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Would your campaign benefit from a volunteer leader who is willing to open up their personal relationships and reputation to support your mission?

Imagine someone who introduces your organization to their network, hosts gatherings, and personally invites friends and colleagues to invest in your vision. That person is not a paid spokesperson or a passing supporter. They are a Campaign Ambassador.

In a capital campaign, campaign ambassadors are one of the most powerful volunteer roles you can cultivate. When thoughtfully recruited and supported, these volunteers expand your campaign’s reach, deepen its credibility, and help inspire significant philanthropic support. They are not just “nice to have.” They are a critical component of campaign success.

At this point in the calendar year, most nonprofits have set their budgets and plans for the coming year. Now the reality sets in: how are you going to make it all happen? Here are some fresh ways to think about achieving your goals and, more importantly, bringing your mission into action for those you serve.

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.

“To build a strong team, you must see someone else’s strength as a complement to your weakness and not a threat to your position or authority.” – Christine Caine, Australian best-selling author

Have you ever heard someone express something like:

YMCA Emergency Assistance Fund and DBD Group Team Up to Provide Support to YMCA Staff and Retirees in Their Time of Need

On April 8, 2022, at the national NAYDO Conference, the YMCA Emergency Assistance Fund (EAF) and DBD Group announced their partnership to strengthen the EAF’s fundraising efforts to continue to meet the need for crisis assistance. EAF provides financial support to Y professionals and retirees in their hour of need. This is especially significant because the EAF board has recently decided to remove YPN (YMCA Professional Network) membership as an eligibility requirement for an EAF award.

“The smartest people know what they don’t know.”

I had that drilled into me some three decades ago by a mentor. He practiced this every day, listening carefully to others’ views, thoughts and opinions. He surrounded himself with people who “are smarter than me…at least in one area.”

Are you a to-do list person? Maybe you subscribe to the GTD method or prefer old-fashioned pen and paper lists. Whatever the case, you’ve probably come to realize that getting a group of people (fundraising volunteers, for example) rallied around a to-do list is a much trickier exercise than tackling your own list of projects.

“My board members don’t know each other.”