Blog

Congratulations! The gift agreement is signed, and the joyful donor has made a bequest in their will. As a result, they have become a member of your legacy giving society. They are looking forward to your annual dinner and receiving the regular newsletter. But is that all there is for the next, ten, fifteen, or twenty years?

Everyone agrees that stewardship is important, but too often it drops to the bottom of the priority list for busy nonprofit professionals. Here are five overlooked ways to say thanks all year long.

Nonprofit leaders are often unable to get their board and staff more actively involved in fundraising. For as long as I can remember this has been a popular topic for round table discussions, webinars, conference sessions and more. Suggested solutions often include establishing “give and get” requirements; better/more training; team competitions; clearer expectations; offering rewards and incentives; and more.

TRUST. Such a heavy word! You know it when you feel it and you also are very aware when it is not present with someone or in a certain situation. I bet just reading that caused you to tense up and maybe even sweat.

This month, I’ve been walking in Garden of the Gods and listening to Andy Crouch’s book, The Life We’re Looking For. The book is about nurturing a sense of belonging, meaning and significance in life and leadership. In one chapter, Crouch explores two words the non-profit sector often uses interchangeably. Those words are “impact” and “influence.”

Looking through my bookshelf, I came across The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. I was gifted this book in my first few months as a fundraiser when a mentor of mine slid it across a coffee table in my direction with a credulous smile and told me there’s one contingency (you’ll have to read on your own to find out!) if I decided to follow its teachings.

My partner Dana has an unusual obsession with Mount Washington. The 6,148-foot New Hampshire peak holds the world record of the highest wind speed ever recorded on land: 231 mph back in 1934.

Bruce Berglund, CEO and Founder of DBD Group and Jon Kidwell, CEO of Leadwell, discuss the concept of servant leadership. In this 20 minute podcast, they define servant leadership and offer strategies to employ it in your own leadership roles. 

Learn more about Leadwell and Jon, or check out his book.

Learn more about Bruce Berglund, CEO and Founder of DBD Group or follow him on LinkedIn.

When DBD is given the opportunity to be considered to conduct a capital or comprehensive feasibility study, we make it clear from the start that we will not perform a study for you, but we would be honored to perform a study with you!

While I could try to explain this more, I am honored to share with you the first-person perspective of a recent client/partner, Robert P. Kirschner, Chief Philanthropy Officer & Senior Vice President at the YMCA of Greater Cleveland.

Have you ever wished that property abutting one of your current locations would come on the market? What if a for-profit service provider in your community wanted or needed to exit a facility that was perfect for a service expansion? What if the undeveloped parcel that fits your long-term strategic plan suddenly became available after years of cultivating the owners?

Would you be in a position to close? The timing doesn’t always line up, and it’s possible that you wouldn’t be. But instead of walking away, consider the often-overlooked source of bridge funding: the friendly buyer. The friendly buyer purchases and holds the real estate with the intention that at some future date, your organization can and will purchase from them.

Here are three scenarios that we’ve seen play out in real life.