As we move through the year, nonprofit leaders need to ask themselves: Are we where we hoped to be? These check-ins are about more than forecasting—they are a strategic opportunity.
These are opportunities to not just to evaluate results, but to ask deeper questions about direction, adaptability, and mission alignment. As Tod Bolsinger writes in Canoeing the Mountains, leadership today is no longer about mastering well-worn paths. It’s about stepping into the unknown, “off the map,” where the old tools don’t work, and the terrain requires new vision, vulnerability, and innovation.
Whether you’re ahead of pace or navigating unexpected challenges, this is your opportunity to drop the oars, stop paddling harder in the wrong direction and begin adapting to the real terrain ahead.
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Topics:
Leadership,
Stewardship,
Fundraising,
Nonprofit Management,
Annual Campaign,
Goal Setting,
Goals,
Financial Development,
Strategy,
Board Management,
Planning,
Communication,
Development,
Advocacy,
Clarity
The Headwinds
Turmoil and uncertainty leave nonprofit volunteers and staff at a loss. Should we launch our campaign? Should we pause our campaign? What about our annual fund? Where do we go from here where “here” keeps shifting?
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Topics:
Leadership,
Stewardship,
Fundraising,
Nonprofit Management,
Nonprofit Leadership,
Financial Development,
Strategy,
Annual Fundraising,
Capital Fundraising,
Fund Development,
federal funding
“We are going to keep seeing patients. Today, that’s our job. To just keep seeing patients.”
A CEO of a large mental health organization said this to me recently regarding how they are navigating the uncertain federal and state funding waters right now.
She mentioned this as we are launching a strategic planning process with her staff and board.
But one might wonder how can any organization create a strategic plan if they don’t know which end is up right now?
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Topics:
Leadership,
Nonprofit Management,
Nonprofit Leadership,
Strategy,
Planning,
strategic planning,
Leadership & Boards
When there is uncertainty and turmoil in the markets, in DC or around the world, nonprofit leaders can find themselves in a predicament. You have evolving funding needs, but you may not yet be sure what they are. Plus, you want to stay in touch with your donors and supporters, but you don’t necessarily know how current events are affecting them.
While there are a lot of unknowns and things you have no control over right now, there is one thing you can control. People need authentic, caring connections with others.
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Topics:
Stewardship,
Fundraising,
Fundraising Management,
Transition,
Relationship Building
Is a capital expansion project included in your blueprint for growth? Whether a new facility, a refresh or update, or an addition, here are three early wins that should be considered now as the organization prepares for a capital campaign in the future.
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Topics:
Leadership,
Capital Campaign,
Board Development,
Case For Support,
Goal Setting,
Financial Development,
Capital,
Planning,
Capital Fundraising,
Fund Development,
Capital Leadership
Does culture really eat strategy for breakfast? Peter Drucker's famous quote underscores a fundamental truth: even the most brilliant strategic plans will falter if the organizational culture doesn't support them. But “culture” and “strategy” are not mutually exclusive. In fact, we need to be strategic about culture too.
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Topics:
Leadership,
Culture,
Strategy,
Staff Development,
Teamwork,
development team
DBD Group is proud to offer this guest blog from our partners at DonorSearch. Learn more about them at the link below.
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Topics:
Fundraising,
Annual Campaign,
Donor Engagement,
Donor Prospect,
Cultivation,
Data Management,
Development,
Donor,
Donor Identification,
A.I.
If you're anything like me, you've probably found yourself staring at a blank document titled "Case for Support" more than once in your career. That moment when you need to distill your organization's entire heart and soul, its mission, impact, and vision, into something that resonates with potential supporters.
I've been a part of a few conversations lately about navigating the changing landscape of nonprofit communications. One theme keeps emerging: many of us are cautiously exploring how new tools, including AI, might help with fundamental development work like crafting a case for support—without losing the authentic human connection that is at the core of what we do.
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Topics:
Collaborations,
Communications,
Donor Stewardship,
Stewardship,
Fundraising,
Case For Support,
Annual Campaign,
Donor Communications,
Change,
Financial Development,
Capital,
Fundraising Management,
Case Statement,
Inspiration,
Donor Relations,
Donor Prospect,
Fund Development,
Execution,
Communication,
Productivity,
Development,
Ideas,
Curiosity,
ai,
Artificial Intelligence
We live in uncertain times, with constant social, political, and economic shifts. During the American War of Independence Lord Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington at Yorktown while the British band played the tune “the world turned upside down”. The most powerful army in the world had just been defeated by the American patriots. It must have indeed seemed like the world was upside down.
Today, nonprofit leaders may feel similarly challenged, as the funding and practices they have counted on in the past may no longer be available in the same ways. Whether you work in a nonprofit or volunteer as a board member, navigating uncertainty is part of the job description. Strategic management of resources is key to managing these uncertainties and ensuring your organization’s ability to fulfill its mission.
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Topics:
Collaborations,
Donor Stewardship,
Stewardship,
Fundraising,
Annual Campaign,
Change,
Financial Development,
Capital,
Inspiration,
Donor Relations,
Donor Prospect,
Fund Development,
Execution,
Communication,
Productivity,
Development,
Ideas,
Curiosity,
Artificial Intelligence
One of our axioms - possibly the one we talk about the most with our clients - is Leadership is Everything. We have trained and written about this topic from day one. It's true for our nonprofit clients, and it's true for us.
At DBD Group, we've been in a period of growth, adding consultants and serving more clients than ever before. What we quickly realized was we needed to create a structure of leadership to ensure we can serve our clients - and our consultants - in the best way possible.
We are excited to announce the following "new" leaders to DBD Group. (Their faces are familiar, but the roles are new!) Along with continuing service to our clients, these team members have additional roles within DBD Group.
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Topics:
Fundraising,
Change,
Financial Development,
Capital,
Best of DBD,
Board Management,
Fear,
Fund Development,
Execution,
Communication,
Debt Reduction,
Ask For Advice,
Development,
Crucial Conversations,
Resource Development,
finance,
board governance