Blog

Since its founding in 1878 and the subsequent opening of the landmark building in 1933, the Jerusalem International YMCA (JIY) has been unrelenting in its mission to bring peace to the land and glory to God.

In our work with non-profits, faith-based and youth-serving organizations and other charities, we often have conversations about urgency, be it in a case for support or a project timeline. For a lot of nonprofit volunteers, the difference between “urgency” and “emergency” is a bit unclear. When it comes to fundraising, this is a very important distinction.

There are some words that can bring fear in the most seasoned nonprofit leader. “Don’t forget your interview is this morning!” may be some of those words, bringing back memories of our first “show and tell” in kindergarten.

The origin of the phrase “getting down to brass tacks” is most often attributed to the haberdashery trade where “…in order to be more accurate than the rough-and-ready measuring of a yard of material by holding it out along an arm’s length, cloth was measured between brass tacks which were set into a shop’s counter.”* This technique allowed for more accurate measurement and a much more efficient process in custom hat-making.

Here in the final week of 2016, we’re taking a look back at the posts that inspired the most conversations on the blog and with our clients. Today’s topic? The case for support

Over the past few months, I’ve been in several conversations with nonprofit development and marketing staff about some of the newer social media tools, including the one that confounds and intrigues everyone the most: Snapchat.

Many times, I find myself working with nonprofits who are facing a time of transition. Perhaps their organization is undergoing a change in leadership. Perhaps their community is changing. Perhaps new needs and challenges are calling for a change in programs or ministries.

In this series, the DBD Team is taking a deeper look at some of the axioms we use when working with clients. In today’s blog, Lora explores our idea of “The Blue Flame Case.” To read other axiom blogs,  click here. 

In our work with nonprofits and churches, we focus on four key areas: leadership, case, prospects and a plan. When those four areas are well-executed, a campaign is much more likely to succeed.

Last week I had the opportunity to work with the leaders of a resident camp in the midst of their summer camping season.