You did it! Congratulations on receiving your 501(c)(3) Determination Letter. Let’s review some fundraising fundamentals before your organization can begin accepting donations.
Strategic Planning and your Organization's Life Cycle
All organizations go through three different stages—Growth & Maturity, Decline, and Rebirth. In this article, I will walk you through the various stages to help you determine which fits you best.
Pride & Pronouns
What better way to celebrate Pride month than to take inventory of your organization and ask – are we doing everything we can to ensure inclusivity towards members of the LGBTQIA+ community?
A good first step to take (or second step, or third step…) is to consider your organization’s use of pronouns.
Building Diverse, Equitable, & Inclusive Boards
If diversity, equity, and inclusivity are your organization’s values, it is essential to have a diverse, equitable, and inclusive Board of Directors. The community and funders are paying attention to your Board of Directors, and they want to see that the board reflects those values. A diverse, equitable, and inclusive Board of Directors can also lead to a more creative and effective governance body. The key to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive Board of Directors is to analyze your organization’s recruitment, requirements, responsibilities, and recognition of board members.
Four Best Practices For Effective Donor Stewardship
There are three basic stages in a fundraising cycle: a) cultivation, b) solicitation and c) stewardship. This article will focus on donor stewardship and four best practices to encourage a recurring donation. The power of gratitude cannot be understated.
Using Eid Al-Fitr as a Model for Hospitality
Many Muslims celebrate Eid Al-Fitr by hosting a large gathering and meal for family and friends, just as they would for the iftar-meals that mark the end of the fasting days throughout Ramadan. Especially in the predominately Muslim Middle East and North Africa region of the word, the hosts of these celebrations are renowned worldwide for the radical hospitality shown to their guests – be they family, friends, or even perfect strangers!
So how is this relevant to nonprofits, and other small businesses?
If you’ve ever been new to an organization – perhaps you have experienced hospitality at your new workplace. Or, perhaps your experience wasn’t a good one, and you wished you had been shown a bit more hospitality!
So how is this relevant to nonprofits, and other small businesses?
If you’ve ever been new to an organization – perhaps you have experienced hospitality at your new workplace. Or, perhaps your experience wasn’t a good one, and you wished you had been shown a bit more hospitality!
Celebrating Capital Campaign Successes Starts on day one
There are many parts and stages to a capital campaign but one of the most important aspects is to celebrate your successes along the way no matter how small.
The Six Rights to a Successful Major Gift
Fundraising professionals use different strategies to fundraise for their nonprofit organizations, but one strategy is always a game-changer, and that is setting up a major gift program. Lately, we are seeing a trend, 90% of donations come from 10% of donors. That small but influential group of donors are major gift donors.
Volunteer Management in 2021
If volunteers have a critical role to play in the health of your organization, it is equally important that you take the steps necessary to protect the health and well-being of your volunteers – especially as groups begin to shift away from working virtually, and begin to gather in person again.
How to Name your Nonprofit Start-up
When starting up a non-profit organization, one thing people often get stuck on is coming up with the name of the organization. I have four tools that you can use when coming up with a name for your non-profit organization.
Intercultural Competency Should Be Included in Your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan
Intercultural competence is more than just learning about different cultures or understanding differences. It is about adapting to those differences and making your organization more inclusive. It might also mean changing the way your organization does things so that everyone involved in your organization can fully engage and thrive.
Best Practices for Annual Giving Campaigns
The annual giving campaign is an opportunity to promote your organization’s mission, expand your list of committed donors, and raise necessary funds to support general operations and programs. Below are best practices for a successful annual giving campaign.
5 Quick Tips to Improve your Website's SEO Ranking
Taking small steps to improve your website's SEO or Search Engine Optimization ranking does not have to be a complicated process. You may be surprised – as I was – that a handful of small, straightforward tasks can do much to make sure more people find your website via an online search.
Virtual Meeting Software for Creative Work Environments
Zoom has become a verb for virtual meetings and conferences, but Zoom is not the only available software meeting platform.
How to Hire Better Employees and Reduce Costly Turnover.
The hiring process is tiresome for all involved. Nonprofits leaders strive to find the best fit for their team but worry about how to make the determination with limited information. Job seekers turn in countless resumes hearing back from only a small few. How can we change up the process to more effective? Below are several tips to help you change up your system to produce better results!
What Should you do to Replace your Annual Gala?
Many nonprofits are considering how to replace their annual galas. COVID-19 threw us all for a loop. Overnight we shift services and developed new structures. However, nonprofits are only able to do their love-changing work through philanthropic support and in-person events still aren’t safe. Below is a curated list of several virtual fundraising ideas to help give you the motivation to run a successful event that helps you continue to keep the lights on and the doors open in the midst of crisis.
Team Dynamics in a Virtual Setting
Working from home doesn’t mean that team dynamics are out the window. Carefully thinking through how your team members relate to each other and work together in times of crisis is critical.
Four Mistakes to Avoid when Starting your Nonprofit
Plenty of very well-meaning entrepreneurs have an idea and a passion but need help starting out in the nonprofit sector. Here are four tips for avoiding pitfalls and creating sustainable organizations.
3 Tips for Designing Successful Programs
Many great initiatives fail to launch due to poor planning but with careful consideration, you can set any program up for success. Below are three tips to consider when engaging in your program design process.
Four Tips for Excellent Virtual Board Meetings
COVID-19 forced us to rethink how we operate. Nonprofits shifted their programs, fundraisers, and services overnight to adapt to the new reality. The pandemic also forced nonprofit boards to meet virtually. Rapid change is hard but the good news is, board meetings are extremely adaptable to the virtual setting. Here are four tips to make your next meeting a success.