President Harry Truman once famously said, “The secret of raising children is to find out what they want to do and then encourage them to do it. “ I think that’s great advice – and so did my kids! Note to self (and to you, too): Apply the same advice in your outreach to donors. Year-end fundraising: Beyond the tried-and-true As … [Read more...]
What Do I Do Now? The Facilitator’s Guide to Intuition
Note: This guest post is from Katherine Golub, a personal coach and consultant. To learn more about her work, visit CoreBrillianceAcademy.com. Thanks, Katherine! Have you ever facilitated a meeting where things start to feel off, and you aren’t quite sure what to do next? At those moments, do you wish it was easier to figure out … [Read more...]
Fundraising Therapy, Part 1 – Getting Over the Fear of Fundraising
Are you afraid of fundraising? How about your board – when it’s time to raise money, do they run away? As a fundraising trainer and consultant, this is my biggest challenge: many people are frightened of fundraising. If you ignore or avoid this “fear factor” – especially during your year-end fundraising push – you’ll miss … [Read more...]
What You Can Learn by Training Trainers
When was the last time you spent a year planning something – and then launched it? If you felt that unique combination of excitement, anxiety, satisfaction, and relief, then you’ll understand what I was experiencing a week ago. Last Monday, we rolled out the brand-new Training, Facilitation, and Consulting Certificate Program – a … [Read more...]
Hiring a consultant? How be a savvy consumer
Do you need help? Silly question … who doesn’t? As the gig economy expands, many nonprofits and businesses are turning to consultants and contractors to help with a variety of tasks, and to supplement staff capacity. For example, I’m recruited as a consultant to train board and staff members, lead community workshops, … [Read more...]
Board Fundraisers — What’s on the Menu?
Have you ever spent time with a three-year-old child? As a parent, grandparent, sibling, babysitter, teacher…whatever your role. If the answer is “yes,” then you undoubtedly learned the following strategy. It’s not useful to ask a young child, “What socks do you want to wear?” Instead, you offer a specific, limited set of … [Read more...]
Graphic Facilitation 101: Telling Your Story Visually
For years, I’ve been fascinated by the work of graphic facilitators, thanks in large part to my friend Julie Stuart at Making Ideas Visible. If you can imagine capturing a meeting or planning session in a series of images – and using what you’ve captured to advance the conversation – you'll begin to understand the power of this … [Read more...]
The Big Shift in Fundraising
Like many fundraisers, I always anticipate the annual release of Giving USA, which offers a thorough overview of trends in U.S. philanthropy. I’ve also been reading Ruth McCambridge of the Nonprofit Quarterly, whose cogent analysis of the Giving USA data is really helpful – and inspired this post. Thanks, Ruth! As you plan your fall … [Read more...]
How to Claim Your Trainer Power
In Tucson, where I lived for many years, there’s a popular line of t-shirts based on the Mexican card game loteria. My favorite, El Mundo, features a picture of Atlas balancing the world on his shoulders. He’s the same fellow, sculpted in bronze, who towers over Rockefeller Center in New York City – knees bent, biceps bulging, head … [Read more...]
How I Started My Consulting Business
In 1993, I sat down with my boss – the last boss I’ve ever had – and said, “I’m giving you two year’s notice.” To his credit, he didn’t laugh. He looked at me, a little confused, and said, “What are you talking about?” “I’m starting a consulting business,” I said, “and I’m going to do it a little at a time.” “OK,” he said. “Tell … [Read more...]
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