A consulting colleague has a successful business facilitating workshops on a variety of topics, serving a variety of clients. She’s supremely well-organized. She designs meticulous agendas, prepares materials days in advance, and rehearses her presentation. As the day of the job approaches, you don't want to mess with her, because … [Read more...]
Design yourself a better board
Imagine the following exercise. Gather your board members around a flip chart. Ask the following question: "If we could design the perfect board for our group, what skills, qualities, and representation would we want in prospective board members?" Skills, qualities, representation Skills include specific expertise to help the … [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...]
New consultants and trainers: Five even-more tips for success
At least once a month, I’m asked the following question: How do I start my own business as a consultant, a facilitator, a trainer? As the gig economy expands, more of us are moving into self-employment. Perhaps you’re building your own full-time practice. Maybe you want to test the waters and generate a little extra income. These … [Read more...]
Training remotely – a facilitator’s guide
Once upon a time, we all gathered together – physically. Meetings, workshops, and classes required participants to be in the same room at the same time. Those days are over. In addition to the ubiquitous webinars, virtual meetings, Facebook Live events, and online classes, an interesting hybrid has emerged: the trainer or teacher in … [Read more...]
Succession planning: Leading by sharing power
In 1986, I killed my first nonprofit organization. That wasn’t my plan. In fact, there wasn't any plan. When our vibrant, all-volunteer nonprofit was ready to hire its first employee, the board chose me. With staff in place, our group took a big step forward: more programming, new audiences, bigger impact. While I was merrily … [Read more...]
What are “major gifts” – and where do I find them?
When talking with potential clients, I often ask the following questions: "What do you consider a major gift? How many donors contribute at that level?" The phrase "major gift" perplexes some people. If needed, I might rephrase as follows: What do you consider a big gift from an individual donor? If you skimmed off the top 10% … [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...]
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