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“The Road Less Stupid” for Nonprofits: Avoiding the Mistakes That Sabotage Growth
I learned a lot in 2020, and I’m sure you did, too.
Not that it wasn’t scary. In addition to public health concerns and economic instability, from the beginning, the news was assuring us, “Most small businesses won’t survive this pandemic!”
Um, hi, that’s me.
I chose to tune out the noise. In early April, 90% of my projects felt like they were on hold, but I knew I had spent every minute of 2018 and 2019 putting infrastructure in place to make 2020 “my year.” So, I just kept showing up. I ended up having my best year yet, serving the largest clients of my career, while they got their greatest results, all over the country.
A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste
That’s the title of Chapter 10 from the book I read in late 2020 by Keith Cunningham. Keith would know about this topic. He shares how his business was making scores of millions from real estate deals, but then lost every last penny they had!
Ouch.
He said, “We needed to hear, recover, and rebuild - but do it differently next time. We wanted to be certain that we NEVER had to experience this kind of disaster again. The thinking was not that we could somehow control the economy or interest rates. We couldn’t. But what we could control was the thinking, disciplines, and strategies that allowed us to get caught in the tsunami in the first place.”
Remember when everybody said, “most nonprofits can’t survive this pandemic”?
For me, 2020 was a mental game of tuning out the noise so I could balance a world of opposites for my business and my clients. You know, generalizations like...
⚠️ The news said, “most small-businesses won’t survive this pandemic!”
I chose to tune out the noise in early April 90% of my projects felt like all my clients went ‘on hold’. I knew I had spent every minute of 2018 and 2019 putting infrastructure in place so that 2020 could “be my year”. So, I just kept showing up despite the pandemic, it happened. And it happened by a landslide resulting in my best year yet - serving the largest clients of my career, while they got the greatest results, all over the country.
2020: The year OVERHEAD became cool
This year, I’ve talked a lot about many misconceptions in the nonprofit sector that I dearly hope are left in 2020.
I started a little firestorm on LinkedIn last week when I posted a video about this topic.
The biggest one, perhaps? It's that silly conversation about the financial ratios or percentages in our sector . . . you know . . . that overhead discussion.
Yes, I want you to use your money wisely and transparently.
But when a donor said to my client “I’m not giving to your nonprofit organization this year because you’re spending a combined 25% on Admin/Ops and Fundraising”, I was just as frustrated as my client.
📣 Repeat after me: It’s ok that my Admin/Ops or Fundraising percentages are higher during some years than others.
Nonprofits and your comfort level with RISK
I have a question.
How ready do you have to be ready for change?
So, my kitchen has been getting ready for construction longer than I'd like to admit.
We moved into a fixer-upper 8 years ago with a solid 70’s kitchen. You know, the ones with pink plastic tile and all brown vintage appliances. It isn't the ‘good vintage’ kind.
We renovated other rooms when we first moved in figuring that we’d do a full kitchen remodel in three years.
Well, it’s been eight. 😲
Don’t think I don’t WANT a new kitchen (read: I don’t have a dishwasher and my oven door flops open). But I want to get it right.
The Top 11 Fundraising Challenges Development Directors Face (Results from my Recent SURVEY)
I recently surveyed a group of Development Directors, to get a better handle on what you’re all facing. I found 11 specific challenges, but the good news is that they’re definitely fixable! So fixable that I’ve created a training just for Development Directors to help them learn to tackle these challenges and start raising more money in a more sustainable way.
The three biggest things Development Directors wanted help with were:
Gaining TIME back in your schedule (so you can actually move from reactive to proactive, strategic fundraising)
Learning how to find, cultivate, and secure larger gifts from INDIVIDUALS in a way that feels comfortable and not pushy
Getting more help from your BOARD members! (Like, helping them see you can't just turn the faucet on and off - they must help too!)
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 PLAYBOOK: How My Student Raised 3X Money of Her Annual Gala Goal (by moving her event donors to annual donors)
If your gala raised 3X more than it ever had, what’s the first thing you’d do?
Seriously, what would you do?
Hire staff so that you can serve more people?
Open a larger facility closer to the people who NEED YOU?
Launch a new program to serve people in a greater way?
Finally pay yourself and your staff a living wage salary so you could dedicate your full attention to those you serve?
It’s not an idle question. It’s very, very likely that you’re leaving money on the table at your annual event, and I’m here to show you how to transform your gala, build better donor relationships, and secure larger donations that reach your organization’s true need.
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.
The Top 2 Nonprofit Growth Inhibitors That Stop You From Fundraising
“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.”
I’ve been there. It’s a real Catch-22:
Diversify Your Nonprofit Funding The Right Way
“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.”
I’ve been there. It’s a real Catch-22:
You need more help, staff, and resources to grow. But to get more help, staff, and resources, you need more donors and larger donations.