Thoughts on Nonprofit Leadership

Overcoming Why Board Members Don’t Fundraise board relations for executive directors

Is your board excited about fundraising?

Mine wasn’t. When I first became an executive director, one of the first things my board said to me was, “We are not a fundraising board. That’s why we hired you.”

Ugh. I knew I had my work cut out for me if finances were going to...

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Raising More Money with the Resources You Have development planning for executive directors

Do you, as executive director, want to increase your nonprofit’s capacity without increasing the budget? It can be done.

Meet the maternal health education agency whose funding was about 80 percent from government, just under 20 percent from foundations, and the rest individual donations....

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How to Hire Good Development Staff for executive directors work relationships

This week, I give you excerpts from my book The Sustainable High ROI Fundraising System to guide you in hiring fundraising staff.  

The Development Director’s Role

“A development director is a fundraising generalist with skills and experience in a wide variety of revenue...

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Why I Pay It Forward for executive directors work relationships

Executive directors must accomplish a lot of daily tasks, while also dealing with unforeseen emergencies. No matter how well you plan your week, something urgent always crops up. Making th­e job frenetic. As an executive director, in any one day you:

  • Manage operations
  • Satisfy funders and...
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A Small Change that Can Make a Big Difference for executive directors relationship building

This week we are exploring how a small change in your marketing strategy can make a big difference in your fundraising results. To explain, here are a couple of excerpts from my latest book The Sustainable High ROI Fundraising System.

Targeting Donors

“Attracting donors takes time and...

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How to Increase Fundraising Capacity Without Incurring Extra Costs financial management for executive directors fundraising

You’re an executive director. Finances are tight. You need to grow your fundraising capacity but don’t have the money to do it. What do you do?

Most nonprofit leaders focus on executing those fundraising activities that raise the most gross revenues, not accounting for costs,...

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How to Fulfill Your Fundraising Dreams for executive directors fundraising

Do you need your board members more engaged in fundraising? Is your fundraising staff meeting your overall financial goals? Do you dream of your community readily supporting your cause?

It’s what I dreamed of as an executive director. I remember being told at my first board meeting,...

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How to Raise More General Operating Monies financial management for executive directors fundraising

Are you looking for more money to pay for rent, utilities, administrative salaries, and other core operating costs? What if I told you could find it, with just a few small changes to the way you are currently fundraising?

If your agency is like most nonprofits, you have funding for programs but...

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How to Hire a Good Fundraising Consultant for executive directors work relationships

Most nonprofits hire an outside fundraising consultant at one point or another in their life cycles. Some consultants assess situations and provide solutions, some facilitate trainings, and some perform specialized tasks. And, like everything, some are better than others. At least for your...

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