At least every once in a while (more often is ideal), it’s good for nonprofit leaders to look up and outside the “box” in which… Read More »Trendspotting, blockchain technology, and mindfulness in the boardroom
Excuse me for raining on the #givingtuesday celebration parade. If the day went well for you and yours, hooray! But I’m still fuming about the… Read More »Giving isn’t just for Tuesday
The online nonprofit press is abuzz over the 2015 Survey on Board of Directors of Nonprofit Organizations, with headlines suggesting nothing but bad news. However,… Read More »Nonprofit boards aren’t as inept as the headlines suggest
Not long ago here at Generous Matters, I chided churches for being late to the technology revolution, citing my congregation as a case in point. That the article was one of my most viewed to date suggests I touched a nerve – as did the push back I received from some readers.
But truth be told, congregations aren’t the only luddites out there. Colleges, universities, and theological schools, and other assorted nonprofits have their own love-hate relationships with technology and social media. In fact, wherever Boomers (my generation) remain in control (e.g. just about everywhere), you’ll find foot-dragging, nay-saying, and excuse making.
I hear it all the time. You can’t teach violin, encourage spiritual formation, build community, etc. etc. etc. Fill in the blank with your pet “can’t do.” But while some folks throw up roadblocks, others are busy doing with technology what’s been said they can’t — if not today, then tomorrow.Read More »Following the lead of Generations X, Y, and Z and “liking” it
Donor-centered fundraising has never been as important as it is now. Or so goes the buzz among development gurus. I’ve said as much myself – first in Growing Givers’ Hearts: Treating Fundraising as Ministry and then again (and again and again) in my interaction with clients. When it comes to nurturing loyal giving, nothing beats meeting donors where their hearts are.
And truth be told, that is how it has always been.
We modern-day fundraisers may think we’ve happened upon a “new truth,” but the best of our tribe have been at this donor-centered thing for years. Centuries in fact, as I was reminded via a most unlikely of sources – the 1872 biography of Sarah B. Judson, the second wife of Adoniram Judson.Read More »Two century-old fundraising wisdom from the second Mrs. Judson
Infrastructure. For most folks, the topic is about as exciting as underwear. No one wants to talk about infrastructure, let alone pay for it. But ignore infrastructure, and you doom your best laid plans for fundraising success to failure.
Topping the list of infrastructure essentials – just after budget and staff – is your donor management system. By this I mean something other than a stack of index cards stuffed in a development officer’s shirt pocket or purse. Or more than an excel spreadsheet – as cutting-edge as that technology seemed a few decades back. I’m referring to a software package or web-based product designed specifically to help fundraisers raise more funds.
Read More »4 tips for minimizing risk when selecting a donor management system
“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 things. 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
“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
I heard it again on my last trip out — a proposal to expand an organization’s mission packaged as a development strategy. “By launching X, we’ll open the organization to a whole new group of donors,” the executive director said with more conviction than evidence.
Never mind that the organization’s strategic plan included nary a hint of the proposed project. The siren song of potential new dollars (hinted at, but not confirmed by the ED) was too much for the cash-anxious board to resist. My bet? A year from now they’ll be singing a sadder (and more realistic) song.Read More »Avoid the trap of “maybe gifts” and mission drift
For the faith-based nonprofits with which I work – and in fact, for the majority of small to mid-size 501(c) 3s – foundation-funded grants are a tiny fraction of total gift income. Yet invariably, “write more proposals” is the first suggestion from organizational leaders when money is tight. I spend a lot of time talking board members and executive directors down from their high hopes of grants to the rescue.Read More »7 deadly sins of grant seekers