Making connections in the In-Between Times is a winning strategy. Early in my career, I worked for a mentor who shared a piece of advice that has stayed with me for decades. He said, “It’s what you do when you don’t have to do anything that puts you...
“How Did You Do That?” A few years ago, I had coffee with a friend who was discouraged because the events she was producing were not very well attended. Leadership in her organization kept pointing back to a previous decade when participation seemed easier and...
Why good ideas need a Roadmap Every meaningful endeavor begins the same way. Someone notices something that could be better. A teacher sees potential in a student. An artist imagines a work that doesn’t yet exist. A nonprofit leader recognizes a need in the...
Too many nonprofits begin their fundraising with a number, how much they want to raise, before they’ve even thought about why someone would give. That’s like starting a relationship with the question “Will you marry me?” on the first date. It’s functionally...
Too often, fundraising begins with a dollar goal before it has a story worth telling. But donors are not motivated solely because of the dollar amounts needed to complete fundraising goals. They give because a narrative calls to them, a narrative where they see...
