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4 Characteristics of the Most Successful Nonprofits
No matter what industry you’re in, everyone wants to know the “secret sauce.” Those key elements that make one entity rise above all others.
What if we stopped looking at the secret to success as just that… a secret? With some guidance, expertise, and (very) doable action items, nonprofit goals are not at all unattainable.
Here are four to consider...
A Different Take on “Change” within the Nonprofit Sector
Change is at the root of every nonprofit. These organizations are working tirelessly to inspire and instill change; to solve the most pressing problems on the planet.
I’d like to propose the change needed before real change can occur… and it starts from within.
Okay, I know that may sound a little “woo-woo,” but bear with me. I’m not talking Buddhism, I’m talking BUDGET.
Fundraising PLAYBOOK: How Molly secured 100% of her nonprofit’s funding by month 6 of her fiscal year (and was volunteer-run 2 ½ years ago)
100% Funded by Month 6: Molly’s Success Story
Two and a half years ago, Molly’s organization was 100% volunteer-run. Today, she has paid staff and raises double what she used to. In fact, this year, Molly raised 100% of her budget by the sixth month of her fiscal year.
Can you imagine what meeting your fundraising goals with six months to spare feels like?
“I was going to update you when we meet next week, but we are officially fully funded for the year!” - Molly
Molly is awesome and embraces the discipline that comes with fundraising, but I promise, she didn’t do this by magic.
![Summer [ EXPERT ] Hot Seat Series - Nonprofit Fundraising and Beyond](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65280fbed04ab77a3f0cb3bc/1700591581105-JD0V8KU5DX1GA94YTH6U/image-asset.jpeg)
Summer [ EXPERT ] Hot Seat Series - Nonprofit Fundraising and Beyond
EVERYTHING impacts fundraising.
It sounds like an exaggeration, but experience has taught me it’s true.
Every time I sit down with a new client, I start with the same question that launched me on my journey in fundraising over a decade ago:
What keeps them from securing large donations from individuals?
Time and again, I see that it’s not any one thing. There’s no magic piece to the puzzle.
Fundraising PLAYBOOK: How to Grow a Nonprofit During Tough Times (What I Learned During the Last Recession)
Across the country, median family income was at one of the lowest points in a decade. The unemployment rate was quite high.
The year was 2010, and I had just left my established corporate career to work at a nonprofit.
For 13 years, I’d worked in the corporate world doing work I’d loved. But like so many of you, I was moved by a mission, and had to be part of it. So I jumped into the world of nonprofit, with little network or connections.
Fundraising PLAYBOOK: Is Your Biggest Fundraising Hurdle Your Organization’s Name, Look, or Messaging?
Is the name or look of your organization actually KEEPING you from raising funds?
I’m serious.
Years ago I was serving with a nonprofit and sat in on a board meeting. I heard the strangest thing - it actually stopped me dead in my tracks.
There were a number of board members mispronouncing the name of the organization. Yes, mispronouncing the name of the nonprofit board they were sitting on.
The THREE Nonprofit Misconceptions COVID-19 Proved Should End
How are things at your organization? If you’re panicking about fundraising, worried about the future, and not sure which steps to take next, you’re certainly not alone. Across the country and around the world, nonprofits are working out how to pursue their missions and keep paying bills during this very uncertain time.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us a lot about ourselves, from our preparedness to gaps in our healthcare system. For nonprofits, it’s shown three major misconceptions that we simply can’t take into the future with us.
Fundraising PLAYBOOK: How Serena raised 37% Budget in December alone (and that’s not the best part)
What does it take to raise $250K from individual donors during the last 30 days of the year?
To answer that, we have to ask my LET’S GROW student Serena, who raised 56% of her $670K budget in December 2019 alone.
Wow! One quarter into her fiscal year and she was already more than halfway to her budget.
Fundraising PLAYBOOK: How Anthony Got His Nonprofit Board to Raise Money
“My board doesn’t understand they are supposed to fundraise.”
It’s one of the most common phrases I hear from Executive Directors, typically followed by:
“Our board is too small.”
“We don’t have the right people on our board.”
“We’re a working-board, not a fundraising-board.”
The Executive Director then sighs, as if the discussion is over, they’re just cursed, and there’s nothing to do about it.
There’s a lot to do about it.
I’ve seen small boards, boards with challenging people on them, and working-boards be amazing at fundraising.
What’s the secret? A different, and better approach to board fundraising.
2020: A New Decade of Fundraising Goals (Summed up in a Countdown of Ten Songs from my Favorite Decade - the 80s)
I graduated high school in 1993, so I spent my elementary and middle school years in all the glory of the ’80s. There I was, dolled up in tights and alternating between perms and feathered hair.
Do you remember getting those deals in the mail where if you purchased 3 records then you could get 10 more for a penny each (or was that just in Iowa)? It was the thrill of my life when that came in the mail - and a bigger thrill when my mom let me order from the catalog! To top it all off, my best friend had a record player that lit up when you played the record. She had the Go-Go’s album, so life was amazing!
Here we are, heading into a new decade and I’m feeling a little nostalgic. January 1 can be a little overwhelming for nonprofit fundraisers. I know. You’ve got to climb that hill again and raise even more money next year. But, when you have a step-by-step plan in place to pivot from all those small-dollar donations into a diverse, mid- and major-level gift portfolio then you can truly grow!
Fundraising For Orphan Care and Vulnerable Children
In my last post, I told you about the Global Orphan Crisis, and the fundraising challenges facing nonprofits who serve these vulnerable children. So what’s an orphan care organization to do? How do you get fully funded, so you can truly pursue your mission?
Orphan Care Awareness Month
It’s November. And in the world of #nonprofits, that means it’s Orphan Care Awareness Month. This is a charge among global organizations led by CAFO which culminated on November 10th with #orphansunday in churches all across America.
Here’s why this is important to me (I’m getting personal, here)…
3 More Beliefs That Keep Nonprofits From Growing
“What’s keeping you from growing your nonprofit’s funding?”
That was the first question on a survey I conducted before I spoke at a workshop for nonprofit Executive Directors earlier this year. I wasn’t surprised by the answers--they were the same things I hear from leaders all over the country running big and small organizations.
Can you guess what the top answer was?
“Not enough time.”
It’s a puzzle, and you won’t grow until you solve it.