Nonprofit Re-Branding
How valuable is your brand? How does a potential donor react when she hears your organization’s name? Does your name, logo and tag line help people understand your mission,...
[ read more ]Leverage the Usual Suspects
I asked a friend the other day about an event that she went to and she replied that the usual suspects were there. She didn’t need to say another...
[ read more ]Fairfield 2009
Some friends in Fairfield, CT told me about an incident last Sunday at their local menorah lighting. Three masked men showed up holding Nazi flags and yelled anti-Jewish remarks...
[ read more ]Check your Envelopes
One of the cardinal rules of life is above all, do no harm. One of the cardinal rules of fundraising is above all, do not agitate your donors or...
[ read more ]Closed Circuit
My husband is going to be a “special guest” in my son’s class this week as they close their unit on community and invite parents to come in to...
[ read more ]Stop Doing Well What You Shouldn't Be Doing At All
As a student and practitioner of organizational management, my bookshelf is lined with books by Peter Drucker, a pioneer in social and management theory and prolific writer. One of...
[ read more ]Building Alliances
One of my most favorite types of work is alliance development. What is an alliance? An alliance is an agreement between two or more entities in which they agree...
[ read more ]Avoid Volunteer Burnout
It happens all the time. An organization has a volunteer who is a powerhouse. She knows how to get things done, requires minimal supervision and has boundless energy and...
[ read more ]Build an On-Ramp
Nonprofits face a challenge when it comes to hiring. Most of the time, they can’t pay someone what that person could make in the for-profit world for possessing and...
[ read more ]Donor P+C
Despite how it may appear, the heart of successful fundraising is not the black tie event. It is donor prospecting and cultivation (P+C). For many small nonprofits, this is...
[ read more ]Too often people are asked to lead a board without a guidebook or a mentor. Holding the Gavel lays out the job, what is expected and how to best contribute.
