As you flesh out your nonprofit’s strategic plan for the new calendar or fiscal year, you’re likely looking for ways to build on last year’s success without overextending your resources and team’s effort. That’s why implementing efficient processes is a worthy investment, especially during these formative months early in the year.
While making large changes to your daily operations can be daunting, it’s ultimately essential to catalyze your nonprofit&rsq [...]
How will your nonprofit make an impact one year from now? Or five years from now? Amid shifting priorities, resources, and community needs, how do you stay the course on your mission? The answers lie in strategic planning.
A nonprofit strategic plan is a roadmap that outlines how your organization will accomplish its long-term goals, typically encompassing the next three to five years. Whether you aim to build more lasting partnerships with major donors or provide more high-quality and acc [...]
Sustainable fundraising has been a top priority for nonprofit professionals this year. According to the most recent Giving USA report, total charitable giving and individual donations are down compared to recent years. As a result, organizations are looking for ways to foster flexible, reliable fundraising streams that create more resiliency in their long-term fundraising strategies.
With that in mind, we’ve outlined five practical strategies to develop a sustainable donor pipeline t [...]
With countless businesses and nonprofits alike competing for attention, building a recognizable brand means the difference between staying in the shadows and becoming a household name. Establishing a recognizable and trustworthy brand ensures your organization stays at the top of people's minds when they think about which nonprofits to support.
A brand awareness strategy doesn’t just attract funding; it builds long-term relationships with donors, volunteers, beneficiaries, and co [...]
By nature, your nonprofit’s finances are unpredictable. From varying donation types, frequencies, and amounts to fluctuating program needs and expenses, your organization must be able to pivot quickly and adapt to financial changes. That’s why flexible funding is key to fueling your nonprofit’s strategic plan.
Flexible funding drives both financial sustainability and advances, allowing your nonprofit to seize new opportunities without being constrained by funding restric [...]
As your nonprofit grows and changes, it’s inevitable that your operations must change with you. You may outgrow systems that previously worked or expand beyond the scope of your original . When the time comes to make that change, how will you decide what’s the next best step for your nonprofit?
When it comes to improving your operations, data-backed decision-making is one of the best ways to go. With key information at your fingertips, you’ll make adjustments that ensure [...]
Any organization that relies on fundraising dollars needs a clear strategic plan for success. However, it’s important to recognize that strategic planning isn’t a one-time process; your nonprofit’s strategic plan should be a living document that evolves as needed to help you continue reaching your goals.
This guide reviews five tips to help adjust your strategic plan to keep it on track throughout the year:
Check in on your resource and staff allocation. Assess p [...]
How can your nonprofit plan for the future in a sustainable, measured way that sets your entire team up for success? By creating a nonprofit strategic plan!
A strategic plan is a document that identifies the goals your organization needs to achieve in the next one to five years to get closer to accomplishing its mission. It also outlines how you’ll work toward those goals.
A strong nonprofit plan can help you ensure your current and future projects are aligned with your larger v [...]
Every nonprofit understands how important major donors are—they provide the largest contributions to your annual fund, invest in your growth through donations to capital campaigns, and serve as long-term ambassadors for your cause. Their commitment to your organization warrants plenty of individualized attention from your staff members, especially when you’re trying to solicit a prospect’s first major gift.
However, cultivating major donor relationships is an intricate pr [...]
Your nonprofit knows that putting together a fundraising event is no easy feat! Between setting up an event committee, booking a venue, and creating an engaging program agenda, a lot of work goes into crafting the perfect event. However, regardless of how much you plan for your events, their success largely depends on how well you’re able to market them to your supporters.
Your nonprofit has many marketing tools at its disposal, but one of the best ways to expand your reach and stir [...]
For nonprofits like yours, effective financial planning is essential to furthering your mission. Not only does it allow you to fund your various programs while still being able to pay the bills, but it also sets your organization up for long-term growth and sustainability.
The most important financial planning tool at your nonprofit’s disposal is your annual operating budget. This document details all of the expenses your organization expects to incur in a given year, as well as all [...]
In today’s socially-conscious age, more businesses than ever before are providing support to nonprofits and their communities. In fact, 85% of companies in the United States have a formal domestic corporate giving program. There are many different forms of corporate philanthropy that businesses can offer your nonprofit, from sponsorships to in-kind donations. However, if you’re seeking a combination of donations and volunteer support, volunteer grants can be especially impactful fo [...]
In the digital age of nonprofit fundraising, data is an invaluable asset that holds the key to a world of possibilities. Not only is effective data management vital for allocating money and filing taxes, but it’s also crucial for driving greater fundraising results and stewarding meaningful donor relationships.
If your data is just sitting in your CRM, you’re probably missing out on valuable engagement opportunities. When your nonprofit starts focusing on donor engagement, you [...]
Your nonprofit needs funding from individual donors and grantmaking organizations to fulfill its mission. As technology advances, more and more opportunities to secure this essential revenue online become available.
The Google Ad Grant is one of these game-changing opportunities. Unlike traditional grants, the Google Ad Grant is an in-kind contribution that awards $10,000 in free ad credits to eligible organizations every month. With these dedicated funds for marketing, you can tailor your [...]
Fundraising is your nonprofit’s bread and butter. Whether you’re working to fill your annual fund, raise money for a specific program, or finish out the year strong with a holiday-themed fundraising push, you’re consistently designing and implementing fundraising campaigns to ensure you have the resources to deliver your mission.
But there’s one kind of campaign that is rather unique—a capital campaign. These are large-scale projects that nonprofits cond [...]
For many nonprofits, a majority of their annual fundraising is collected in the last few months of the year, if not the last few days. Between reaching out to new donors, hosting year-end campaigns, and keeping your data organized, the end of the year will likely be a busy season for your nonprofit.
Fortunately, there are a few strategies nonprofits can implement to keep their campaign on target and ensure it finds an audience of receptive supporters. In this guide, we’ll explor [...]
Retaining your nonprofit’s donors depends on the effectiveness of your stewardship. Especially for first-time donors, you need engagement strategies like tailored communications, appealing involvement opportunities, and genuine appreciation to keep them invested in your mission. After all, you’ve put in the work to successfully acquire a new donor and you don’t want to lose them now.
Proactive stewardship will ensure you not only keep new donors interested in your no [...]
Filing nonprofit taxes can seem stressful, but now that your organization can file online, the entire process can be streamlined. Learn what data to prepare ahead of time to stay organized throughout the year and make the Form 990 filing process more efficient.
Practice Good Financial Hygiene
Practicing good nonprofit accounting all year will set your nonprofit up for success. If your nonprofit doesn’ [...]
Every aspiring journalist knows the formula for capturing the key elements for a news story. They ask and answer the “5 W’s and H”: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
To secure grant funding, an essential part of a sustainable nonprofit financial strategy, an organization must similarly draft a complete and well-written grant proposal. You essentially tell the funder who your organization serves, what programs and activities you propose, when and where you plan to do the w [...]
If you are employed by a relatively new nonprofit that has grown steadily since its founding, congratulations: you are on the path to success. You established your board, vision and mission statements, engaged an initial group of donors, hired your core staff and created community impact through your programming. What’s the next step? In a word: VOLUNTEERS.
Besides financial contributions, the gifts of time and talent are the most important donations that supporters can make to your [...]
