Nonprofit executives and board members have been encouraged to create a “culture of philanthropy” in their organizations for years. A “culture of philanthropy” is a culture where askers and givers know that they are seen as human beings. “Askers” respect “givers” and want to know what they care about. They are not interested in just “extracting funds” from another person. … [Read more...] about A Culture of Generosity
fundraising
Strategy Begets Fundraising
Of course you need more money. “No Money No Mission” is the theme of the graduate level Nonprofit Fundraising course that my colleague Dr. Bob Grimm and I are co-teaching at the University of Maryland this semester. All nonprofits need more money. But “why” do you need it? This is more than a “case statement” question. Fundraising needs should be driven by an overall … [Read more...] about Strategy Begets Fundraising
What Donors Want
Major donors want a collaborative relationship and appreciation of their philanthropic goals. This has been a major theme that we have heard this semester from numerous philanthropists and foundation executives visiting the graduate level Nonprofit Fundraising course that my colleague Dr. Bob Grimm and I are co-teaching at the University of Maryland this semester. The head … [Read more...] about What Donors Want
Invest More in Fundraising!
The end of the semester is upon us at the University of Maryland, where I am co-teaching a graduate course on Nonprofit Fundraising with my colleague, Dr. Bob Grimm. Part of the course involves student teams going out into the community to visit with nonprofit organizations and do a full evaluation of their fundraising program. I have been reading the final reports and … [Read more...] about Invest More in Fundraising!
Perceptions, Reality, & Wounded Warriors
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