Many of us were very pleased in 2013 when the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, GuideStar, and Charity Navigator launched The Overhead Myth campaign – their effort to dispel the notion that nonprofits should operate with very low staff and infrastructure expenses. I believe that slow progress is being made in this arena. But now the Wounded Warrior Project controversy has come … [Read more...] about Perceptions, Reality, & Wounded Warriors
Preparing the Strategy Process
“We are too busy doing stuff! We don’t have time for strategic planning!” Once you get past this objection then you get: “Okay, but we need to be efficient!” Which I appreciate. None of us have the time for everything we want to get done. But I do recommend that you be deliberative about three aspects of preparing for your strategic planning process before charging ahead … [Read more...] about Preparing the Strategy Process
Storytelling & Fundraising
This semester I am co-teaching a graduate course in Nonprofit Fundraising with my colleague, Dr. Bob Grimm, who is the Director of the Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership at the University of Maryland. One of the books we are using for the course is The Generosity Network, which I highly recommend. One of the themes of the book is that when donors are engaged … [Read more...] about Storytelling & Fundraising
Boom! Are You Ready for the Boomers?
This blog is dedicated to the first wave of Baby Boomers (born 1946 – 1964) who will turn 70 years old in 2016. Are you ready for them? Much has been written about the importance of organizations getting ready for the Boomers to retire – such as my recent blog. But are you ready in other ways? The Baby Boomers represent what will be the healthiest and wealthiest retirement … [Read more...] about Boom! Are You Ready for the Boomers?
Be Aspirational, Not Foolish
Originally, the title was going to say “Be Aspirational, Not Stupid,” but I decided not to be that harsh. I spend a lot of time encouraging people to be aspirational with vision and to set Almost Impossible Goals (read more here). But some people only hear part of the message. I also say that when you set a goal that has a 1% chance of succeeding, this means it has a 99% … [Read more...] about Be Aspirational, Not Foolish