Thoughts on Nonprofit Leadership
Let’s be clear here. Profit and wealth accumulation are not dirty concepts in the nonprofit arena. They are needed constructs if you want your agency to get ahead.
Making a Profit
All making a profit means is a realization of positive net income, that is, revenues coming in are greater than...
By Kathleen M. Clayton, CPA
Scene One
Development Director, “I just got this huge pledge! Closing in on my budget, maybe I’ll get a bonus. Put it in my donor data base already. I need to let accounting know.” Walking over to accounting department...
We’ve all heard it, “No mission, no money.” But what does that mean exactly? After all, sometimes you just need to make money to get through. It doesn’t always have to be related to your mission, right? Wrong. If you want to stay within the purposes of your Articles of...
“I want you to find us new donors.” It could be individual, foundation, corporate or governmental donors you seek, or all of them. And I can help you. But not in ways you might think.
Target Specific Donor Groups
Attracting donors takes time and effort. And in the nonprofit world,...
One of the most difficult tasks an executive director undertakes is to get his or her nonprofit financially stable and grow. The task is especially hard during times of economic distress, when money is hard to come by and the need for services rises exponentially. To get your agency on a...
By: Kathleen M. Clayton, CPA
2020 has been a difficult year for the world and certainly for the nonprofits of the world. Many have had to adapt and provide services in different ways. Many have seen a huge uptick in the need for their services. Many have lost most, or all, of their older...
Several times over the course of my career I have been asked to implement a particular fundraising activity because Organization X raised hundreds of thousands of dollars by doing it. While I, too, want to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, I do not want to do it solely based on what worked...
As fundraisers and leaders, we all feel the financial pressure our agencies face. Especially now, with the havoc COVID-19 has wreaked on our budgets. To survive, we must meet our fundraising goals. In my experience, I’ve found the best way for me to my goals is helping other people meet...
The questions I hear most often from the nonprofits I encounter are, “How do I increase community support for my cause?” and, “Where do I find people to support my nonprofit?” The answers, strangely enough, are not based on fundraising theory. Rather, they are based...
