Finance

11 Best Small Business Insurance Companies for 2026
I received an email some time back that, with my response, suggests a way to think through the question of whether or not to use a prospect research firm. “I was a participant in your recent workshop on Major Gifts and wanted to thank you for an informative and inspiring session. My organization, The XYZ …
Forming an LLC is a smart move to shield your personal assets from business liabilities, but that protection only holds if you keep your finances separate. One of the first and most important steps? Opening a dedicated business bank account. The choices you make early on can have a lasting impact on your business, and …
Tennessee’s vibrant mix of urban centers like Nashville and Memphis, historic small towns, and scenic rural communities means residents need banking solutions as diverse as their lifestyles. Whether you’re a music industry professional, a college student in Knoxville, a retiree in the Smoky Mountains, or a small business owner in Chattanooga, your bank should offer …

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When I started my career in fundraising, in the late ‘70s, my first employer was one of the traditional capital campaign-consulting firms — one of those firms that, for the most part, only engaged in feasibility studies and capital campaigns. Like many like similar firms, there was little attention paid to the broad concepts of …
For the last 50-60 years, a Feasibility Study has been “required” before planning and/or implementing a Capital Campaign, and its basic concept and structure hasn’t changed in all that time. I contend that it’s more than obsolete, it’s counter-productive. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t first determine the feasibility of …
When the question of major gift fundraising first arises, many unsophisticated board members, volunteers and staff immediately begin talking about the “rich and famous” — with Bill Gates being the name at the top of almost everyone’s list. The wrong assumption that many people make — and one that can become a major time waster …
Many Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) use the term “Major Gifts” to refer to those that are larger than the usual range of gifts that arrive in the mail. Typically, $1,000 is the magic number. But, unless an organization’s budget and/or the amount to be raised via the fundraising process is unusually small, gifts of $1,000 won’t …
Had a call, today, from a non-profit organization that has never before done a “major” event, but they’ve decided that they really want to do one now. I could probably have transcribed the conversation before we began talking, as it seems like there’s not a week that goes by that I don’t get a similar …
Grants represent the most effort for the least predictable return. The question, therefore, is to first determine what resources will be needed before an organization contemplates launching a grants program!! Researching grant sources, planning projects, preparing proposals and budgets and managing funded programs all require a lot someone’s time/labor – all of those comprise the …
That’s an important distinction. The defining characteristic of a gift is that control over its use passes to the recipient the minute the transfer is made. While some donors may restrict a gift to a general purpose — scholarships for example — decisions over the deployment of the funds within that restriction rest entirely with …