Blog

Aspects of our work often lend themselves to sports-driven analogies and for good reason. Fundraising, like sports, is strategic, competitive, and driven by shared purpose and heart.

With the uncertainty nonprofits face today, leaning into an axiom coined by my son’s basketball coach provides us a valuable and effective approach to navigate our shifting landscape: Control the Controllables or C.T.C. Let go of what you can’t change and take control of the things you can = C.T.C.

Nonprofit leaders are known for wearing many hats—budget balancer, community builder, last-minute-slide-deck-finisher, professional schlepper—but the hat we too often leave on the shelf is the one labeled “curiosity captain”. Whether it's embracing AI, reimagining donor stewardship, or treating events as more than just logistical nightmares lifts with a side of lukewarm veggie trays and sweaty cheese cubes, we sometimes meet new ideas with hesitation or quiet resistance.

It’s time for a reset—not of our strategy, but of our attitude. Because—gulp—we might just be the problem. And that’s uncomfortable… but also incredibly fixable. What if we chose curiosity over fear, and open-minded exploration over the comfort of our preconceived notions? These shifts aren’t detours from our mission—they’re invitations to deepen and expand it. And spoiler: we don’t need to have all the answers to get started. We just need to be willing to ask better questions and create space for curiosity.

DBD Group is proud to offer this guest blog from our partners at DonorSearch. Learn more about them at the link below. 

Nonprofit volunteers that serve on boards are the backbone of the organization. They offer invaluable guidance, support, and resources. While most new board member orientations cover fundamental responsibilities, a recent interaction with a CEO candidate in one of my executive searches highlighted a powerful framework for maximizing board impact.

Let’s face it: asking board members to help with fundraising can feel as awkward as teaching your parents how to use TikTok. But it doesn’t have to be! With the right mix of clarity, support, and a dash of good humor, you can turn even the most hesitant board member into a fundraising champion.

A board’s role in fundraising is critical because it sets the tone, drives the strategy, and shows everyone else how it’s done. Board members bring credibility, connections, and leadership that no staff member or volunteer can fully replicate.

If you’ve been putting off implementing a strategy to secure gifts from donor-advised funds, let this be the year that changes that. Why? The numbers are too big to ignore.

• Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) contributions represent 8% of all donations in the USA.
• Total Assets in DAFs in 2023 was $251.52B
• Total Value of Grants made by DAF fundholders in 2023 was $54.77B
• Total Value of Contributions made to DAFs in 2023 was $59.43B
• Average DAF Account size in 2023 was $141,120

As we turn the page on the calendar and step into a new year, nonprofit leaders everywhere are greeted with a world of opportunity. The new year is more than just a fresh start; it’s a chance to reflect, reimagine, and reignite our passion for the causes we serve.

Do you have a friend or a colleague who is GREAT at asking questions? You know, the person who always seems to just know more about the people and circumstances in their lives than others? They don't just draw you into conversation, they help you build a stronger connection through the interaction.

Recently I had the opportunity to meet with the president of a large family foundation. We had a great dialogue regarding the value of feasibility studies today. He was quite wary of studies that didn’t involve the not-for-profit staff or studies that only tested the viability of the campaign goal.

One of the more challenging aspects of annual fundraising for a nonprofit never fails to surprise me, and it’s a by-product of past success.