Finance

11 Best Small Business Insurance Companies for 2026
A professional fundraiser and fundraising professional Last week I went off on “professional fundraisers,” and, in passing, referred to Fundraising Professionals. I think I made it clear that I was opposed to the use of the vast majority of those “professional fundraisers” who raise the money for you. And, now, to clarify the differences between …
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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The best way to begin a government grant proposal is with a great kick-off meeting. If the meeting goes well, you will inform, motivate, and focus the grant proposal team on the task ahead. The proposal team is comprised of the people who will be working on the grant application. They should include the Proposal …
While billions of dollars are donated online annually, your nonprofit is probably not getting its fair share. And that’s probably because your own website is getting in the way. We have recently made online gifts “secretly” to over 80 nonprofit organizations with some surprising results, which we’ll be talking about in this and future issues. …
This posting was “provoked” by a question in an email. In fundraising, as in sales, it’s targeted marketing that is most effective. But you can’t target the folks in your market until they’ve been identified. Donor acquisition, the most expensive part of the “development/fundraising” process, is a necessary investment. And that’s what it is, an …
In workplace giving, workers solicit funds from their co-workers, and the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the Federal government’s workplace giving program. The CFC is a mandatory, completely voluntary program – and that’s not a contradiction. It is mandatory because every U.S. Federal agency in the world must conduct a CFC campaign between Sept. 1 …
Analyzing Fundraising Goal Increase: By How Much? Some time ago, an email raised the question: “When you are setting your fundraising goal for the coming year, is there a formula or commonly accepted “rule” on which to base an increase over the prior year’s goal?” There is a basic ethical rule in fundraising — that …
Show Me the Money & Keep It Coming For today’s look at grantsmanship, I am outlining a four-step process for successful nonprofit grantsmanship. And, because many people – not me, but many other people – find grantsmanship a bit dull, there are plain-language subtitles to lighten it up a bit. Grant Prospecting Figuring out who …
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 …