One of the most dangerous things in the nonprofit sector is the negative tone around the cost of doing business.

Read: The resources/staff you need to scale!

These are investment opportunities that yield a high rate of return. And critical when attempting to fully finance your nonprofit aspirational budget.

Want to raise to your REAL budget? Add $1M to your nonprofit’s bottom line? But, you've have struggled to do in the past? And now, inflation makes it harder?

Let me ask you this? How much would you pay to learn how to do that from someone who does this on a regular basis with success?

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.

Big revenue goals take time. Big fund diversification goals do also.

Both require a multi-year approach and disciplined effort.

Nonprofit: “We can’t do X. It’s not in the budget.”

This phrase makes no sense at all to me . . .

Can I challenge a common assumption about why certain nonprofit orgs grow their programs and revenue faster and further than most?

I have a client like this. She’s killing it. Has grown a steady clip for years . . .

Why is everyone obsessed with an elevator pitch? 

I was in a discussion with a client’s vendor and EVERYTHING fundraising related kept coming back to questions about the elevator pitch.

This year I did something I hadn't done for quite a few years. I ‘said yes’ to working with two clients with annual budgets just under $1M. 

You know why? 

In both cases, these two leaders were phenomenal. I could just tell they were ready to commit to doing the work when they reached out.

What’s the cost of not creating an annual budget that reflects what you REALLY need?

If your fundraising team’s annual plan mentions “donor fatigue” as a potential obstacle for them not reaching or exceeding their annual goals . . .

You have a skillset issue. Not a donor issue.

I was on a webinar where we discussed shifting project-based funding from institutions into flexible general-operating support. I knew I had a great case study to share.

Here’s what I guided my client through in the 12-months we worked together . . .

For some of you, it’s budgeting season.

If you want to grow tremendously over the next few years, make sure you’re not letting the tone and invisible scripts of the nonprofit sector underestimate what you’re capable of . . .