It seems like every nonprofit today has a “sustaining” donor program (donors who give automatically via their checking account or credit card on a monthly basis), or is working to launch one. Donors giving continuously without having to be asked more than once is a fundraiser’s dream come true. Plus, sustaining donors save precious resources. [...]
On May 6, 2013, The Aliveness Project in Minneapolis took the next major step in fulfilling its mission. It cut the ribbon on its new home at 3808 Nicollet Ave. in Minneapolis. Thanks to the gifts of many generous donors and a loan from the Nonprofit Assistance Fund, it can now renovate and move to [...]
One of my favorite activities in nonprofit communications is boiling down messaging to the bare essentials to really get at the heart of the transformative change our clients are making happen. In the nonprofit world, we have a tendency to focus on our organization and how wonderful it is in our external marketing. We assume [...]
Today is a snowy day. Things are moving very slowly on the roads here in St. Paul. It’s a good day to reflect, in between shovels of snow, and look at big picture issues. Like the importance of mission. Too often, tactics take over and drive the process, leaving mission in the dust. While it’s [...]
Our clients hear this phrase often – build a culture of philanthropy in your organization. In a not-for-profit organization, philanthropy is everyone’s job; it isn’t the exclusive jurisdiction of the CEO and the development staff. In fact, one person or one department simply can’t handle it alone. A healthy culture of philanthropy means that everyone [...]
As children, we are taught to gather around on the floor to listen to stories. For many parents, reading a story is the last thing we do with our little kangaroos before tucking them in for the night. Corporations like Target are master storytellers. They actually create stories within our own minds that tell us [...]
Today I heard one of the smartest people in the philanthropic world speak about the Tax Relief Act of 2012. Craig Wruck, Vice President of University Advancement at Humboldt State University and Relentless Optimist, has been a long time mentor of mine and a person I trust with all my being. I was fortunate to [...]
Have you ever thought if people only could understand what our program participants have to overcome, I know they would (INSERT what you need them to do: give, volunteer, advocate)? Perhaps you have loads of data about how your work changes lives or affects systemic change. Do you find yourself conveying information in the same [...]
It’s been our privilege to work with many fine health care organizations. Raising funds for long-term care presents special challenges for reaching beyond the families whose loved ones are residents in a long term care facility. The general public has many misconceptions about the topic. We’re experiencing this on a personal level in my family [...]
Fear is powerful. It prevents us from trying new things. It keeps us up at night. It holds us back from developing the kinds of relationships in our professional and personal lives that make things happen. And it has no place in nonprofit strategy. The next time you are overtaken with anxiety or fear of [...]
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