Resources
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Stop Telling Nonprofits to Act More Like a Business
I wish someone would stand up at a General Motors or AIG board meeting and say: “You know what guys, we need to act more like a business.” It would be one of those awkward moments where everyone around the table would stare blankly at one another not knowing what to...
Send Your Board a Message: Commit or Quit
I do not have much patience for a nonprofit board of directors that listens to reports, reacts to decisions, and offers advice. On the other hand, I am inspired by a board that takes action, creates opportunities, and builds relationships. The latter is deeply engaged...
How Many Nonprofit Executives Does It Take To Screw In A Light Bulb?
Yesterday, I asked friends on Twitter and Facebook (many who are or were nonprofit executives) to send me punch lines. It was a whole lot of fun to read them. Thanks to everyone who contributed. If you have a punch line to share, please comment (ignore "No Comments"--...
Revitalize Your Nonprofit’s Identity on a Shoe String
red strings Originally uploaded by fuzzonce I am always looking for inexpensive ways to help organizations strengthen their power to engage the public. One of the best ways to do this is by reaffirming your organization's brand identity rather than trying to create a...
Ability Redefined — The Courage to Elevate Your Cause
We’ve been working with Opportunity Partners since last summer. The folks on their team (both board and staff) are outstanding collaborators. From the get go they took a hard look at what was already an excellent organizational identity and recognized that they needed to expand its relevance beyond their participants, family members, and partners to a wider public. In short, they wanted to elevate their cause from self-sufficieny for people with disabilities to transforming the potential of people with disabilities into community opportunity– “proving the everyone, when given an opportunity, can add value to our world.”
Fundraising Roles — Cast Board and Staff in the Right Parts!
You can't get anyone to do anything, if they don't want to. Especially when it comes to fundraising. But you can help people play to their strengths. Fundraising isn't a solitary act, its a process that requires a group of individuals to play multiple roles and work...
Three Steps for Successful Individual Donor Cultivation
We often hear how hard it is to ask for money, but rarely does anyone tell us how hard it is to generate prospect leads or to educate those prospects. In fact, if you are successful at generating leads and educating them– closing become the easiest part. We have been using the above model as a simple way of explaining successful individual donor cultivation.