Many years ago, when I was employed as a development director, I would gather the program staff once a year and ask the following question: “If we had unlimited amounts of money, what work would we do – and how would we do it?” In other words, I gave them explicit permission to go crazy. To dream without limits. To speak those dreams … [Read more...]
Core elements of fundraising success: Trust, engagement, impact (Part 2)
Note: This post – the second in a three-part series – is by Train Your Board partner Laurel McCombs. Thanks, Laurel! In part one of this series, we discussed the declining number of donors and contributed dollars across the nonprofit sector. Since then, the Fundraising Effectiveness Project released their Q4 report, confirming that these … [Read more...]
Are you prepared for planned gifts?
Note: This guest post from Christine Graham is adapted from her new book, Thinking About Planned Giving: Information for donors and their favorite causes. Thanks, Christine! Planned giving is increasingly popular and often sounds complicated. It need not be. When we talk about planned giving (or legacy giving), we mean a charitable … [Read more...]
Do we really need boards? Let’s debate (Part 2)
Note: This is the second of two posts adapted from an online conversation between Train Your Board partners Bob Osborne and Andy Robinson. You can find the first portion here. Join the debate! We welcome your comments. Bob Any alternative structure – different from the traditional 501(c)(3) – would need to address fundraising. If an … [Read more...]
Do we really need boards? Let’s debate (Part 1)
Note: This two-part post is adapted from an online conversation between Train Your Board partners Bob Osborne and Andy Robinson. Join the debate! We welcome your comments. Bob Andy, I know you believe that our current model of board and nonprofit governance may be broken, and that you've been exploring alternative models. It's an … [Read more...]
Training for movements, not just organizations
In 1980, a few weeks after Ronald Reagan was first elected president, I answered a classified advertisement (remember classified ads?) in my local newspaper. The first word was Activist. I can’t remember the rest of the ad, but the idea was that I would be paid to work for social justice. I was adrift and anxious about the future, and … [Read more...]
Core elements of fundraising success: Trust, engagement, impact
Note: This post – the first in a three-part series – is by Train Your Board partner Laurel McCombs. Thanks, Laurel! In recent years, there’s been much discussion about the generosity crisis. I understand the data: the number of people giving to traditional 501(c)(3) nonprofits has been declining for more than a decade. In the last few … [Read more...]
A more equitable approach to donor relationships
Note: This guest post is from Nora Ellertsen of The Funding Seed. You can read a longer version here. Thanks, Nora! Let’s talk about how we define our closest supporters and who we prioritize when building relationships. Begin with the industry standard: major gifts – as defined by the number of dollars a person gives or has the … [Read more...]
Challenging your assumptions about donors
Note: This guest post is from Alyson Molloy Hussey. Thanks, Alyson! I recently consulted with an organization that was planning a very cool cultivation event. Of course, the Executive Director wanted the group’s most generous donor to attend. When we discussed this at our weekly meeting, they seemed skeptical about the donor. “I am … [Read more...]
Is your board ready for end-of-year fundraising?
Note: This post is from Train Your Board partner Laurel McCombs. Thanks, Laurel! As you may know, roughly a quarter of all giving happens in December. And, yes, I hear you, it’s only September, but starting your year-end planning now will allow you to be more strategic, more effective, and more confident in meeting your goals. This … [Read more...]
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