Financing & Loans

A few years ago I asked: “Does your nonprofit have a Director of Development who Isn’t?” Since then, I’ve encountered organizations with “Philanthropy Coordinators,” “Fund Directors,” “Donor Managers,” and people with equally unimpressive titles – people who didn’t know the definition of “Development.” So many nonprofits are hiring people for all-or-part of their fundraising/development operations …

“Development” is, by definition, the process of creating and enhancing relationships with (potential) donors to ensure current and future funding; “Fundraising” is only about income generation. With “Development,” with the relationships you create, you take a major step toward ensuring future income; with “Fundraising,” income generation focuses on “now,” with no provision, no assurance, and …

In the NP community, as elsewhere, it’s targeted marketing that is most effective. But you can’t target your market until they’ve been identified. Direct mail is, for many NPOs, an essential part of building a substantial base for the donor pyramid. But, unless you’re a huge organization with high visibility and a great level of …

An email read: “I own a catering company and we often donate goods and services to nonprofits in our community … to a generous degree. Frankly, we are discontinuing the practice, [as we’re] just tired of being treated like ‘second class’ donors.” Having heard that complaint many times before, I responded: I know exactly how …

A few months ago I received an inquiry from one of the national development publications. The writer was preparing to do a piece profiling some “…smart, brave organizations that have dispensed with a fundraising convention – tradition, “best practice”, sacred cow, what have you – and have been the better for it. One of those …

Before anyone gets insulted, a “mature” nonprofit has a strategic plan, a development plan and, even, a marketing plan. They have a budget and they know where the money is coming from to fund that budget. An “immature” nonprofit, on the other hand, doesn’t…. In a recent email, the writer said that she had been …

…that wants other people to fund their good idea !! The email said: “We have started a NPO with the premise of completing a project to support a religious group. The project is a book we plan to market, with the profits going to that group. Our team consists of experts to write, design, produce …