Perhaps you’ve had this experience. You’re sitting in a workshop, webinar, or conference session. The presenter steps to the microphone, fires up the slide deck, and proceeds to bury you with information. Content, content, and even more content. Because there’s so much to know! This impulse comes from a positive place. The teacher has … [Read more...]
Power below radar: The innovation and influence of ad hoc groups
Note: My colleagues Christal M. Cherry, Renee Rubin Ross, and I have been exploring tweaks, hacks, and alternatives to the traditional 501(c)(3) nonprofit structure. This post is the first in an informal series. – Andy When I say “nonprofit,” what comes to mind? Perhaps you picture the entire sector: a $2 trillion dollar industry across … [Read more...]
The nuts and bolts of succession planning
Let’s start with some big questions… Does your organization aspire to solve a problem, declare victory, and go out of business? If so, what would victory look like – and when will it happen? Are you building a resilient nonprofit that can persist and thrive? How would you know? How do you measure resilience? When you step back, who … [Read more...]
Three tips for better hybrid meetings
Note: This guest post is from Anna Adachi-Mejia; an earlier version appeared in Medium. Thanks, Anna! Are you planning a combined in-person and videoconference meeting – in other words, a hybrid meeting? As a former faculty member who has facilitated and attended hundreds of hybrid meetings, I understand how this can feel like the worst … [Read more...]
When thousands of fundraisers gather, what happens?
Note: This post is from Train Your Board partner Laurel McCombs. Thanks, Laurel! My colleague Bob Osborne and I just spent a few great days in New Orleans at the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference (AFP ICON). This might be the largest fundraising conference in the world, with several thousand attendees from … [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...]
How to recession-proof your nonprofit
Note: this guest post is from Traci Shirachi of The Mark USA. Thanks, Traci! Are we entering a recession? If so, are you ready? Throughout the pandemic, nonprofits excelled at adaptation: embracing remote work, changing their service delivery models, engaging donors differently. These pivots were largely successful but required a lot … [Read more...]
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