If your group has too few foundation grants coming in for the investment you are making in staff, it may be a result of not enough research, too few inquiries, or an approach that lacks the human touch. Foundation staff and board members are people, too, and establishing a person-to-person relationship - while it might be difficult to get started - pays dividends in the long run. This article is about how to get started.
Read MoreRemember this: Foundations are in the business of investing in nonprofits that perform work leading to goals and outcomes desired by their leadership. If your group can help enable them to come closer to those goals and outcomes, they need you. You are doing something they cannot do themselves.
Read MoreCapital campaigns represent the dreams of leaders in a community to do something important and lasting on behalf of the community. And now...COVID-19. How do these leaders and their teams react to something that might completely derail their project? What if they are in the middle of the campaign? What if they now lack the funds to execute the campaign? What if they are almost ready to launch the campaign? This post has six points of advice for those planning or carrying out capital campaigns right now.
Read MoreWhat if I told you that I could bring you 100 brand new major donor prospects who will each ultimately give your organization $100,000, and over the next few years will increase their annual gifts and be among your campaign donors when you have a special campaign? You would say, “Terrific, Dianna! Where are they?”
Read MoreHave you developed metrics for your fundraising programs? How can you make them meaningful? How can you make sure your whole organization embraces them, including your Board? And how can you be sure they are helping you raise more money, producing more net income for your mission?
Read MoreBoard members often compare your organization with another they’ve heard about, in fundraising. But Fill-in-the-Blank-Organization is not like your organization, and therein lies the reason you should not be raising money exactly like Fill-in-the-Blank-Organization does. Your group needs what I call “Best Fit” fund raising activities and programs.
Read MoreEvery nonprofit has a business model (if only by default), but many are unexamined and not as effective as they need to be to support the nonprofit’s mission and vision. How can you examine yours to improve its effectiveness, making your organization’s work more sustainable for the long term?
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