Past Articles

Capital Campaigns

How Do We Know When We’re Ready for a Capital Campaign?

Recently, while meeting with a potential client, we were asked the important question, “what do we need in order to have a successful capital campaign?” Since we are often asked similar questions, I’ve been inspired to make it the basis for my latest blog to add to our ongoing conversation regarding our work as consultants [...]

Capital Campaigns

Why Endowments Now!

Focusing on building – or establishing for the first time – your endowment fund is perhaps the best way to respond to the challenges presented by a strained economy.
Given the recent challenges nonprofit organizations have been facing, focusing now on strengthening – or perhaps establishing for the first time – your endowment fund, may seem [...]

Donors

There’s Gold in them Hills!

Securing the Future for Your Nonprofit Organization
Especially in our challenging economy, more and more nonprofit organizations are wishing their past leadership had established a stronger culture for planned giving in order to supplement operations with a reliable source of income through a permanent endowment fund.  Understandably, organizations are trying harder than ever to sustain their [...]

Capital Campaigns

What is Happening With Religious Fundraising?

Am I the only one confused? On the evening of March 21, 2011, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, reporting from the Association of Fundraising Professionals conference in Chicago, released an article about one of the sessions at the conference, “Religious Fund-Raising Faces a ‘Crisis,’ Says Speaker” http://philanthropy.com/blogs/prospecting/religious-fund-raising-faces-a-crisis-says-speaker/29254?sid=&utm_source=&utm_medium=en.. The article begins by quoting one of the panel [...]

Capital Campaigns

How NOT to Fundraise: Lessons from the NPR Fiasco

Last month in this space Jeff Metz posted a wonderful blog titled Cultivating a Donor: Like Cultivating a Garden.  http://www.nonprofitwatercooler.com/2011/02/cultivating-a-donor-like-cultivating-a-garden/  
Too bad that NPR fundraising vice president Ron Schiller did not bother to visit the Nonprofit Water Cooler before he went to lunch with what he thought were representatives of the Muslim Education Action Center.  [...]

Capital Campaigns

Cultivating a Donor: Like Cultivating a Garden

When growing a garden, the gardner has to plan the garden, plant the seeds, provide the right balance of water, sun and nutrients and keep the garden free of weeds and threatening pests. Cultivating a donor is much the same process. You need to have a plan, plant the seeds of knowledge about the good [...]

Capital Campaigns

The Seven “P” ’s Needed to Have a Successful Capital Campaign

Recently, while meeting with a potential client, we were asked the important question, “what do we need in order to have a successful capital campaign?” Since we are often asked similar questions, I’ve been inspired to make it the basis for my latest blog to add to our ongoing conversation regarding our work as consultants [...]

Capital Campaigns

Your Services Are Great, But We’re Flat Broke!

If we had a nickel for every time we heard this comment from prospective clients, we would have enough money to retire.  OK, well maybe that’s an exaggeration, but you get the picture.
Perhaps the irony of needing financial resources to support a nonprofit organization is most apparent when we’re meeting with organizations to discuss our [...]

Ethics

Holiday Cheer, Business Ethics and Employee Receipt of Gifts

Once again the holiday season, the time for giving and receiving gifts, is upon us.  Does your nonprofit have a clear policy limiting or prohibiting employees from accepting holiday gifts from vendors? 
For a nonprofit employee a holiday gift from one of the nonprofit’s vendors can be viewed as both appealing and harmless.  Surely acceptance of [...]

Leadership

Anyone Know Why We’re Meeting?

Congratulations! You’ve limited your meeting attendees to those who need to be there.
Now, how are you going to keep from wasting their time?
Your valuable volunteers are smart. They can come up with great ideas and engage in really substantive conversations that result in good policy. That only works though, if they’ve been given time to [...]