Once upon a time, there was an executive director with great fundraising skills. He cultivated grantmakers and individual donors with care – meeting often, honoring deadlines, keeping them updated on his nonprofit’s success. He explored mutual needs and interests, then crafted his requests accordingly. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t … [Read more...]
Ask Better Questions, Raise More Money – An Exercise
In my work with boards, I’m always amused (and occasionally annoyed) by the obsessive pursuit of the perfect elevator pitch. Many trustees – especially those who are new to fundraising or simply find it difficult – tend to indulge in magical thinking. The magic thought goes something like this: “If I can just master the elevator … [Read more...]
The Gift of Time: What Can You Expect From Your Board?
In building a board, many people fixate on the potential for big gifts. Perhaps you’re familiar with the “wealthy board” fantasy? However, a board member’s most important contribution is the gift of time. With our families, jobs, social obligations, etc., personal time is a shrinking resource, which makes it ever more precious. Do you … [Read more...]
New Consultants and Trainers: Five Tips for Success
It’s resolution season, and perhaps you’re considering a change in your work life. Maybe – just maybe – you’re thinking about starting your own consulting and training practice. How do I know? Because at least once a month, somebody – a friend, a client, a participant in a community workshop – asks me, “How do I become a … [Read more...]
In Training – and in Fundraising – You Can’t Make Everyone Happy
A few weeks ago, Andrea and I led a webinar about teaching board members to ask for gifts. It was a lively workshop. We shared five training exercises and answered lots of questions about board involvement. Overall, it felt like an effective, engaging experience. And then… Tell us what you really think As we were wrapping up, … [Read more...]
Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go
Note: This is a guest post from our thoughtful colleague Joseph Tumolo, CAP®. Joe helps fundraisers, nonprofit leaders, and board members grow their major and planned gift programs. Visit him online at www.joetumolo.com. Thanks, Joe! Sometimes I hear nonprofit managers wrestling with the questions, “What if we invest in training our … [Read more...]
What’s your relation to preparation?
Last month, I facilitated a train-the-trainer workshop for the faculty of the Center for Nonprofit Leadership, a program of California Lutheran University. It’s a lively network of skilled consultants, academics, and nonprofit staff who support and train their peers. For the icebreaker, I used one of my favorites – the continuum … [Read more...]
The Big Ask: Training Your Board to Pitch in Public
Note: This guest post is from our colleague Crystal Middlestadt at the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training. GIFT publishes the Grassroots Fundraising Journal (one of our favorite publications) and organizes Money for Our Movements, North America’s largest gathering of social justice fundraisers. Thanks, … [Read more...]
Making Decisions? A Simple Facilitation Tool
A few years ago, I sat down with my colleagues Nancy Wasserman and Stephanie Lahar to discuss ways to work together more intentionally. We’re friends, we’re consultants with different (but complementary) expertise, and we all run our own one-person businesses. Nancy suggested a very basic exercise. She wrote three columns on a flip … [Read more...]
When Recruiting Board Members, Look for a Willingness to Learn
Note: This is a guest post from our colleague Kim Klein, a terrific author, fundraising trainer, and mentor to many, many grassroots fundraisers. Thanks Kim! Early in my consulting practice, I had the opportunity to work with the boards of three very different organizations. A well-established theater company A welfare rights … [Read more...]
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