Blog

One doesn’t have to be glued to the news to sense the uncertainty that is gripping the stock market, our nation and even the world. As a nonprofit professional or volunteer, how do you continue to seek support for your mission while acknowledging the volatility of our political, economic and health landscape?

My friend Larry Webb, business owner and philanthropist, has been a big supporter of the Leelanau Conservancy in Northern Michigan. Larry is one of those donors who does not find naming opportunities important to his giving. In fact, when he was asked about a naming opportunity for this project, jokingly answered, “Just put my name on a tree.”

Hiring a consultant is a big investment for a non-profit organization. If this is your first time working with a consultant, or if previous consultant engagements weren’t successful, here is some advice from our consultants to you.

As you review your yearly gifts and remaining asks, consider the following questions…

Recently, while in Bloomington, IL, the hotel shuttle driver dropped me off with the comment “welcome to the smallest airport I’ve ever seen.”  He was surprised when I assured him that I had seen several airports with fewer than nine gates.

As we come closer to the end of the year, many non-profits are ramping up their appeals. They are sending letters, posting on social media and trying to get in as many asks as they can before December 31. 

While asking is a critical part of fundraising, there's a complementary strategy that too often gets shoved to the bottom of the to-do list: saying thanks.

By Peggy Vinson and Bruce Berglund

Sometimes in the course of working with non-profits, we’ll hear a question like this from a key volunteer:

“Why do we need to raise more money? We do pretty well now.”

When we hear this question, it’s immediately clear that the organization, not just the volunteer, does not have a vision or clear path forward. They have a “foggy” case for support.  

As empty nesters, my wife and I have more time to volunteer in our community. We really enjoy our volunteer time together - almost as much as vacation.

Recently, we responded to two requests for help.  One community organization responded to my wife’s email the very same day.  She got an email addressed directly to her that included three quick questions along with several resources and a short video on volunteering. Later that afternoon, the volunteer coordinator followed up with a phone call to my wife and engaged her in a nice comfortable conversation.  Impressive!

I responded to the other request with an email offering our services and asking for next steps.  That was weeks ago.  Still waiting.  What does this have to do with development and fundraising?  

Those who know me, know I am always on the hunt for a good book. Recently, I had a chance to read a particularly great book: Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is planning a four-year mission in 2022 to travel to the asteroid Psyche 16.  While space missions are interesting by default, this one is gathering a great deal of attention.  According to the headlines, this space rock is believed to be composed of platinum, nickel and enough gold to make every person on Earth a billionaire many times over. The math is straightforward. Gold sells for a certain amount per ounce, the asteroid may contain a certain number of ounces and the Earth’s population is easily estimated.