Blog
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16 tips for getting fundraising meetings – UPDATED
I originally created 12 Tips back in 2013. Here’s an expanded and updated set of 16 Tips. One of the biggest keys to successful fundraising is asking people in a…
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Selling without Overselling
I was recently talking with a former Executive Director whose organization thrived under their leadership. I’ve been thinking a lot about one of their comments. Their comment: “In promoting their…
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A Donor Prospect Identification Exercise
Don’t just take your board’s word for it when they say they don’t know potential major donors. Put them through an exercise.
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Five Lessons for Effective Staff Management
Business author Jim Collins, in his monograph Good to Great and the Social Sectors identified getting the “right people on the bus” as a core attribute of highly functioning nonprofits.…
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On Fundraising Stories
I often talk about the importance of shifting fundraising language from a bullet-point approach to a story approach. I know that for some nonprofit leaders this is challenging because storytelling…
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Short-term planning and project management 101
It’s important to be systematic and not use a haphazard approach when it comes to tracking to-dos and managing projects as a nonprofit leader.
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Staying Grounded in Dangerous Times #2
February 28, 2025 I wrote my last email less than a week into our current wannabe dictator’s Term. Now I can say: one month down, 47 to go. Sigh. Last…
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What makes a high functioning board?
What are the attributes of a highly functioning board of directors?
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The Leadership + Plan + Team formula
One of the lessons I took away from the last few years is what I’ve come to think of as the Leadership + Plan + Team formula. Organizations lacking any…
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Preparing for a Likely Recession
Here are seven lessons to take into account as we head towards a likely recession in 2025.