Seth Godin’s thought-proving, minimalist posts constantly inspire me. I am in awe at how he manages to convey so much, in so few words, and always get me thinking. So much so, that I often want to . A recent post got me considering the way nonprofits structure job descriptions and conduct performance evaluations. It’s not…
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As you plan for the year ahead, it’s smart to think about risk vs. reward.
Sometimes you feel like a risk; sometimes you don’t.
If everything is going along swimmingly, and you want to take things to the next level, then taking a calculated risk may be just the thing.
If you’re not yet maximizing return using tried-and-true best practices, then going the risky route may make less sense.
If you’re wondering when to take risks with your nonprofit’s marketing and fundraising, here’s my answer: When you’re ready.
Begin by determining which current strategies are your most rewarding. Do you have good basics in place?
DetailsTax benefits are icing on the philanthropy cake. What to do when the icing is melting? First, the good news. The sky is not falling. Human beings have given long before the existence of charitable deductions. Human beings are generous. They like being helpful. They like making a difference. They like doing the right thing.…
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Many nonprofits are stuck.
They’re tethered to their early decisions. Often made by others who came before them.
But times change. Organizations evolve.
Or they don’t.
The organizations that don’t adapt to changing times are often those that fail to make new decisions. They’re the ones who say “that’s not how we do things here.” Or they poo-poo decisions made by new folks who come on the scene, saying “they don’t understand our culture.”
These are the organizations that tend to shrink over time. They lose their energy. Their once-vital raison d’etre becomes less urgent. And their appeal to donors diminishes.
I recently listened to Jerry Panas, one of the most revered fundraisers in our country, talk about what he called the “deficit of mission.” He made it very clear that boards have two critical roles:
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The recent Equifax hack has millions of people worrying about the security of their personal data. While this was a particularly egregious and dramatic attack, it’s certainly not the only one. And nonprofits are not immune. Which is why I asked an expert for advice as to what nonprofits can do to protect themselves and their donors. Ged Mackey is Chief Technology and Security Officer of MobileCause. He told me about a problem I’d never heard of called “Card Testing.” Here’s what he had to say.
I don’t usually do this, but today I’m incorporating the full text of a recent blog by Seth Godin. It’s not about philanthropy or fundraising. Or, is it? He says it’s about ‘goodwill,’ or the lack thereof. What it costs you to lose it. I say – you really should read what he says…
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They’re meant for each other. Yet it may take a while to bring them together.
Here’s what I mean:
Peanut butter was first introduced at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. It didn’t get mixed with jelly until 1901, when the first PB&J sandwich recipe appeared in the Boston Cooking School Magazine of Culinary Science and Domestic Economics. It was served in upscale tea rooms, and was exclusive food. Until the world changed.
The 1930 Depression made peanut butter, a low-cost, high-protein source of energy, a star. But not the combo sandwich. Not yet.
Then…WWII.
Peanut butter and jelly were on U.S. Military ration menus. Soldiers added jelly to the peanut spread to sweeten the sandwich and make it more palatable. When soldiers came home from the war, peanut butter and jelly sales soared.
Suddenly this marriage became the norm. Why separate them? After all, they went together like… PB&J!
We never looked back.
They didn’t start out married, but they belong together.
Here’s what I mean:
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A good fundraising strategic plan, like a menu, should be broken into component parts so it’s easy to wrap your brain around.
With a menu, it might be appetizers, meat entrees, seafood entrees, vegetarian entrees, sides and desserts.
With a fundraising plan, it tends to break down into strategies. It might be annual giving, major gifts, legacy gifts, grants, events and so forth.
Before you can get to determining your priority strategies, however, you need to do a mini fundraising audit.
When I begin working with a new nonprofit client, I always ask the same three questions.
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A sailboat without a sail might float.
For a long time, in fact.
But without a sail, it can’t go anywhere, can’t fulfill its function.
Floating is insufficient.
– Seth Godin
These are serious questions that deserve your serious consideration.
So… take a moment right now to answer these three questions for yourself.
Go ahead.
Put an “F” or an “S” next to each one of these.
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I’ve been asked this question many times.
One of the ways I’ve answered is with my own question: If you could invest 20 cents to get a dollar, would you? If you could invest 50 cents to get a dollar, would you?
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