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Organizational leadership

When building a board, look for the helpers

“Look for the helpers. You’ll always find people who are helping.”

Following the bomb explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday (April 15), this comforting word from Fred Rogers has popped up again on social media sites. Our favorite neighbor was referring, of course, to advice from his mother about dealing with scary times. But it occurs to me that Mama Rogers’ wisdom is helpful as well when recruiting board members.

Okay, so it’s quite a leap from Boston to your boardroom. But stick with me. Read More »When building a board, look for the helpers

How to get what you expect (and more) from your fundraising program

Rule 1 for nonprofit CEOs with visions of big gifts dancing in their heads: “Beware shopping for a development director when you are hungry—that is, when your organization is in desperate financial condition.” Rule 2 is like unto the first: “The notion that even a great development director can single-handedly pull an organization out of financial ruin is rarely accurate.”Read More »How to get what you expect (and more) from your fundraising program

Ask, and a helpful mission statement will be given you.

At the moment, I’m up to my eyeballs in policy work for the board that I chair. A trio of us are slogging away on ends policies – those few pithy statements that, in the words of John Carver (our governance guru), proclaim the differences the organization makes, for which beneficiaries, and at what cost. We’re several iterations in and still struggling to spin specificity from a mission statement broad enough to make the world the organization’s oyster.  Read More »Ask, and a helpful mission statement will be given you.

4 strategies for turning year-end stress into fundraising success

Were T. S. Eliot a fundraiser and not a poet and assuming a June 30 fiscal year-end (the standard for North American charities), he’d likely name May and June, along with April, as the cruelest time of year. The last leg of the annual race for the gold is the most taxing, always. With the year-end deadline looming large, development staff are stretched to the limit — physically, emotionally, and spiritually — and soul care gets lost in the busyness.

Read More »4 strategies for turning year-end stress into fundraising success

Get governance or get off

I feel the pain of nonprofit CEOs and development staff who rail about board members’ reluctance to step up to the fundraising challenge.

I’ve served on the development staffs of three private colleges, including a short stint as a VP for Advancement. For the past 15 years, I’ve provided development counsel to faith-based nonprofits. I’ve authored dozens of articles about the board and fundraising and presented hundreds of workshops on the topic. And, as the member of one nonprofit board after another, I’ve sat through many fundraising pep talks delivered by other consultants.

In short, I’ve experienced this subject from every angle, first-hand. I’m familiar with every argument, every plea.Read More »Get governance or get off

Advice for making the most of your organization’s birthday

The nonprofit organization for which I serve as board chair turns 40 this year and that has me on the hunt for advice about how to make the most of an anniversary celebration. Okay, four decades of ministry outreach isn’t Guinness World Records material. But we’re proud of how far the organization has come. Now seems as good a time as 50 years or 100 to throw a party, we’ve told ourselves.

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And not simply for the sake of a good time, although there’s nothing wrong with fun. Anniversary celebrations come with wonderfully useful side benefits, and wise leaders make the most of every last one.

Read More »Advice for making the most of your organization’s birthday