My career started a long time ago. A combination of luck, timing, and a few connections helped me get started in a career I didn’t even know I would like at the time. It turned out to be a career that I loved and stayed with for over a decade. Along the way, I had …

In a previous post, I introduced “A Four-Step Process for Effective Grantsmanship,” including: (1) prospecting for foundation funding, (2) cultivation, (3) grant proposal development, and (4) grant management and stewardship. (See Chapter Five in my ebook: Grants & Grantsmanship) So far, I’ve provided a lot of information on steps one through three, as well as …

On first reaction, you might think that title would evoke a “Ya think?” response. Not so fast. Too often, those seeking “major gifts” for those major campaigns, settle for what are really small gifts, not at all in keeping with the size and scope of the donations needed to meet those larger goals. While an …

The incident demonstrates why Twitter is ideal for quickly spreading information to your stakeholders When your organization is in crisis, Twitter is now the go-to platform for disseminating information to a wide audience as rapidly as possible. Never was this more apparent than in the wake of the chaotic shooting at LAX airport, where a …

Social Impact Bonds are finally moving from idea to reality, in a few states. These “pay for results” government contracts are a new form of financing where payment only occurs if the agreed-upon social results are achieved. No results, no money. Financing comes from a private sector financing intermediary, which secures funds from private investors …

United States Schools Ignore Disaster Crisis Management A surprising number of states not requiring schools to prepare for disasters We send our kids off to school every day trusting those responsible for their care are properly prepared for disaster crisis management, but the frightening reality is that most aren’t. Aid group “Save the Children” is …

Great leaders and entrepreneurs are not content merely to maintain the status quo. They are driven to see and seek out opportunities to make a big impact. Peter Drucker said, “Results are obtained by exploiting opportunities, not by solving problems. All one can hope to get by solving problems is to restore normalcy.” This is …

This post as a distillation from Chapter IV of my upcoming book: Unleashing the Power of Your Story smashwords, Winter, 2013. My last post focused on learning to see your current story. This entry is about creating a new one. You Can Change your Story Remember that we are exploring the story you have told …

You are gathering notes at a meeting for a group of documents that need to be produced. Are you listening to the individuals as they speak? Are you really hearing what they are saying? Not only that, are you writing down what they are saying? What is the meaning behind what they are saying? Are …

All of this has made me think of how important this interim phase is to nonprofits – especially small and midsize organizations. This is a time of uncertainty and it can me marked by anxiety, impulsive change by temporary leaders, reduced fundraising, etc., etc.. Or it can be a time of understanding who you have been, who you are now, and what are your dreams of becoming. It should be a time of “renewing and reworking” your relationships with major funders and key supporters. And it should be a time of preparation for willingness to adapt to a new leader with a new approach, personality, style and goals.