You’re probably familiar with the challenge or matching gift. A generous donor provides a gift or grant on the condition that you raise an equal amount from other sources. These gifts typically require a 1-to-1 match. Each donation you receive is matched dollar for dollar, though other ratios are possible. Challenge gifts are … [Read more...]
The Donor Next Door: How to Use Your Donors to Train Your Board
Does your board resist fundraising? Do they find the whole subject distasteful? If so, you are not alone. I’ve been teaching boards to raise money for more than twenty years, and demand is endless – because the vast majority or nonprofit boards do a lousy job raising money. Why is this so challenging? It boils down to three … [Read more...]
Social Enterprise: Identify Your Assets
By Jean Block We asked our colleague Jean Block, a thought leader on nonprofit social enterprise, to share her wisdom on entrepreneurial nonprofits. Her strategy, outlined below, can help you identify your assets and begin to create earned income strategies. Oh, no! The Big Grant was not renewed. Yikes! The Walk-A-Thon was rained … [Read more...]
The Learning Room: How to Set Up Your Training Space
Here’s a joke I’ve used for years – I train for free, but I get paid to move furniture. Pretty much every time I show up for a workshop, the tables and chairs are arranged badly. So I push them around, trying to create a better learning space. It’s not unusual for me to break a sweat even before the class begins. This is known as … [Read more...]
Five Steps to Success: A Simple Strategy to Help You Become a Great Trainer
If you’ve been reading our blog, you know that the most effective trainers use activities, rather than lectures, to draw out the wisdom and expertise of the people being trained, People learn more when they build on their own experiences, rather than listen to you talk about yours. Yes, it’s possible to take this approach too far. … [Read more...]
Benchmarking Bad: Three Common Trainer Mistakes – and How to Avoid Them
Lately, I’ve started train-the-trainer workshops with the following question: “Has anyone ever attended a bad class, a bad workshop, or had a bad learning experience?” When everybody stops laughing – because who hasn’t? – I ask them to gather in small groups and list “the benchmarks of bad.” It’s always a lively conversation, … [Read more...]
How I Led A Successful Training in a Language I Don’t Speak
Last month, I traveled to Quebec City to facilitate a fundraising workshop for the Quebec chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. The event was organized by my colleagues at the Institute for Conservation Leadership. Nearly everyone in the room – except me – had French as their first language, with a varying range of … [Read more...]
Icebreakers: Eight Questions to Jumpstart (or Revive) Your Fundraising Workshop
Every trainer knows the moment: Your first minute in front of the room, all eyes on you, everyone waiting expectantly. You want to get off to a good start. You want to grab everyone’s attention. The way you start will set the tone for the rest of the training. Option 1: Have them talk to the person sitting next to them Choose one … [Read more...]
How to Stop Talking and Start Training
Why is it so dang hard to stop talking too much when you're trying to train people? Recently I sat in on a 3-hour teaching session, given to a small group of 10 adult learners. The topic was fundraising and every one of the people in the class had some real-life experience with that subject. I was just an observer, curious in part … [Read more...]
Intuitive Training: Knowing When to Abandon Your Agenda
Imagine a continuum... At one end are people who prepare thoroughly for everything, especially work. As trainers, they create detailed agendas timed to the minute. Their training materials are well-organized, well-designed, and well-thought-out. Their attention to detail makes them strong trainers, but can also cause problems. If … [Read more...]