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 [...]
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 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 [...]
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 [...]
From email marketing to website marketing to direct mail marketing, there are pros and cons to each method of audience engagement. On the other hand, not every one of your current supporter base and potential prospects will resp [...]
Advocacy campaigns have the power to connect your nonprofit with new audiences while transforming the world for the better. With an advocacy campaign, you can engage donors on the issues they care about, introduce your nonprofit to new supporters, and further your cause by lobbying for social change, all while earning donations and getting your nonprofit’s name out there.
Of course, your nonprofit won’t attract new supporters and activists without the help of your marketi [...]
Nonprofit financial sustainability is necessary for organizations like yours to develop lasting strategies that help you not only maintain your current standing but also grow.
CharityProud’s article on sustainability explains that economically sustainable nonprofits “operate within their financial means and use their inherent resources responsibly. Your resources include both tangible (donors, technology) and intangible (staff skillsets, community partners) things.” [...]
Let’s face it. Sometimes whether we want to or not, life forces us to delegate. It may be incredibly hard to relinquish control—you want everything to be said and done in the professional and timely manner that you would bring to the table. By using fundraising committees you may be able to free up some of the precious hours of your day as a fundraiser by letting super-passionate volunteers do the outreach for you.
Building your committee.Committees can be a great way to br [...]
Sometimes I’ll hold my breath before I, almost apologetically, admit that I am…a millennial. (Gasp!) And if there’s one consistent annoyance I hear sitting in on countless conference sessions about how to deal with my generation, it’s that we’re not loyal to our employers and bounce from job to job like we’re at one of those indoor trampoline parks.
Some will say—“it’s not their fault! It’s the society they were raised in! They t [...]
Sometimes, fundraising feels like trying to carry water in a leaky bucket. Donor retention remains at about 60 percent and there are high rates of employee turnover at many nonprofit organizations. The push to fundraise from a donor-centric perspective has proven beneficial but in order to raise more money in support of the mission, keep our donors and employees and create meaningful change we need to take our approach a step further. Nonprofits must be sustainable.
A good fundraiser recog [...]
