Executive Coaching, Leadership Training, and Personal Development
There are hundreds upon hundreds of nonprofit blogs to read. While each and every one is worth checking out, some provide more value than others.
At Fundraising Leadership, we realize you only have so much time in your schedule for reading blogs.
For this reason, we’ve compiled a list of 10 nonprofit blogs you should absolutely be reading. [Read more…]
Regardless of whether you’re looking for a new job, you’re an entrepreneur seeking investors, you’re regularly employed at an organization, you’re self-employed, or you’re a fundraiser for charities, knowing how to be captivating is fundamental to achieving your goals. How captivating and persuasive are you?
The WITA method will give you the clarity and focus you need for a captivating, winning pitch that will help you reach your dreams. Take a pen and paper and answer each of the questions below. Your answers will form the structure of your “pitch”.
Are you part of a charity or nonprofit organization that does fundraising? If so, you understand how important it is to create a high-quality website that shares a variety of information with your audience (including potential donors). In this post, our good friend and SEO expert, Charlie Rose, shares the essential elements for a donation page that converts visitors to donors. [Read more…]
I coach many fundraising professionals who are considering the next step in their career and what they really want is a job that is right for them. A job that is fulfilling, that aligns with their purpose, that challenges them, and brings out the best in them.
The journey to the right job starts with understanding your unique values, the intangibles that represent your unique essence. Your values are the compass that points you to the place where you can be true to yourself. [Read more…]
What is the secret to being in a relationship and creating magic? How can you improve the way you show up in relationships, and the way you connect with others?
I boarded the bus and found a seat in the last row, next to two young people who were chatting away. I sat there observing them… I was struck by their relationship. Looking at each other’s eyes, they listened to each other, sitting close together. Each one’s body posture shifted as if reflecting on the other, and their voices alternated in a kind of conversational dance. Watching them confirmed to me that there is an art to being in a relationship.
What would it feel like if you gave to others? Imagine devoting a brief space of time each day to giving to others; being of service to them; sharing. With one important proviso: this is giving without expecting anything in return.
My day couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. A donor called me early in the morning and unexpectedly asked me out to lunch. Within moments, that magical call had me smiling from ear to ear, filling me with energy. Receiving is one of life’s great pleasures; of course we all like being on the receiving end. We like it that someone else thought of us, and made that clear with a warm and generous gesture. Nevertheless, not only does receiving depend on others; it also doesn’t last forever.
This week’s blog is by our good friend, Alizah Epstein, who is the Founder and CEO of the Epstein Creative Group. Alizah’s firm supports mission-driven organizations that improve their communities, especially those nonprofits that focus on women’s and children’s issues. In this post, Alizah shares some great insights for curing fundraising event fatigue.
Having a marketing packet to attract your corporate sponsors is essential in helping them support your event or cause. And yet, marketing collateral alone is not enough! Sponsors need you to personally enroll them in the possibilities (and realities) that you and your organization are creating in the world. Yes, they may want to be associated with your project. More importantly, they want to be associated with you. That tandem is key.
[Read more…]
Making the ask does not follow formulas or manuals. Every case and every situation is different, and as much as you want to have a guide with every step to give, you will not find it. There are no magic formulas.
However, this is the question that many fundraisers, sellers and freelancers ask me. What do I do if …? And the truth is that this is a question that I love. They tell me, and with good reason, that the answer does not please them so much. I always tell them it depends.
[Read more…]
Getting a new donor can take years; it also takes a lot of patience, persistence and resilience to keep smiling when obstacles and setbacks appear along the way.
The more confident you are, the more likely you are to clinch a deal that is a win-win for both sides. Gaining confidence means taking the time and finding a lot of reasons to connect and to create and build the relationship, co-creating a shared vision.
[Read more…]