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Your Nonprofit Location Has Very Little Bearing on Your Fundraising Success
A funny conversation I have every few months….
(For context, I serve organizations all over the country but I run my consultancy out of Chicagoland.)
“Sherry, our board wants us to work with ‘a local consultant’ who knows the donors in our market”. Followed by . . .
Nonprofit Board Members: Are you being an energy giver? Or an energy taker?
Nonprofit Board Members: May I ask a direct question?
In your board service - Are you being an energy giver? Or an energy taker?
Nonprofit Leaders: You Need To Be Yourself To Form Deeper Relationships With Donors
An honest confession here . . .
I cringe a little bit when I’m asked for “a script for donor calls”. Whether it’s for leadership, your board members, or staff . . .
Why?
Misconceptions about Nonprofit Boards
I recently read a great article from my colleague Sarah Olivieri called “Top 5 Reasons Communication Breaks Down Between Boards and Executive Directors”. I’ll link it HERE.
Here’s why I’m still thinking about it . . .
Nonprofit Leaders: Focus on Relational Fundraising Strategies
Nonprofit Leaders: If your Development Committee spends their entire meeting brainstorming about social media or how to hit your 5K goal, you have a bigger problem than you think. How so?
Nonprofit Fundraising and Major Donors
I had an Ah-ha moment the other day. I had this realization that many Board Members (and fundraisers) don’t actually know WHO a major donor is.
What I mean is….Too often I hear “I don’t know any major donors.”
First off, this isn’t true. We all do. I promise you.
Sherry Quam Taylor on Elevate Your Event Podcast
I was recently on the Elevate Your Event podcast, hosted by Jeff Porter and Inga Veiss of Handbid. It was a fun conversation!
We took a deep dive into game-changing strategies like diversifying revenue streams, building authentic relationships with major donors, and evolving board roles to drive sustainable growth.
Nonprofit Fundraising Is Fairly Practical (if we let it be!)
Does your Board Member believe your organization's mission is worthy of THEIR network giving a donation to….WITHOUT getting prizes, gimmicks, or gifts in return? Really?
No auction items. No chicken dinner. No wine pull. No casino night?
Here’s how I can tell they’re not convinced….(real issues with real clients right now)
4 Characteristics of the Millennial Nonprofit Board Member (and how to recruit them!)
Is your organization facing the “silver tsunami”? That’s a phrase relayed by Julia C. Patrick, Founder and CEO of American Nonprofit Academy and host of The Nonprofit Show—and something we talked about extensively on a recent episode of my podcast, Business Behind Fundraising. You can listen to that episode here.
So, what does silver tsunami mean, exactly?
Nonprofit Leaders: What is the average age of your board?
What’s the average age of your board? (And why does that even matter?)
In my recent conversation on my podcast with Julia C. Patrick, we really dug into the issue of the increasing number of board members stepping down (or, unfortunately, passing away).
Who will be there to replace them? Certainly not cohorts of the same age, or at least not enough of them.
Your Nonprofit Staff Needs to Lead Your Board
I feel like I can be direct with you. Hosting a Fundraising Workshop for your Board won't create magic.
Do I require a Board Workshop within all my contracts? Yes.
Do I want your Board to understand their role in resourcing your organization? Yes.
Will a workshop be the one thing that changes your board? Helps them ‘get it’? No.
Why?
NEW NONPROFIT RESOURCE: BUILD A BETTER BOARD MEMBER
I’m launching a new RESOURCE!
It's a GUIDE I call BUILD A BETTER BOARD MEMBER [ 3 overlooked characteristics that make or break your board's success ]
Invest Deeply in Your Nonprofit Team, Then Your Board Will Follow
I’m going to give you two pieces of advice that might sound contradictory.
ONE: All board members need training to understand their role in fundraising (especially pipeline work).
TWO: Nonprofit fundraising staff shouldn’t wait for their board when it comes to fundraising. Go build your pipeline.
See, those feel contradictory. But, both are true at the same time.