferences, see the same people and hear from many of the same people, we are not growing as much as we can. One of the things I love about our consulting practice is that we work with clients of all sizes and stripes. We learn from each engagement, which we are honored to work with...
January 30, 2017 at 9:21 am
While many people look forward to the opportunity to start the new year with a clean slate, nonprofit professionals should make sure that they take sufficient time to reflect on what worked—and what did not—over the past year. To that end, I present my top 10 nonprofit resolutions for 2017. Best wishes for a productive year. Make the ask and go get that win...
January 17, 2017 at 11:16 am
As an industry, I think we have trouble innovating. Let’s be clear, I’m not talking about our desire and ability to test. We love testing. We love setting up objectives, stating hypotheses and looking at things from a statistically valid perspective. Most of those tests are tactical, and when it comes to really moving the marble, those won’t work. What I’m talking about is strategy innovation, audience innovation or even brand-wide offer innovation...
December 30, 2016 at 9:24 am
It is hard to believe that 2017 is almost here. Where did the time go? Many of us had a fiscal year that started in July 2016, so we are at halftime in this fundraising year. Others are just beginning a new calendar year filled with hope and possibilities. Wherever you are in the fundraising calendar continuum, you should take a moment to stop, look and evaluate before you jump without a parachute into 2017...
December 21, 2016 at 9:00 am
Do you have some fundraising strategies ready to roll to close out your year end campaign or the final three days of the year? If not, you may want to as, depending on your data source, anywhere from 5 percent to 25 percent of all online giving happens in the last three days of the…
December 7, 2016 at 11:42 am
Football brings about a lot of passion (and agony), especially this time of year. A few years ago, I was guest lecturing in my Lighthouse Counsel colleague Tom Landrum’s class on higher education fundraising. Many of the students had just returned from the annual Georgia - Florida football game in Jacksonville (also referred to as…
