A few weeks ago, I asked nonprofit leaders about their biggest challenge. The overwhelming response? A lack of time. It’s no surprise. Time is the one thing every leader wishes they could stretch just a little further. Yet, time works in funny ways. Sometimes it flies, and other times it drags on painfully slowly. When 60 Seconds Feels … [Read more...]
Small Choices, Big Consequences: Nonprofit Leadership Lessons from Penn State
Last weekend, I visited my daughter at Penn State for Family Weekend. It was a wonderful few days meeting her friends, seeing her dorm, and exploring the campus. Two Leadership Lessons Learned from Penn State Two experiences stood out to me -- each offering a valuable lesson for business owners and nonprofit leaders about how we treat … [Read more...]
The Power of Coaching for Fundraisers and Nonprofit Leaders
There have been a lot of milestones in my life lately. Earlier this year, I turned 50. My youngest child graduated high school and left for college. So, I’ve been thinking a lot about my goals -- what comes next? Looking Back to Move Forward The Jewish New Year is coming up and one tradition, prior to the holiday, is to visit the … [Read more...]
A Year-End Giving Checklist: How to Maximize Your Fundraising Success
The final months of the year are the most important fundraising period for many nonprofits. With donors eager to make meaningful contributions before December 31st, now is the time to be intentional, strategic, and proactive. A 6-Part Year-End Giving Checklist This year-end giving checklist will help you focus on what you should be doing … [Read more...]
5 Important Steps to Leading an Effective Meeting at Your Nonprofit
Bad meetings are the worst. You've probably experienced a few yourself. I know I have! Those meetings where you didn’t really need to be there, where one person dominates the discussion and you're left wishing you had stayed home, and spent quality time with your family instead. The kind where if you could summarize the meeting in a short … [Read more...]
How to Raise More Money Through Your Annual Fund
Have you ever been confused when people mention their annual fund, campaign, or appeal? What exactly are they talking about? Your annual fund (or annual campaign) is your 12 month long, multi-pronged effort to raise funds for your annual programmatic and operational needs. Annual campaigns often include traditional appeal letters (close to … [Read more...]
A Modern Look at Raising Major Gifts: From Cycle to Timeline
For many years, I wrote and spoke about the fundraising cycle. You know, identify donors, cultivate, solicit, and steward them. Start again, and round and round you go. But that’s not how real relationships work. Relationships evolve over time. So to be honest, a cycle doesn’t exactly make sense. Consider Donor Relationships on a … [Read more...]
Learn to Raise Major Gifts: A Better Way (That Actually Works)
You’ve probably attended conferences and webinars, and maybe you’ve even read some books on how to raise major gifts. You understand the concepts but implementing them is hard. You’re still nervous about meeting with donors and asking for advice -- and for gifts. And you’re not having much luck getting meetings anyway. If that sounds … [Read more...]
8 Questions to Answer Before Year-End Giving
Are you prepared to receive your share of the millions (billions) of dollars that will be donated to charities over the next few months? Midsummer is always a good time to begin planning for year-end giving. Take a look back and honestly assess what you've done so far this year to prepare. If you’re off track, you’ve got nearly six months … [Read more...]
Challenge: Double Your Fundraising in the Next 12 Months
Have you ever asked yourself, “What would I do if I could not fail?” I find that question incredibly inspiring. The question has led me to: Write a book (three, actually) Give keynote speeches Run 5K races Build successful businesses Don’t think incrementally -- think BIG! What have you got to lose? Think BIG, but Also Think … [Read more...]
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