If you’re like me, you’ve probably taken a new job without having a complete picture of your responsibilities – in other words, without seeing a job description first. Undoubtedly you encountered workplace surprises, not all of them pleasant. Board service is a job, too. Like any job, it has specific requirements and … [Read more...]
How to Raise Money After a Natural Disaster
In December, the Thomas Fire burned 440 square miles of Southern California, making it the largest wildfire in state history. It destroyed more than one thousand structures: homes, businesses, schools, and several nonprofit facilities. A subsequent landslide – the technical term is “debris flow” – added to the destruction and … [Read more...]
What Do I Wear? The Trainer’s Guide to Getting Dressed
As part of our train-the-trainer program at Marlboro College, we offer shadowing opportunities for participants. They join a faculty member for a workshop or facilitated meeting, observe what happens, and then we talk about it. Before a recent gig, one of the students surprised me with a question – one that I don’t consider very often … [Read more...]
The New Tax Law: How It Affects Nonprofits and Fundraising
Note: This guest post is adapted from a recent article by Kim Klein, one of the nonprofit community's most clear-eyed thought leaders (and a terrific fundraising trainer). Having heard many concerns about the new tax law, I found Kim’s perspective to be helpful. Regardless of your political views -- I generally agree with Kim; perhaps you … [Read more...]
Fundraising Therapy, Part 2 – It’s Not About You
If you’re a fundraiser, it’s often helpful to think like a donor. When leading workshops, I encourage people to flip this mental switch. “How many of you have ever given away money to anybody for any reason at all?” Of course, all the hands go up. Then I ask people to pair off and talk about why they give. These small groups … [Read more...]
Five options for board orientation
Joining a board without a proper welcome and relevant education is like landing in a foreign country without a map or any knowledge of the local language and customs. You might find yourself at your first meeting, trying to decipher strange acronyms or wondering why everyone is giggling at jokes you don’t understand. Lacking a … [Read more...]
Why fundraising consultants will never replace development staff
Note: This guest post is from Alyson Molloy Hussey, a development consultant and former development director. Thanks, Alyson! A lot of organizations – maybe yours? – are perpetually looking for development staff. In Boston, where I work, there seems to be a shortage of professional fundraisers. While conducting their staff search, … [Read more...]
It’s all about implementation
How many times have you participated in a really productive learning experience – a class, workshop, or webinar – and thought to yourself, “This is terrific stuff. I’m going back to work and I’ll start using it immediately.” And then you didn’t. Why not? Let us count the ways: lack of buy-in from peers, unexpected deadlines, … [Read more...]
My big fundraising failure – and what you can learn from it
In October, I rolled out a fundraising appeal for our new Training, Facilitation, and Consulting Certificate Program with Marlboro College. We had launched the week before and – after a decade of dreaming and a solid year of planning – I was SO EXCITED to see it all come together. I wrote a fundraising pitch, sharing my excitement. … [Read more...]
Hiring a consultant? How to be an even more savvy consumer
Last month, I published a post about hiring consultants. This piece was passed around, re-posted, and featured on other blogs, including GuideStar. If you read it and shared it – thank you! Because there’s lots more to say (and learn) about this subject, here are five more tips you can use to build productive relationships with … [Read more...]
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