Cross-cultural events can be a fun way for participants to learn more about each other. While many of these events tend to celebrate surface-level culture, to have a successful event it is important to have activities to help participants learn about surface-level and below-the-surface-level culture. Different activities can be done at cross-cultural events to celebrate both levels of culture.
Whether you celebrate Volunteer Month or Week, April is a time for the nonprofit sector to focus on those who give of their time freely. Volunteers provide an enormous benefit to the sector. For example, volunteerism offers a value of over $1.8 billion dollars to the U.S economy. However, you might find it hard to recruit volunteers and use them well. Spark Group provides four best practices for getting the most out of your volunteer program.
Many of us fundraising professionals have questions about how or when we can host in-person events. Living with the coronavirus for the past two years has taught us new ways technology can support fundraising to coordinate three types of events: in-person, virtual, and hybrid. Most importantly, we should think about what will make for a unique and meaningful experience for donors.
How do you become an exceptional leader in a time of crisis? Start by understanding your default leadership style. Once we know what leadership style comes naturally to us, we can then build a plan for how to improve other aspects of our leadership. Building up our skills in each of the frames allows us to adapt to changes and crises and become exceptional!
Nonprofit leaders are looking for ways to get back on track with strategic plans developed before the pandemic. But what exactly Pandemic Recovery looks like for each of us varies from organization to organization. Pivoting responds to a new context. It is not the same as ‘mission drift,’ and does NOT signify failure. It takes an organization firmly rooted in its community to respond to its needs.
Over the past two years, strategic planning trends have been on a rollercoaster ride. Nonprofit leaders started 2020 with shiny new plans and high hopes for the next five years but were walloped by COVID reality. Now, more than ever, nonprofit leaders need to carefully consider what is relevant.
Implicit biases are weaved into the very fabric of your organization–your systems, policies, procedures, and protocols. In this article, I will name three places where implicit biases can show up in your organization.
You are not alone! Professional networking groups can inspire a fresh perspective or put the ‘fun’ back into fundraising. Here are the top five reasons professional networking groups can improve your fundraising.
If your team is like ours here at Spark Group, you likely have times when you work remotely and in other situations where you are in person. Sometimes, when working with clients, we work with individuals in-person and virtually simultaneously. Below are our picks for the top tools that help facilitate meaningful hybrid workplaces.
We are well into the Great Resignation, and everyone is talking about retaining employees. Professional development is one way to retain employees, increase productivity, and support organizational growth.
I like to think of myself as a creative, innovative individual, and often pride myself on my ability to come up with (what I consider to be) great new ideas! So -- full disclosure -- the first time I heard the advice I’m going to share with you today, it was somewhat of a hard pill to swallow.
Utilize existing best practices for Program Design. Funders don’t typically want to see how innovative and creative your new program ideas are; they want to know their money is being invested in proven methods, upholding any industry standards.
Writing a federal grant may seem like an intimidating task, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are 4 tips for greater success to help you secure federal grant funding. Of course, no grant application can ever be 100% guaranteed to be successful (and anyone who tells you differently is running a scam!) But with these four tips in mind, you can feel confident as you write and submit your federal grant application.
This year, Allyship should be part of your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work. I outlined steps to integrate it into your work. These steps are critical to moving your organization from performative allyship to authentic allyship.
Strategic plans are useless if we fail to create action steps and align our team’s focus. Follow these steps to make your plan work for you!
Farewell, 2021, and welcome the new year, 2022! The start of a new year is a great time to help your organization set the stage for months to come. So here are five fundamental fundraising resolutions you should make this year.
As you gear up for your end-of-the-year holiday party, including one particular ‘secret ingredient’ can ensure your staff feels valued and appreciated.
‘Tis the season of generous giving! As we wrap up the last two months of the year, there are a couple of things to do to keep the fundraising momentum going through the new year. Take a moment to organize donations, and don’t forget to send out thank you notes.
A Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) evaluation is critical to an organization's end-of-the-year review. While this might not be a part of an organization's current end-of-the-year process, it is an important piece to add.
Recruiting new volunteers can be an excellent way to give your organization a bit of a ‘facelift.’ In the process of recruiting new volunteers, you’re getting your organization’s name and mission out into new corners of the community. Plus, the new faces coming through your doors can breathe new life and excitement into ongoing projects and programs.
From the bottom of my heart to the moon and back, you really made my day! Is that too personal or should I be a little more formal? Donor stewardship is everything that happens after someone has made a donation. Your donors should have a positive experience and want to continue supporting your organization’s needs in the future.
