One of the biggest challenges non profit leaders face is growing the individual donor base. It’s not unusual for them to be quite sophisticated about raising money from “professionals” at corporations and fundraising and then to be far less skilled at building relationships with individual donors. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS On this show, I speak to the founder of a nonprofit that has increased giving from individuals by 70% within a few years. They raised $593,000 fr...
Oct 29, 2012•43 min
What do leaders of an award-winning non-profit sound like? Listen to this show and you’ll hear an executive director and her board president talk about how they work together and how they engage their board. You’ll find out how relentless the staff and board is about building relationships with nonprofits, colleges, businesses, and government agencies to identify people who aren’t literate and get them help. Finally, you’ll learn how creative they are about using the media and even coffee beans ...
Oct 22, 2012•40 min
This week’s show is a delightful interview – it’s true! – about charitable solicitation rules and the people who make sure nonprofits are operating legitimately. You’ll learn about filing the right paperwork with the right people but also, there is new information here for even the most seasoned fundraisers. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS My guest is Kristalyn Loson of the Venable law firm in Washington, D.C. She says that if you solicit or receive donations from people ...
Oct 15, 2012•43 min
There is more and more pressure on nonprofits to address strategic questions like, “What long-term impact are we having on the people we serve?”and “What do we want this community to look like as a result of our work?” and finally, “How will we track our progress?” Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS My guest this week runs a Boston-based non-profit that was created some six years ago from the merger of two historic and well-known Boston nonprofits that served low-income wome...
Oct 07, 2012•40 min
This week’s show is a “show and tell” show so my guests will talk about their annual report and we’ll view it online at the same time. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS Nonprofit annual reports have been receiving a lot of attention lately in the nonprofit sector. With the increasing conversation about community engagement, instigated in part by the advent of social media, more non-profits are asking themselves, “Has it been wise to eliminate our annual report or merely pos...
Oct 01, 2012•43 min
A few weeks ago, I interviewed Andrea Berry of Idealware about choosing donor software. She provided very useful advice about that but I did not get into issues about how making sure the database is secure, how you determine who has access to it, and even more broadly, what kinds of rules nonprofits should have about appropriate use of computers and software, how they’ll handle information located on both personal and work computers and so on. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android ...
Sep 24, 2012•34 min
Are you ready to write a grant proposal? Not without a statement of need that compels the grant maker to pay attention to why your organization matters in the community you serve! Here’s an example of a part of a simple but attention-getting statement of need about a new nonprofit serving youth after school. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS The youth at the schools we serve come from predominantly disadvantaged households with 75-95% qualifying for free or reduced lunch. T...
Sep 17, 2012•40 min
This week, we focus for the first time on donation software and what you need to be thinking about as you prepare to invest in it. I don’t think there’s anything that impedes productivity like a software that is hard to use when it comes time to start a fundraising campaign or produce reports about it. For new non-profits, this show will help you move away from your spreadsheets and use something more multi-dimensional. For emerging organizations, this show will help you think about how much mor...
Sep 09, 2012•42 min
It’s the Labor Day holiday in the U.S.and so I’m taking a break from my work by repeating one of my favorite shows. Believe it or not, it’s about managing cash flow. The thing I love about this show is that my guest, who is a CPA specializing in nonprofit accounting, shares from his direct experience as a board member of a youth service organization. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS Most leaders of active non-profits produce a monthly balance sheet and income statement. Ho...
Sep 03, 2012•43 min
Nonprofit mergers are being explored throughout North America as a way to address funding cuts, strengthen services, increase operational efficiency and even, pending executive director retirements. In Minnesota, more than nonprofits have already merged, or the better term is “realigned.” Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS A new report was issued this summer about a study of 41 direct service organization mergers that occurred in Minnesota from 1999 to 2010. The study, Succe...
Aug 26, 2012•36 min
On this week’s show, I return to my favorite topic – fundraising. Many, many organizations – even 30, 40 or 50 years old – are not encouraging donors to remember the organization in their wills. It’s a huge lost opportunity and yet, planned giving can be an easy and natural fit into the fundraising and communications you’re doing now. It does not have to be complicated and it can be about gifts for today and tomorrow. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS My guest this week is ...
Aug 19, 2012•37 min
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of volunteers right now across North America who have begun work on fall special events and related silent auctions. This show is designed to help all of you boost your success at the silent auction, once you’ve got the items in hand and people at your event. We’re honing in on this: What are you doing to market the items in your silent auction room? Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS For instance, are you using a sound system to make an...
Aug 13, 2012•38 min
The show this week is about cause-related marketing, that unique relationship between a nonprofit and a for profit who both benefit from associating with each other and together, generate revenue for the nonprofit. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS You may be familiar with the recent cause-related campaign between Coca Cola and the World Wildlife Fund. They joined forces to raise awareness and money through the Arctic Home campaign that focused on protecting the polar bear’...
Aug 05, 2012•35 min
With so much gloom and doom about the economy here and in Europe, we can lose sight of the fact that nonprofits like yours are still working your magic in your communities. And guess what? There are a lot of people in addition to your current donors who have the financial means to support what you’re doing. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS What if you’ve been dreaming about expanding by buying or renovating space, adding programs, or establishing an endowment? How will you...
Jul 30, 2012•40 min
On this week’s show, my guest and I discuss a new point of view about fundraising and cultivation to encourage more contributions. Recently, I replayed an interview I did with Martha Taylor of the University of Wisconsin Foundation about unique ways to cultivate women donors. This week, we look at Millennials, the active and passionate men and women between 20 and 35 and the myriad ways they engage with nonprofits. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS My guest this week is Der...
Jul 23, 2012•42 min
My guest this week has a truly radical idea that you’re going to love. She first shared it with me a week ago and then in our actual interview but you know, I could not get my head around it at first. It was almost too simple. She is on a mission to persuade funders to stop asking for budgets from nonprofits who are applying for grants! Say, what?? Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS Carol Cantwell is the founder of Fun with Financials , a San Francisco-based company that tea...
Jul 16, 2012•40 min
On this week’s show, we explore what you can do to build a collection of great photos that tell the story of your organization. This is another “show and tell” show, which means we want you to look something we’re talking about. In this case, We review a blog post that shows examples of photos in online annual reports, on donation pages, in e-newsletters and on Facebook. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS My guest is Julie Damon, CEO and marketing director of Branded4Good, a...
Jul 09, 2012•40 min
The show this week focuses on training because just about every nonprofit has someone in the organization who is training staff, volunteers, board members, service providers or clients. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS I know a nonprofit that cooks and distributes meals every day. The kitchen director regularly has to train people about food safety and preparation. Another organization trains new staff about mental illness, and how best to work with the clients who come in...
Jul 02, 2012
On this week’s show, I knit together golden nuggets about non-profit fundraising from three of the wisest development professionals in North America. Together, they have more than 60 years experience and have raised millions of dollars – if not billions – for charities. The interviews were held early last year and I didn’t want you to overlook those podcasts because they are so rich with ideas for improving your fundraising results. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS I start...
Jun 25, 2012•40 min
On this week’s show, we focus on a non-profit that is emerging in the communities it serves. It recently initiated individual fundraising activities after almost 30 years of relying exclusively on government funding. Spending time and money on individual fundraising requires a huge cultural shift for the staff and board; many leaders of established human service agencies are understandably fearful of this change. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS Our guest is Nancy Batterma...
Jun 18, 2012•43 min
Non-profit mission statements often are so lofty no one understands them nor can boards fully identify with them. They sound like a great idea but mission statements often are disconnected from what the board is supposed to do. It’s no wonder that board governance gets confusing; members aren’t sure why they’re there. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS What if you think of your mission statement as a promise to your community instead? As a board member, a promise is somethin...
Jun 11, 2012•34 min
My guest this week is the executive director of a non-profit association that started with only 70 nonprofit members in 2004 and has already expanded to serving more than 600. He knows from first-hand experience what it takes to build a non-profit and, in fact, advises them on how to succeed. On the show, we talk about characteristics, or actions, of new organizations which are growing and thriving. Patrick McWhorter is the president and CEO of the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits . He helped laun...
Jun 04, 2012•39 min
A recent article in Nonprofit Quarterly caught my eye. It asked if non-profit special events are an addiction, a kind of illness. I tracked down the source of the question and it was a workshop being offered in Indiana entitled, Avoiding the Highly Contagious Special Events bug. My guest on this week’s show co-authored an article about this for the Association of Fundraising Professionals and also, taught that workshop. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS Now, there certainly...
May 28, 2012•46 min
The unsung hero of nonprofit boards is the nominating committee. I don’t know why, but its work is undervalued by many, many non-profits. The finance committee is a big deal. The fundraising or event committee is a big deal. And then there’s the lowly nominating committee, which is pulled together for a few months with the task of finding new board members – and you better be quick about it! Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS My guest this week and I have figured out over th...
May 21, 2012•40 min
The economy is limping along and so is income for a large number of nonprofits, many whom were just making it before the recession. When you’ve cut as deep as you can, and foregone salary increases for several years, what should you do? That’s right. Give more time and attention to your individual donors and fundraising. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS On this week’s show, I have a delightful conversation with Kim Klein, a passionate fundraising consultant and blogger who...
May 14, 2012•40 min
This week’s show focuses on writing non-profit grant proposals but it comes from the funders point of view. You can find all kinds of information on the web or in your library about how to write a grant proposal, but actually very little about how it feels to be the one who has to read it and even, reject it. New nonprofit leaders, in particular, will find this show helpful because you’ll get honest comments from the director of a small but very typical grant-making organization. Subscribe with ...
May 07, 2012•34 min
This week’s episode is a “show and tell show,” which means that my guest and I want you to look at sample dashboards as we talk about them. Please download the worksheet with Sample dashboards here before you listen to the show. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS A dashboard gives nonprofit leaders an at-a-glance view of what’s happening in the organization. It measures progress at a higher level, much like your car dashboard indicates what’s happening under the hood of your...
Apr 30, 2012•35 min
This week’s show is a replay of a great episode about non-profit management that aired the week of December 12, 2012. Specifically, we discuss delegating and letting someone go. What are the elements of effective delegation? How do you balance handing over a project and making sure it stays on track? What should you do when you realize you’ve got a staff person who isn’t a fit for the work she’s been hired to do? My guests this week, Jerry Hauser and Monique Ayotee-Holtzel of the Management Cent...
Apr 23, 2012•42 min
It’s National Volunteer Week in Canada and so I speak this week with the leader of an organization that has transformed the way it thinks about and manages volunteers. The show isn’t just about volunteers, though. You’ll hear how about an honest-to-goodness transformation in how this agency serves its members, and how the board and staff function. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS This conversation ties in beautifully to the Interview with Paul Schmitz of Public Allies a fe...
Apr 16, 2012•39 min
April is National Volunteers Month so I want to revisit the topic of volunteer management. Earlier this year, I had Susan Ellis of Energize, Inc, on the show, and she made an excellent Case for strategic volunteerism in nonprofits . That interview aired the week of January 23, 2012. Now here’s a new twist: Have you ever heard of an NFL team that manages some 6,000 volunteers for local nonprofits? That’s what the Miami Dolphins organization does for nonprofits in South Florida. Last April, I had ...
Apr 09, 2012•39 min
