When a client asks for help with their strategic plan, I start with two related questions: How do you intend to do this and what’s your organization’s current state? That’s in large part because a lot of folks think there is only one way to put together a strategic plan. [...]
“What’s keeping you from growing your nonprofit’s funding?” That was the first question on a survey I conducted before I spoke at a workshop for nonprofit Executive Directors earlier this year. I wasn’t surprised by the answers -- they were the same things I hear from leaders all over the [...]
In a recent Bloomerang webinar, one nonprofit leader asked an important question: What if working from home did not work out? This person writes, “Working from home is something staff is requesting. Huge trust factor is necessary for this. The agency tried this once before and was burned (staff posted [...]
It’s not personal, it’s business. It’s not about you, it’s about our goals. It’s not about getting along, it’s about getting the job done. These are all interesting phrases I’ve heard thrown around in the living rooms of leaders...aka...the conference room. These are the phrases leaders like to use to [...]
Let me start by saying I did not do track and field (but maybe I should have) Track stars understand the concept of the finish line. When you cross it, you’re done. You actually get to fully rest. Every day are you racing towards an imaginary finish line? When you [...]
Tax season is no one’s favorite time of year. Even for tax-exempt organizations, dealing with the required forms and paperwork can get quickly overwhelming. However, it’s imperative you don’t blow off this work! Your 990 is critical for your fundraising success. Pulling all of the important data included in this [...]
A mentee of mine reached out to me the other day for advice about a role she was applying for in the near future. She shared the job description with me, and friends...friends…that job description was 2.5 pages long, and it had everything in it except solving world peace. I [...]
I had the urge to bite my nails during a meeting. Don’t look like that. It’s a habit I haven’t quite been able to conquer. We all have bad habits. For some of us, it might be biting our nails. For others, it might be chewing with our mouths open. [...]
More and more, the nonprofit sector is having conversations about equity and inclusion. Conference keynotes, webinars and trade publication articles are prompting fundraisers to broach the subject within their own organizations. In a recent Bloomerang webinar, I touched briefly on the topic, and in the chat one person wrote: “I've [...]
Do you have a culture of philanthropy at your nonprofit? You either do or you don’t. There’s no in-between. All it takes To destroy your nonprofit's reputation as a force of goodness in the world is: One rude receptionist. One program staffer who doesn’t return phone calls promptly. One harried [...]
In any profession, certain words and phrases provoke reactions from cringing to shrieking, eye rolling to angst. For many in organizational leadership, these include audit, grant report, and restricted funding, to name just a few. And…. strategic planning. Perhaps scarred by a past planning effort, many nonprofit leaders and board [...]
All too often, nonprofits see their donor database as a glorified phonebook. This may be because they're not getting the most out of the software or because the solution in which they've invested doesn't have the expansive functionality the organization needs. When nonprofits invest in the best donor database [...]