Good decision-making requires good data. But most nonprofits never invest in the kind of tools that can allow them to capture and categorize their data to support better decision-making.
Mission Impact or Personal Comfort? You Pick.
I often encounter nonprofit leaders who tell me that they refuse to use a certain effective fundraising technique or channel because they "don't believe in it" or they "don't like...
Leaders: Guard Your Tongue
Leader: Guard your tongue. It might feel good to yell at someone once in a while. It might feel good to engage in gossip or to verbally take down that...
Leaders Must Learn Hard Lessons
A mentor of mine recently asked me, “What’s the hardest lesson you’ve had to learn in your career?” That question stopped me in my tracks. There are so many lessons...
Nonprofits: Understand Your Customer
I posted the following statement on LinkedIn and it got a TON of feedback. A lot of that feedback was negative, with people telling me that my idea was entirely...
Nonprofits Need a Better Way to Fundraise
https://youtu.be/LEwTJW5bNRY Nonprofits continue to struggle with fewer donors giving every year. The economy plays a part in that. But more than anything, our social contract with donors is broken. If...
Your Business Rules are Hurting Your Fundraising
https://youtu.be/2bfJx3F5IEc There are so many fantastic and talented fundraisers in our nonprofit sector. What frustrates so many of them is that organizations often have outdated budgeting processes and business rules...
Use failure to create future successes
I once sent 60,000 pieces of one nonprofit's direct mail to another nonprofit's audience by mistake. As the head of annual gift fundraising at a children's hospital I was an...
Healthy cultures create leverage
Culture is the most important leverage point for your organization’s growth. As a leader, if you embrace or simply allow toxic behavior to invade your culture, you’ll limit growth by...
The Role of Nonprofit Boards
Hey Nonprofit Board Members: Your job is to set policy, help advance the mission of the organization through personal advocacy, volunteerism, supporting fundraising by giving and/or using your influence, and...