Nonprofits CAN Advocate or Lobby?
Recently, I’ve heard from several of you wondering what your organization is allowed to do when it comes to advocacy (and, yes, lobbying!). As many mission-driven leaders know, weighing in on public issues is vital to advancing our causes, but the legal boundaries around lobbying can feel confusing…
How Do You Define Success?
And yes, you can measure messy, unstable and long-term stuff. Don’t start with outside voices and benchmarks. Start by asking the people who come to work every day to make your mission happen, "How do you define success?" Ask the people you serve, “What has made the biggest difference for them?” Ask questions about why you do your work the way you do. You may learn that some things need to change, but in the process you’ll have galvanized the people who care the most and want to see your work succeed.
The Joy of Giving
December is a great opportunity to help people think more intentionally about giving, about helping others, and how we can make that a continuous way of life, as opposed to something we do for a season.
Lessons in Stewardship
Sarah captured some insights about stewardship that she gained from a Biblical parable. I thought these insights would be helpful to share with everyone, so we are sharing them in our Bits and Bytes.
Season for Stewardship
I like seeing how organizations are translating themselves and how donors respond. It all beckons back to stewardship, generosity and sharing our love of people.
Reducing Volunteer Attrition
As we move through the fourth quarter, I want to remind everyone that as you are engaging volunteers that you are also nurturing them. Research shows that the average volunteer attrition rate is about 67% per year--that means 67 of every 100 volunteers stop giving their time EACH YEAR.
Strength's and Culture
August is a great month for reflection, and I wanted to get you thinking about your strengths this month. Not just realizing that your staff, volunteers and board members should be your closest constituencies, but also that those people need to be able to work together for the good of the cause.
Rethinking Donor Fatigue
I want to reflect on a topic I was discussing this week - donor competition. I have a pretty hard head, but after hearing from thousands and thousands of donors over the years (face-to- face, through survey and by phone) I finally started to understand that donor fatigue and competition for donor money are really issues of incongruence.
Breaking the Nonprofit Starvation Cycle
As 2016 winds down, more attention is being paid to fall appeals and the condition of the nonprofit sector, in particular, a phenomenon called the "Nonprofit Starvation Cycle." This was first described by Don Howard and Ann Goggins Gregory in 2009 in the Stanford Social Innovation Journal, a great journal by the way. With so much attention being paid again to it recently I thought I'd share some thoughts on this important issue.
Why Year-End Giving Counts
The final three months of the calendar year are an important time to welcome new donors and invite repeat gifts from previous donors, with 40 percent of charitable donations typically being made in December, according to The Fund Raising School.
Inviting the Board to Give
For the next few months we get to see how nonprofit organizations are positioning themselves to their donors through solicitation. It's an amazing revelation into how organizations see their donors--how they value or devalue their relationships, how they nurture or don’t nurture their donors.
The Power of Story in Fundraising
As you head into fall, keep in mind that top priority in fundraising for fall quarter is good cultivation and relationally relevant solicitation.
Harvesting the Fruits of Service
I wanted to take this time to share some recent research with you, and also affirm your work, whether as a volunteer or a staff member. As you sow, you will be renewed and your service will result in the thankfulness of others who, like me, see your commitment and are inspired to continue to press on to help others.
The Power of Giving
The US philanthropic sector is an amazing thing--it's the most developed, robust and comprehensive charitable sector in the world.
Strong Foundations
Researchers are shedding light on the problems caused by constant pressure to do more with less in the nonprofit sector. How different this is from the for-profit approach that is focused on internal strength and structure.
True Impact of Nonprofits
The U.S. is home to the most vibrant, strong and largest nonprofit sector in the world--more than 1.4 million organizations. It is always frustrating to me to see how sensationalized things become without looking at the full context of the trust equity, quality leadership, and amazing organizations we have. I wish that the media and critics would spend more time looking at our impact as opposed to what happens in one organization.
Noticing the Small Things
What is present in a relationship, or in the impact of something we do, that we may overlook because it is small, at least at first? We have to pay special attention to see it, and that requires focus and mental space to be present. Will you join me in this challenge this month? Let's spend some time looking for the overlooked things and make the decision to be attentive to seeing them.
Investing in People
Investing in people, donors, staff, and volunteers is always a sound strategy. It demonstrates true philanthropy--love of mankind--and how the power we have to change the world together starts with taking care of each other. Thank you for all you do.
13 Timeless Keys to Increasing Donor Giving
I thought this month I would revisit research I did about 18 years ago on keys to increasing giving to an organization. This was the result of researching 15 different national studies on increasing giving, along with other research that had assessed thousands of donors. I narrowed all of the research down to 13 critical things that were present in all of the research, no matter what the focus of the constituency.
Heart vs. Head
This season is a great times to remember that and be sure we take time to steward relationships well. Take time to reach out to donors in January and February and thank them for their partnership. Let them know that they matter, and show them the warmth that comes from being part of your family of shared believers in your cause.