The long years of “Great Recession” fundraising stress are over! At least, that's the news from Indiana University's report, The Philanthropy Outlook: 2015 & 2016. The report, produced by the Lilly Fundraising School in partnership with Marts & Lundy, offers a glimpse of what we can expect to see in 2015 and 2016 (I've taken this … [Read more...]
The Nonprofit Life Cycle: Raising Your Board to the Next Level
Nonprofit organizations are living things, just like the people who serve them. And just like any other living thing, nonprofits -- including nonprofit boards -- have their own unique life cycles. Understanding the life cycles of nonprofit organizations and their boards, from infancy to maturity, is one of the keys to success with … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Retain Your Best Nonprofit Board Members
Previously, we covered how to attract great board members. But after you “get” them to join your board, how do you keep them? In a few words, you want to make sure they become engaged and remain involved, so they develop into strong, loyal supporters of your organization. Five Strategies to Keep Your Strongest Board Members As you … [Read more...]
How to Recruit Stellar Board Members to Your Important Cause
Solid nonprofit boards filled with engaged, committed superstars, who are also effective in all of their roles -- including fundraising -- don't “just happen.” In actuality, finding (and keeping) the right people is the process of answering one simple question: “What's in it for me?” After all, I don't need to tell you how busy your … [Read more...]
2015: The Year of the Fundraising Board
The role that your board plays (or should play) in fundraising is one of the topics I find myself talking about the most these days. And not just because boards are so important, but also because problems with board members are the number one complaint I hear from nonprofit staff members. With that in mind, and because recruiting and … [Read more...]
Amy’s Top 10 Countdown to Year End
As the year winds down, I like to reflect on what I’ve accomplished this year, what I'm still committed to working on next year, and what ideas or projects need to be abandoned and not carried into the new year. (Yes, it’s okay to cut some things loose than need to be let go.) You may think of this process as creating resolutions, but most … [Read more...]
Holiday Donor Gifts that Keep on Giving – Without Costing a Thing
November is all about gratitude. Every year we learn more and more about how gratitude impacts giving. One of the main reasons that donors give (consciously or otherwise) is to feel good. When we (as nonprofit staff and board members) express genuine gratitude to our donors, they feel good about giving and are more likely to give … [Read more...]
A Super-Powerful Question that Could Skyrocket Your Fundraising
Ask yourself the following question: "What if I could not fail?" I recently read the book, “A More Beautiful Question” by Warren Berger, and the book asked some pretty powerful questions. One of the questions was: “What if you could not fail?” What would you do differently in your life, at your nonprofit, and for your fundraising … [Read more...]
What Does Diversity Have To Do With Fundraising?
Why diversity? How often do you think about diversity at your organization? Do you have a diverse staff? Members of your board? Or the clients you serve? And, what does diversity mean to you, personally? What is Diversity? We're not only about race anymore, and it doesn’t just mean black and white. When we talk about diversity, … [Read more...]
Lessons Learned from ALS Ice Bucket Challenge: Silly Stunt or Brilliant Fundraising?
It’s not often that I digress from writing about major gifts, but I had to make an exception for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you might be living under a rock -- or on an extremely extended vacation.) In fact, I can’t ever recall a fundraising campaign going viral in this manner, or of this … [Read more...]
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