Blog
-
On Evaluating Advocacy
A great article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review: The Elusive Craft of Evaluating Advocacy. Very much worth a read for those who want to understand the real-world of advocacy.
-
From strategic plan to work plan
I’m often struck when talking to people how often individual work plans are wholly disconnected from strategic plans. Or even more by how some organizations never develop work plans. A…
-
Asking your board for money
I recently heard Nick Fellers of For Impact present. Great speaker if you ever have the opportunity. One of the things he suggested that rang true for me is the…
-
Hunting antelope v. hunting mice
I heard this from Nick Fellers of For Impact. I’m paraphrasing, not quoting. If a lion hunts a mice, it can catch it. But it probably burns more calories catching…
-
How to Transform your Organization
The number one way to transform your organization financially is to engage people one on one and to invite them to champion your organization. Something happens in a one-on-one conversation…
-
Short v. Long-term Development Plans
An organization has done a LOT of fundraising, but has never had a real development plan, either short or long-term. One set of consultants advised them to create a three-year…
-
Planning half heartedly
I was recently talking to an organizational Executive Director who’s thinking about a strategic planning process. He wants the planning process to get his board more engaged. But he doesn’t…
-
Growing your Facebook fan base
Sometimes investing a little bit of dollars has a big impact on your base. The good folks at Idaho Conservation League did an interesting strategy and let the folks at…
-
Never ask for a donation
Sometimes it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking about fundraising as an ask. Indeed, that’s the language I often use when I’m creating a fundraising plan or counseling…
-
Communications plans for institutions
I recently had a conversation which went something like this. . . Person A: “We need a communications plan for our organization.” Me: “Why?” Person A: “We need to know…