Bringing new people on to a nonprofit organization’s board is, if done well, a lot of work. Identifying people with the right skills who have a passion for your mission can feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Once a potential new board member has been identified, most organizations then struggle with the delicate and often awkward process of actually talking … [Read more...]
Why Strategic Planning Matters for Non-profits and 4 Steps to do it Well
Originally published at BlueAvocado.org. During a recent call with a leader of a nonprofit organization, he asked a question I've been getting more and more. "Do we really need a strategic plan?" He continued, "It seems like a lot of work for some pie-in-the-sky document that rarely gets used." If done the wrong way, strategic planning can be exactly that: a lot of work … [Read more...]
Hiring a Fundraising Consultant: Connections versus Capacities
Look not for connections they bring, but for capacities they leave. In the process of negotiating virtually every fundraising consulting contract we have ever had, there’s a moment when a staff or board member will say: But can you get us connected to Mrs. Megabucks, because we know that if she just knew more about us she would give us a million dollars. We have sent her … [Read more...]