Note: This is adapted from Train Your Board (and Everyone Else) to Raise Money, which I co-authored with Andrea Kihlstedt. Fundraising is about gratitude and appreciation. When we demonstrate genuine, personal appreciation, donors respond – and they keep giving. By developing a “thank you menu,” you can provide more opportunities for … [Read more...]
Consultants: First, do no harm
A former client called last week. He had hired a team of consultants to facilitate a two-day planning retreat and the event had gone badly. It’s a long story, but here’s the gist. The consultants did their homework and carefully prepared the agenda. However, once the retreat began, they faced a lot of tangents, conflict, and … [Read more...]
The long haul: Stamina, persistence, resilience
Note: This is adapted from my first book, Grassroots Grants, published in 1996. It still feels timely. I once wrote on a job application, “I’ve learned to keep my sense of balance and my sense of humor under the usual constraints of not enough time and never enough money.” It’s a clever sentence, but in one sense it’s a lie. When I … [Read more...]
Five tips to improve your writing
In March 2014 – almost nine years ago – my colleague Andrea Kihlstedt and I shared our first blog post on Train Your Board. Today’s post is number 200. Wow! How did that happen? This project began as a book of fundraising exercises, then expanded to include a website, blog, and video training series. After a few years, Andrea stepped … [Read more...]
What’s your board vision?
Note: This post is from Train Your Board partner Laurel McCombs. Thanks, Laurel! Are you planning for an incredible 2023? I hope you’re developing a board plan as well as a plan for your broader organization. More importantly, are you looking beyond the next year? Here are three reasons for clearly defining your multi-year board … [Read more...]
Boards and fundraising: Plan B (and C and D…)
Are you satisfied with your board’s fundraising performance? If the answer is an emphatic “No!,” don’t feel bad. You’re not alone. Based on all the inquiries, I could probably lead board fundraising workshops 365 days per year. The demand is endless. Perhaps you’ve tried the standard remedies: pep talks, board retreats, recruiting … [Read more...]
Recruiting BIPOC board members? Read this first
Note: This post is from Train Your Board partner Bob Osborne. Thanks, Bob! Over the twenty-five years I’ve worked in the not-for-profit space, I’ve served on several governing boards and advisory boards. During the summer of 2020, a strange thing happened. I was suddenly invited to join many more boards, including organizations I had … [Read more...]
Getting the most out of your next board retreat
Note: This guest post is from Laurel McCombs of the Osborne Group. Thanks, Laurel! Spring cleaning, annual physicals, board retreats. What do these things have in common? Admit it, your first thought wasn’t completely positive. On one hand, they can all be viewed as obligatory tasks to be endured once a year. Some may view them as … [Read more...]
Four board tricks you haven’t tried … yet
Many people who contact me want to talk (or complain!) about their nonprofit’s board of directors. They ask, “How can we…” Convince our board to raise more money? Encourage them to take their work seriously? Improve their leadership skills? Transition our board to a different role as our organization … [Read more...]
Leading through ambiguity
A friend recently asked me, “In your role as board president, what’s been your approach to dealing with the pandemic?” “Embracing ambiguity,” I said, without hesitation. “The virus changes, the health guidance evolves, the future is unclear. We keep adapting, and I’m comfortable with that.” In that moment, I remembered an Institute … [Read more...]
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