We’ve all been there in life. Things are going great, cruising along, and we’re thinking “How did I get so lucky?” Then it happens: The Dip. It comes in many forms. An illness, a failure at work, the loss of a loved one…sometimes all in one week! The only thing in life we are assured of is tough times. Fundraising is no different.
Topics: Capital Campaign, Financial Development, Annual Fundraising, The Dip
When news cycles are chaotic or the stock market goes on a roller coaster, nonprofit leaders – both staff and volunteers – often pause their fundraising efforts. When another part of the country experiences a major catastrophe like a hurricane or fire, they wonder if their message will still be heard. When an election is imminent, their first inclination can be to wait and see.
Your mission can’t wait.
The needs you address don’t go away when the headlines change. If anything, the needs increase.
Struggling families still need help putting food on the table. Seniors who are lonely still need human connection. The unhoused still need support and stability. People are counting on you to help.
As a nonprofit staff or volunteer leader, this is your time to meet the moment. You must lead through challenging headwinds. What does that look like?
Communicating and telling your story. In dynamic environments, your team will value consistent direction and a leader that becomes a storyteller of the future, answering questions such as where are we going and what matters now.
Staying close with your closest supporters. Remind them of the good you’re doing. Share the impact you’re making. Let them know the urgent needs you’re addressing. Show them how they can make a positive difference in the world through their support of your mission.
Not assuming your donors won’t give. Economic changes can have an impact on donor behavior, but what has a greater impact? Not asking in the first place. Invite people to continue to support your work. Let them enjoy the satisfaction that comes from supporting causes close to their heart.
Keeping your mission and vision in focus. The work you do is bigger than an economic downturn or a change in administration. While you may need to adjust some strategic plan targets, your strategic direction is unlikely to change. Keep to your vision, but be flexible in how (and how fast) you get there.
Tightening your financial processes. Make sure the resources available to you are being put to their highest and best use. This can mean renegotiating loans or banking relationships, analyzing real estate costs, or securing an outside assessment of your financial practices. This doesn’t mean to stop spending money, just to spend it as wisely as possible.
Encouraging your board and staff leadership. While the changing economic and political landscape may leave some people on your team feeling uncertain, it is your job to keep them focused and grounded in your mission. Bring them to see your mission in action or bring the mission to them in stories, videos and messages from those you’ve helped. It’s OK to be cautious, but it’s not OK to give up or lose hope.
For more than 20 years, we’ve worked with nonprofits of all sizes and types across the country. From the financial downturn of 2008 to the Covid pandemic of the early 2020s, here’s what we know: the organizations that keep moving and stay connected during the tough times are able to accelerate forward when conditions change. Those that stop take months or even years to get momentum back.
DBD Group is here to help you and your leadership team meet the moment. Please reach out to your consultant or contact us if we can be of help.
We are proud to walk beside you as you do this important work.
Topics: Leadership, Fundraising, board governance
Do you have a nagging concern about your team’s effectiveness?
Maybe meetings feel flat, with little engagement or shared purpose. Maybe your team generates plenty of ideas, but struggles to decide what to do next. Or perhaps new initiatives get launched, only to lose momentum because no one can sustain them.
Something just isn’t clicking… and you can’t quite figure out why.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
And here’s the surprising truth: Most team challenges aren’t caused by a lack of talent, commitment, or effort. They’re caused by misalignment.
In many teams, people are consistently asked to do work that drains them instead of work that energizes them. Over time, that leads to disengagement, frustration, and underperformance, even among highly capable individuals.
That’s exactly the problem Patrick Lencioni and The Table Group set out to solve with the Six Types of Working Genius.
Topics: Communications, Donor Stewardship, Major Gifts, Big L Leaders, Relationship Building, Career Growth, Appreciation, Collaboration, Attitude, Happiness, CEO Coaching
In last week’s blog by my colleague, Gary Laermer, he explored why it’s so powerful to present donors with a blended ask that connects immediate impact with long-term change. When donors can see both the urgency of today and the legacy of tomorrow, something shifts in the conversation. It becomes less about a single gift and more about the donor’s lifetime impact.
But many of you may still have questions.
Topics: Donor Stewardship, Fundraising, Major Gifts, Donor Relations, Relationship Building, Planned Giving, Ask For Advice, Appreciation, Attitude
Over the years I’ve lost count as to how many times a nonprofit colleague has asked “do we have a donor for this program?” My response is almost always the same: “Please send me 3 sentences on the societal problem you’re proposing to solve and 3 sentences on how your program or project solves the problem, and I’ll get back to you.”
Topics: Donor Stewardship, Fundraising, Major Gifts, Donor Relations, Relationship Building, Planned Giving
“I need my volunteers to fundraise more.” I hear this often from nonprofit leaders around the country. My response is usually a series of questions to dig deeper into what they are really saying.
Would bringing in more cash (yesterday) be nice? Of course. Could every board member please fill a table at the gala? Yes. (And a table means ALL the seats, by the way).
But what’s really at the heart of what “I need my volunteers to fundraise more” is a need for connections to the organization. Fundraising is a relational journey, from identifying prospects to stewarding donors, and volunteers play a critical role from the very beginning.
Topics: Board Development, Fundraising, Volunteer Management, Fundraising Management, Relationship Building, Advocacy, Leadership & Boards
Imagine it’s a starless, moonless night and you are in the flattest part of North Dakota. You light a small candle on the open prairie, and walk slowly away from it, backwards.
Topics: Board Development, Nonprofit Management, Mission, Board Management, Vision, Board Leadership, strategic planning, Leadership & Boards, board governance
There’s always a beautiful moment when a significant gift is finalized. The commitment is made. The vision moves forward. The campaign number goes up! The excitement is real.
Topics: Fundraising, Donor Recognition, Fundraising Management, Capital Fundraising, Fund Development, Fundraising Campaign, Campaign Planning
Recently I listened to a webinar filled with statistics.
Repeat donor retention was down.
New donor retention was down.
Lapsed donor recapture was down.
(I was relieved to see overall giving is up slightly! Yay!)
The news made me think about what we can do to change the trajectory of the numbers and build operational security for our organizations.
The answer is stewardship. Intentional, meaningful stewardship can create lifetime donors with a strong attachment to our mission and cause.
Topics: Fundraising, Nonprofit Management, Goal Setting, Fundraising Management, Capital Fundraising, Fund Development, Fundraising Campaign, Development, Campaign Planning, Attitude, AlumniRelations
Are your capital projects connected to your strategic priorities?
Let’s consider a new dining hall project at a resident camp. Is this project strategic, or simply reactive to growth in campers or the declining state of the building? This example drives home the importance of using a strategic framework to guide capital projects. Too often, nonprofits begin with a perceived need rather than a strategic imperative.
Capital planning and master planning for facilities flow from strategy… not the other way around.
Topics: Fundraising, Nonprofit Management, Goal Setting, Fundraising Management, Capital Fundraising, Fund Development, Fundraising Campaign, Development, Campaign Planning