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How many of you said to yourselves on July 1, “I can’t believe the year is half over!”? And more importantly, what are you doing about it? For nonprofit organizations operating on a calendar year, July 1 marks the beginning of the home stretch. For some nonprofit organizations, mainly educational institutions, which tend to operate […]

Most of my blog posts are about fundraising nuts and bolts. This post is a little more philosophical. Your feedback in the comments section below is appreciated.  The Jimmy Stewart film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” has been an enduring holiday favorite and I think I understand why.   It’s that time of year when we reflect

One of the biggest misconceptions about fundraising is that it is simply Sales 101. Sales consists of convincing someone to make an exchange of money for goods or services, it is a quid pro quo, where something of value is expected in return for cash. The misconception that fundraising is just sales exists because many

Nonprofits cease operations all the time, from large hospitals to small community social service agencies, for a wide range of reasons. Sometimes the need disappears, think of diseases like tuberculosis and polio that are no longer a major threat. Shifting demographics and dropping enrollment led to the closure of three Vermont colleges in 2019. Sometimes

Did your mom make you write thank you notes for all of your Christmas and birthday gifts? My mom did. It was a priority in her book. And I hated it. I would much rather be playing with my new Lincoln Logs or riding my new bike than wasting precious time sitting at a table

Just before Thanksgiving I published my last post, Getting Personal: Part 1 – Reflections on the Nature of Change. In that post I explained why we left our well established lives and employment in New York’s Adirondack region rather abruptly and moved to coastal South Carolina. When we made that move six months ago I

At a recent webinar I participated in a speaker advocated for people who write blog posts to make them more personal. I’ve always tried to separate my personal life from my professional life so my initial reaction was, “That would be a change for me!” And that got me reflecting on the nature of change.

We’ve all been in board or staff meetings brainstorming ways to raise more money. Inevitably someone will suggest an event of some sort – a golf tournament, a raffle, a 5K, a spaghetti dinner, the list is literally endless. While events can be an effective way to raise funds, generate publicity and provide board members

My last post of 2021 was titled No Money, No Mission about my learning how fundraising is essential to being able to move an organization’s mission forward. So what better way to start 2022 than with a post on the converse statement: No Mission, No Money. All 501(c)3 nonprofits have three things in common, 1)

You are in the fourth quarter, the final period, the bottom of the 9th inning. Cancelled and postponed events have put a big dent in fundraising for the second year in a row. How are you going to make this year a winner financially? Here are 5 things your small to medium sized nonprofit can