This blog is dedicated to scaling your nonprofit’s revenue.
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Do you ever wish your nonprofit mission or cause could sell itself?
Do you ever wish your mission or cause could sell itself?
Seems like it should, right?
Conversations are quick and easy and should go something like this . . .
➡️ You have an amazing mission
➡️ People read your newsletter and are immediately inspired
➡️ Tears are in their eyes when you tell the stories of those you serve
➡️ And then, boom! new donor!
➡️ And even better - it’s a giant check!
I wish.
Reality is, donors . . .
Nonprofit Leaders: Donor Fatigue isn't really a thing . . .
Recently I reviewed a Fundraising Plan where the team members were instructed to list any obstacles they saw in their path that would keep them from reaching or exceeding their annual goals.
And, guess what nearly everyone on the team noted . . .
“donor fatigue”
(I can be blunt with you, right?)
If you’re a leader and you're hearing this from your team, it’s likely a skillset issue. Not a donor issue.
The biggest thing a nonprofit board member can do to raise more money . . .
You might want to sit down.
What if I told you the biggest thing a nonprofit board member can do to raise more money isn’t fundraising?
Would you believe me?
In order to grow by millions of dollars. 2X, 3X, even 5X . . . first we must make sure you’re board is on board with these concepts . . .
Are your nonprofit board members more visionary? Or more nit-picky?
I had a great introductory call with a prospective client the other day. They are a $5M organization who wants to grow their budget by millions! They even have a Strategic Planning process on the calendar for this Fall.
She asked me a great question…Does it make more sense to start our work with you before or after the Strategic Planning process. My answer . . .
Embracing Change Is The Key to Nonprofit Growth
I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts by Ramit Sethi the other day and there was a statement made that struck me.
That statement?
Most people (even if they are failing) are more comfortable with choosing the same thing over and over again as opposed to trying something new.
My answer? I agreed with it.
Visionary Leaders: What if you're met with resistance from your nonprofit board or development team?
I was chatting with a visionary leader the other day and she made a comment that saddened me. “When I present a simple opportunity or new idea to my board or even my development team, I feel like I have to fight to convince them that we can do it.”
Sound familiar?
The next time you present an idea that was unbudgeted or a new opportunity that requires an investment and you’re met with resistance from your team, you’ve got to look what’s really behind that!
The Business Behind Nonprofit Fundraising
Recently I was being interviewed by a Board of Directors and they asked what I meant by a phrase I use fairly often.
That phrase?
The business behind fundraising.
It's even the name of my podcast. Well, here's what I mean . . .
The truth about using fundraising pitch decks . . .
The other day I saw a post that read something like “A fancy pitch deck doesn't get major donors to give more money.”
Do I agree with that statement?
Ummm…only, somewhat.
Here’s why:
In the nonprofit world, so many fundraisers kinda found themselves in fundraising. You know, they came up through the program side, moved over from corporate, or were really good at writing grants and found themselves leading the department. That’s cool and frankly one of the most favorite parts of my job.
I find that fundraisers need something in hand to help them lead donors to the best gift.
In Major Gift Fundraising, Slow and Steady Wins the Race
“The race is not always to the swift.” That’s one message to come out of Aesop’s fable, The Tortoise and the Hare. We can also apply it to major gift fundraising.
There are certain aspects of fundraising that hold a sense of urgency. Planning a gala or golf tournament has a deadline. Updating your organization’s website, posting on social media, getting your email newsletter out the door are all tasks. And, true to research, it feels good to cross them off the list. You’re being productive.
Yet, if you want to grow your unrestricted revenue, nonprofit leadership needs to start making different decisions—ones that take a “slow and steady” approach to fundraising.
GUEST POST // All Nonprofits Should Know about Cellar Angels!
With lean and mean roots, Cellar Angels opened its proverbial doors with all the drama and vigor of a sapling grapevine pushing through terra firma. They began with no professional money, relying heavily on a bootstrap model of raising start-up funds through the support of friends, family, and fellow wine enthusiasts. Despite the harrowing maze of paperwork, countless hours spent with Illinois and California-based legal experts, and a hysterically simple, yet pivotal call with California Alcohol Beverage Control, their time spent in launch-mode was not for naught. Throughout, they were given the life-shaping gift of spending time focused on their truest passion: traveling through Northern California’s Napa and Sonoma counties looking for vintners’ treasures.
GUEST POST // 4 Benefits of Data Research for Your Fundraising Strategy
You’ve probably heard it before: Not all donors are made alike. If you treat your donor base as a monolith, these differences in what donors want and need from your nonprofit can seem like a drag. However, when you recognize and identify these distinctions, they can be your fundraising program’s greatest strength.
While data research is essential across the nonprofit space—from developing advocacy campaigns to hosting events—this guide will focus on how donor data can benefit one of the most vital elements of your nonprofit: your fundraising efforts.
Data research can help you:
Find new donor prospects.
Personalize your fundraising communications.
Optimize your ask amount.
Track your fundraising success.
Ultimately, the process of data research and marketing analysis can help you determine the best way to improve current and future fundraising campaigns. With this in mind, let’s start with one of the biggest benefits of fundraising data research: lead generation.
Nonprofit donors only want to fund projects . . . actually, that's not true.
Have you ever heard, "Donors only want to fund projects."
Actually, that’s not true.
Sure, are there some donors who will only fund projects. But it’s a small percentage of donors.
Nonprofit CEOs - If you’ve heard your fundraising team say this repeatedly, you might have a problem. Why? Because they have way more control over this than they think.
Nonprofit Leaders: Why Is Your Strategic Plan Falling Short?
There’s a pretty famous quote, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” I’d like to add to that by saying that a plan is just a plan until there’s action.
When it comes to growing (thus, funding) your nonprofit, that action also needs to be really well-defined. In my recent discussion with Katie Appold, on the Nonprofit Hub’s podcast, “Good to Growth,” we delved into why nonprofit organizations—even the most ambitious ones—aren’t able to fund what is in their strategic plans.
When it comes to scaling revenue, one culprit is rooted in nonaction, or misguided action. Too often, the nonprofit’s leaders, team members, and board aren’t fully (or effectively) communicating the true financial need of the organization to its donors. The invitation to shift and stop focusing on the same old transactional activities you’ve done in the past is now.