In the fourth quarter of each year the National Philanthropic Trust releases their annual Donor Advised Funds Report. This is significant for every nonprofit engaged in fundraising to take notice because donor advised funds or DAFs for short, are truly changing the landscape of major gift fundraising and therefore [...]
You, your board, your staff or other key stakeholders at your nonprofit might be itching to put together a new strategic plan. After all, a strategic plan covers the why and how of your being and encompasses broad strategic goals and strategies. It defines what an organization should do within [...]
Ready to have your mind blown? There’s a super simple thing you can do to dramatically increase your contributions. You can easily put this in place before the end of the calendar year — when most donors make their gifts. Trust me. You’re going to want to read the rest of this [...]
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 [...]
Giving season is right around the corner, and we know that, in between sips of pumpkin spice lattes, fundraising and development teams across the country are busy finalizing their plans to maximize giving opportunities. But have you ever considered that the months leading up to giving season are actually a [...]
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 [...]
It’s no secret that nonprofit boards are essential to the success of an organization. Board members serve as both volunteers and donors gifting funds to the organization and providing managerial oversight and advocacy to help the nonprofit execute its mission. But nonprofit employees can often get so caught up in [...]