Note: This guest post is from Julie Ha Truong of Leadership Savvy. Thanks, Julie! It’s difficult to remember the start of 2020, but it was a golden period. We were riding the coattails of 2019 – one of the strongest fundraising years on record. When Covid-19 hit, nonprofit leaders had to react quickly: moving programs online, … [Read more...]
The facilitator’s guide to politics and reconciliation
I’ve spent much of the last 25 years on the road, leading workshops and facilitating retreats in 47 U.S. states and across Canada. Not surprisingly, some of these gigs land during election season. This creates a variety of challenges: distractions, political tension, even the occasional argument among participants. If you’re the … [Read more...]
What’s a philanthropic advisor? How do I work with one?
Note: This guest post is from Christine Zachai of Forward Philanthropy. Thanks, Christine! Remember when everything was going really well with your favorite major donor? You had a lunch date every year, you knew the names of the children and grandchildren, and you were strategizing together about your next request. Then … [Read more...]
Good Trouble: How Nonprofits Can Lobby for Change
Note: This guest post is from Martha Collins. It’s adapted from a piece originally published by the Nonprofit Academy of Wisconsin, co-written with Rob Meiksins. Their training series on nonprofit lobbying begins on September 17. Hello, fellow nonprofiteers! As we write this, the reasons and the need for nonprofit … [Read more...]
Mastering virtual meetings
How many online meetings have you attended recently? How many were engaging, satisfying, and effectively facilitated? As I write this in mid-March 2020, we are just beginning to feel the impacts of the coronavirus across North America. As you gather less often with colleagues, more of your work life is probably moving … [Read more...]
Hospice care for nonprofits, part 2: The board’s role
Because not every group is designed to last forever, I recently shared a post about end-of-life care for nonprofit organizations. Regardless of your role – staff, volunteer, consultant, or supporter – it’s helpful to understand organizational life cycles. Board members have a unique responsibility for life-and-death decisions. To my … [Read more...]
Hospice care for nonprofits: Diagnosis and treatment
How healthy is your organization? What’s your trajectory? Are you growing, shrinking, or treading water? What’s the energy level among staff and board? Is your mission still relevant and inspiring? More than a decade ago, I participated in volunteer training at our local hospice agency. As the Great Recession rolled through the … [Read more...]
More money together: Shared fundraising strategies
In my work as a fundraising consultant and trainer, I'm faced with two persistent myths: Scarcity: There’s not enough resources to go around, which leads to... Competition among groups to gather those scarce resources. To address these myths, let’s begin with a few numbers. Nonprofits across the U.S. receive more than $1.5 … [Read more...]
Treasurer confidential
About a year ago, I became the treasurer of a well-established but tiny nonprofit. With an annual budget of less than $100,000 and limited staff, our organization is as grassroots and community-based as it gets. I’ve served on several boards. I train boards for a living. I write books about how to be an effective board member, … [Read more...]
How to create a strategic plan – a facilitator’s guide
Regardless of where you land on the preparation continuum – some of us prefer improvisation to planning – you’ll be more successful with a thoughtful, well-designed plan. You can create a strategic plan yourself or hire a consultant to help. Note to consultants: If you’re building a business, the world is filled with potential … [Read more...]