Boards – In the last few years there has been a great deal of progress with governance – even for small organizations. Board members are taking this responsibility much more seriously and this is good news. Now what is also happening is that Boards are beginning to wake up to their responsibility for financial management and fundraising. They are connecting the dots…if you approve a budget you also need to ensure that the revenue is there to support that budget. And Behold! That often requires fundraising.

Second outbreak in as many months from Cardinal Meat Specialists As if the beef industry wasn’t in enough trouble with the entire horsemeat debacle, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed that two people have contracted food poisoning, caused by E. coli, after eating frozen beef burgers. The company responsible for manufacturing the burgers, Cardinal …

Last month I defined Planned Giving. Why have a Program? I’ve got a few reasons. Build lifetime relationships. When a donor tells you they’ve put you in their estate or retirement plan, you’ve got the rest of their life to thank them. And you should take every opportunity. Draw them close to your work by …

Sometimes it takes a crisis to solve one Millions of gallons of radioactive goop are threatening to leak into the ground of eastern Washington state, and it’s not the fun, ninja-turtle-creating kind. Here’s a quote, from a SeattlePI article by Shannon Dininny: The long-delayed cleanup of the nation’s most contaminated nuclear site became the subject …

Moonshot #1: Management That Serves a Higher Purpose (1) As more companies embrace and begin adopting the frameworks of our intersection (see January 7, 2013 blog post), the role of managers, supervisors, and bosses is changing. With the rise of self-organizing and self-managing teams, one could ask: What is the Purpose of Management, period? To …

How to Develop a Fruitful Nonprofit Fundraising Plan on Island A Reader wrote: “Even after 18 years in development, and earning the CFRE credential, I still have a hard time making the mental adjustment from thinking about our clients’ and organization’s needs to thinking about the needs of the donor. And it’s a totally foreign …

“How can I motivate my team?” This question is quite common with my executive coaching clients. I will often ask – “Have you asked them what motivates them?” Usually the answer is “No”. Motivators are unique to each person and situation. Motivators can be external or internal or some of each. External Motivators: (sometimes these …

Happy Valentine’s Day! Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday because it is all about spreading and celebrating LOVE! When I was also thinking about what V-day could mean, I thought of the word VALUE. So I thought on this special day why don’t I share with YOU what I most love and value, which should …

While it’s easy to sign up and start a page for your brand, that doesn’t mean you’re going to be able to generate a quality network. In order to use Facebook effectively, there are a few techniques that need to be implemented.

Grant proposals should go through a five-step writing process: •  Plan: Think through your proposal section. •  Organize: Use the grant guidelines as your outlining format. •  Write: Write in a free-flowing manner. •  Examine: Step back from your writing; review it later; then, let others review it. •  Revise: Emphasize clarity, conciseness, correctness, and persuasiveness. I already have discussed …