Sara Luke

As a nonprofit organization, your case for support is a critical tool to communicate the value and impact of your work, build relationships with donors, and secure the resources needed to fulfill your mission. But it’s not enough to write it once and assume it’s always going to work.

While you should dust off and evaluate the strength and validity of your case every year, sometimes you need a bigger reset.

Remember Your Why

In the day-to-day hustle of our work, it’s easy to forget why we do what we do. To-do lists, deadlines, and budgets can get the better of us. That’s why we remind clients to step back from the immediate tasks at hand and remember their greater purpose and mission.

We encourage our nonprofit leaders to stay connected to why their volunteers, donors, and staff are involved with their organization.

This month, we're thinking about thanks... especially for those who support nonprofits in their important work. It's time to think outside the box about stewardship. 

Each year, the Donor By Design team attends the Global Leadership Summit to be inspired and challenged. Last week’s two-day summit kicked-off with one of my favorite speakers, Craig Groeschel, Co-Founder & Senior Pastor of Life. Church.

This January, the DBD Team is making resolutions to help us be better. Today Sara gives herself permission to say “no.”

During the 18-24 months (or more) of a capital campaign, nonprofit leaders often eat, sleep and breathe the campaign. They know the total raised, status of the design plans, which donor meetings went well and who they need to call to cultivate further. The pressure and excitement of the capital plans are ever-present in their thoughts and daily work.

This October, the Donor By Design team is tackling spooky situations in development. Join us this month for hair-raising stories and cautionary tales of frightful fundraising!

In this series, the DBD Team will take a deeper look at some of the axioms we use when working with our clients. In today’s blog, Sara Luke reflects on our axiom: “Why Trumps What.”

“The dog ate my homework.”