I recently facilitated a board retreat for a nonprofit client. As a warm-up exercise, I asked the participants to pair up for two minutes and discuss the following questions. As a board member, what do you need to be successful? What does the organization need from you to be successful? When I reconvened the full group, people … [Read more...]
What’s your budget? (What, you don’t know?)
When interviewing potential clients, I always ask a basic question early in the conversation: “What’s your annual budget?” Sometimes I’m talking with staff, or it might be a board member or a volunteer. More often than not, there’s a long pause. I wait a moment, then ask again. “Last year, how much money did you raise and … [Read more...]
Five big meeting mistakes – and how to avoid them
Note: This guest post is from Heather Yandow at Third Space Studio. She helps organizations with strategic planning, board development, business model design, implementing fundraising strategies, and going from good to great. Thanks, Heather! How much time do you spend in meetings? If you’re like me, the answer is simple: a … [Read more...]
The unspoken truth about boards and fundraising
Does everyone on your board raise money? If the answer is “No!” – perhaps the question makes you laugh or groan or grind your teeth – you’re not alone. How do I know? By far, the most popular service I offer is board fundraising training. Because so many boards struggle to raise money, demand is endless. (Note to consultants: if you … [Read more...]
Dialing for dollars, reinvented
What do you get when you combine an old-school fundraising strategy – phone banking – with a new online platform like Zoom? People working together – while also working remotely! – to engage their donors and raise more money. Here’s a great example from Training for Change. Thanks to Zein Nakhoda (staff) and Sonia Silbert (board) … [Read more...]
Training both sides of the brain
Take a look at these two photos. Which one looks like the more engaging learning experience? Given a choice between the two, where would you rather be? Your answer may depend on how your brain works. Your brain isn’t one thing In the 1960’s, psychobiologist and Nobel Prize winner Roger W. Sperry proposed that the brain’s left … [Read more...]
Making and Managing Change: A Field Manual
The following is adapted, with my thanks, from the Institute for Conservation Leadership. Are you a consultant, facilitator, or trainer? Maybe you work as nonprofit staff, or you serve as a board member or volunteer. Perhaps you’re an activist, advocate, or community organizer. Regardless of your position, I’d like to offer … [Read more...]
Is Your Board a Cost Center – or a Profit Center?
What does it cost you to have a board of directors? Is the cost worth the effort? Provocative questions, right? Let’s start by acknowledging the basics. If you're a 501(c)(3) charitable organization in the U.S., you are legally required to have a board. There’s a thoughtful reason for this: the board is the legal owner of your … [Read more...]
PowerPoint For Good:
4 Tips For Trainers
Note: This guest post is from Laura Rhodes of Third Sector Consulting and author of the LetsTalkNonprofit.blog. Thanks, Laura! Ask nonprofit staff or board members why they attend conferences, and you’ll get a variety of responses. To be with like-minded people. To network with others in the field. And, invariably, to … [Read more...]
Give your board members what they need – you’ll get what you want
If you’re like me, you’ve probably taken a new job without having a complete picture of your responsibilities – in other words, without seeing a job description first. Undoubtedly you encountered workplace surprises, not all of them pleasant. Board service is a job, too. Like any job, it has specific requirements and … [Read more...]
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