DROP THE OARS
As we move through the year, nonprofit leaders need to ask themselves: Are we where we hoped to be? These check-ins are about more than forecasting—they are a strategic opportunity.
"What have I done!?" That’s the question I asked myself that first Monday morning after launching the company that was to become DBD Group. It was a leap of faith, but what a journey it’s been! As I look back on the past 20 years, I'm filled with gratitude and hope for the future.
I’m so grateful that I took that leap of faith. To think of the greater impact that would have been missed had I not stepped out of my comfort zone: the $6+ billion raised, the millions of lives touched, and the many friends made along the way. I can’t imagine a better way to leave a legacy—a legacy of hope.
After 20 years, there’s much to reflect on and celebrate, including our amazing team, the lessons we’ve learned on this journey, and the legacy we want to continue to leave as we partner with our clients to make an even greater impact around the world.
Here are my top ten lessons learned from the last 20 years.
Before DBD Group came to be, I was the chief development officer for the YMCA of the USA. I was raising my family in the Chicago suburbs and enjoying my job, which included regular trips to Washington D.C. and a great view of the Chicago River from my office.
Then, I started to receive calls from a few YMCA CEOs. They told me they thought I might have more impact outside the organization. At first, I hesitated—after all, I had a mortgage, and I was comfortable where I was. I felt like I was already making a difference. But their persistence and encouragement sparked something in me that I couldn’t ignore.
I realized I had an opportunity to make a greater impact far beyond the YMCA. I had an opportunity to give people a tangible hope for what’s possible through their nonprofit work around the world. That spark of hope became the foundation of DBD Group.
Lesson: Sometimes, the most rewarding path starts with a leap of faith from something good to something great.
Early on, I knew I wanted to be part of a team. And that team had to have a strong culture, otherwise, any strategy we came up with wouldn’t matter. So, from day one, we sought to create a positive culture where people could thrive, be heard, and have fun while getting a lot done for our clients.
Every day, we utilize tools like StrengthsFinder and Working Genius to help our team understand their unique strengths and passions. We even have baseball cards for each team member, showing their Working Genius and when they were "drafted" to DBD. I look at them all the time to determine the best pairings to serve our clients well. It's all part of our "Better Together" philosophy—we're not lone wolves but a pack that brings our very best talents to each other and our clients.
And even though we're a remote organization, we stay close with bi-annual in-person gatherings and monthly virtual meetings. It's all about building trust and instilling confidence. We've maintained this culture as we've grown from 3 to over 40 people, and I couldn't be more proud of the DBD team and the clients we consider our partners.
Lesson: When your team feels seen, heard, and empowered for who they are, everybody wins.
Over the years, we've collected axioms that have really helped guide our work and reinforce our culture at DBD Group. For us, they're not just fancy words on a wall—they're the heartbeat of how we operate.
I know that these axioms have become part of our culture when I notice our clients using them, too. For us, these guiding principles aren't just hopeful ideas, they're helping us create a culture where everyone can bring their best to the table.
Lesson: Actionable, memorable axioms can guide both your team and clients towards shared success and growth.
When we started DBD Group, we were primarily focused on fundraising. But over these 20 years, we've come to realize just how interconnected everything is in the nonprofit world. It's not just about raising money—it's also about governance, finance, strategy, planning, and fundraising all working together.
I remember being at a ribbon-cutting ceremony with a major donor. Their family name was on the building, and we were all excited. I leaned over and asked how they felt, expecting to hear how thrilled they were. Instead, they looked at me with pain in their eyes and said, "Not so good. I fear we built the wrong building."
That moment really stuck with me. Here was a donor who'd given millions of dollars, but the organization hadn't done its strategic planning in a way that ensured they were building the right thing. It was then I realized we needed to bring all these pieces of the nonprofit world together.
Now, when a client calls us saying they need a capital campaign, we don't just jump in. We take a step back and look at the whole picture. Do they have the right leadership in place? Is their financial house in order? Have they done the strategic planning to ensure they're pursuing the right goals? By understanding this interconnectedness, we can help our clients achieve so much more than just achieving a campaign goal. We're helping them build stronger, more effective organizations that can truly fulfill their missions and make a lasting impact.
Lesson: Before you jump in to meet that fundraising goal, take a step back and make sure you’re working toward the right thing for the best impact.
While we've helped secure over $6 billion for our partners, the real measure of success is in the lives changed and communities transformed. That's where hope truly shines.
When I think about impact, I think about an iceberg. Let’s use a capital campaign as an example. Sure, the top-line goal might be to raise X dollars for a new building or renovation. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. It's the part we all see and celebrate: the big check presentations, the ribbon-cutting ceremonies, etc. That's all exciting stuff, but the real magic happens below the waterline.
Take a new library, for instance. Raising the money and putting up the building? That's great, but it's just the beginning—the tip of the iceberg. The true impact is what happens in that facility for the next 20 or 30 years. It’s kids learning to read, families coming together, people finding a place with free Wi-Fi and a space for thoughtful engagement. That's the kind of long-term impact that really gets me fired up.
At DBD Group, we're all about creating those ripple effects in communities. That's why we aim to be more than just fundraisers. Our goal is to leave a legacy of positive transformation in every organization and community we serve.
Lesson: True success is not in the dollars you’re raising but in the change you’re making.
Over the last 20 years, we've tried to be disruptors in our field. It's not about shaking things up just for the sake of it but about finding innovative ways to make a deeper impact for our clients.
Some of the “disruptors” we’ve introduced include:
These disruptive practices allow us to go further faster with our strategies. In the end, being a disruptor isn't just about being different—it's about providing more value, more hope, and more impact for the people we serve.
Lesson: Make creating genuine connections your priority, and innovative ideas will follow.
Spreading hope becomes easier when people can easily grasp and remember your ideas. So at DBD Group, we like to use relatable analogies and stories.
For example, we know not all donors are the same. Therefore, they shouldn’t be treated the same. That's why I love using the characters from Gilligan's Island to explain different donor types. It's a fun way to help our partners understand the various personalities they'll encounter in fundraising.
By framing donor personalities this way, our clients can easily remember to tailor their approach based on who they're talking to. It's all about making these fundraising concepts stick, so we can help our partners raise interest and, ultimately, raise funds to make a real difference in their communities.
Lesson: Use relatable analogies to help nonprofits understand complex concepts and tailor their approach.
I like to say we're really not fundraisers. We're interest raisers. If we can show up and be the very best interest raisers, the activity and results that follow will be successful. It's all about getting out there, sharing a blue flame case, and connecting with folks to hear their story. Raising interest is what fundraising is at its core. We help our clients understand that if they can keep that activity level up, good things happen.
I remember one client who, long after a campaign, came back to me to tell me how much he enjoyed continuing to connect and visit with donors. That's music to my ears! Because at the end of the day, we’re not just after the dollars—we're after creating lasting connections and sparking genuine interest in the mission.
We use tools like our Cause Cards™ to get donors to talk more about what excites them. When you can get people passionate about your cause, sharing their own stories, and seeing how they fit into your organization's story, then you’ve won. The funds? They're just a natural result of that passion and interest we've raised together.
Lesson: Cultivate genuine connection and spark a passion for your mission—the funds will naturally follow the interest you raise.
Scaling an organization while keeping the culture intact is no walk in the park. I'll tell you, as we grew from 3 to over 40 people, I sometimes wondered if we could keep that DBD magic alive. But here's the thing—it's all about trust, being seen and heard, and dishing out heaps of grace.
I remember last year, I was feeling unsure about where we were at in terms of company culture. So we brought in TrustCentric® to do an assessment. Now, as the founder and CEO, that's a scary proposition. If it comes back bad, that's all on me! When Corey from TrustCentric called me before our meeting, I thought, "Oh boy, here it comes."
Turns out, we scored higher than any company they'd ever tested! That was validation that our focus on each person's unique strengths, on putting people first, on bringing our individual passions to the table—it was all working. We've managed to keep that culture strong because we continue to give each other the benefit of the doubt and support each other, no matter what.
It's like my dad used to say, "In business or in marriage, you gotta make a lot of deposits because occasionally you make a big withdrawal." That's how we've scaled while keeping our culture intact—by making deposits of trust and grace every single day.
Lesson: Focus first on building trust and showing grace, and you will scale with strength.
When I think about the legacy we're building at DBD Group, it's not just about the numbers or the plans we've created. It's about the hope we've sown in communities across the country. We've got over a thousand years of combined experience on our team—that's a lot of wisdom to share!
I like to joke with folks and say we’re “hope dealers.” If we just leave our clients with a to-do list without marrying it to hope, we'd be like any other firm. But we know our clients don't just need a list of tasks; they need to be reminded of their vision of what's possible. They need hope. If we can marry best practices, wisdom, encouragement—and hope—good things happen.
I remember this project we did for a YMCA. On paper, it was just another capital campaign. But when you dig deeper, you realize we’re helping build a place where families come together, where kids learn to swim, where folks improve their health, and where the community can gather and grow together. That's the kind of legacy I'm talking about. It's not just about the building we helped fund—it's about the countless lives that'll be touched for generations to come.
Being a “hope dealer” creates a lasting impact. It's that spark of hope that keeps communities thriving long after we've packed up and gone home. And let me tell you, there's nothing quite like seeing that hope in a client's eyes when they realize the true potential of what we're doing together.
Lesson: Don’t just give clients a to-do list for immediate fundraising goals, give them agency and hope to create long-term impact.
In summary, as I look back on these 20 years, I'm filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Gratitude for that leap of faith, for the amazing team we've built, and for all the clients who've trusted us with their missions.
Over the years, we’ve learned a lot. Here’s a recap:
I'm excited about what's ahead—and the legacy that will go on beyond my leadership. With over a thousand years of combined wisdom to share, we know it's not just about knowledge; it's about how we use it to spread hope and make a real difference around the world.
So here's to the next 20 years of DBD Group. Here's to more leaps of faith, more lives changed, and more hope to go around.
As we move through the year, nonprofit leaders need to ask themselves: Are we where we hoped to be? These check-ins are about more than forecasting—they are a strategic opportunity.
Turmoil and uncertainty can leave nonprofit volunteers and staff at a loss. Turns out, there is much we can do to keep fundraising forward.
When there is uncertainty and turmoil in the markets nonprofit leaders can find themselves in a predicament. You have evolving funding needs, but you may not yet be sure what they are. Plus, you want to stay in touch with your donors and supporters, but you don’t necessarily know how current events are affecting them.
Today, nonprofit leaders may feel challenged, as the funding and practices they have counted on in the past may no longer be available in the same ways. Whether you work in a nonprofit or volunteer as a board member, navigating uncertainty is part of the job description.
Today, nonprofit leaders may feel challenged, as the funding and practices they have counted on in the past may no longer be available in the same ways. Whether you work in a nonprofit or volunteer as a board member, navigating uncertainty is part of the job description.
Development staff, CEOs, and marketing teams can empower board members to use storytelling as an effective and comfortable way to participate in the crucial work of raising money.
One might wonder how can any organization create a strategic plan if they don’t know which end is up right now?
The time between Thanksgiving and year-end offers a prime window for fundraising.
Nonprofit boards often find themselves stuck in a rut, performing the same old tasks with the same agenda month after month, with little impact
Today, nonprofit leaders may feel challenged, as the funding and practices they have counted on in the past may no longer be available in the same ways. Whether you work in a nonprofit or volunteer as a board member, navigating uncertainty is part of the job description.
Today, nonprofit leaders may feel challenged, as the funding and practices they have counted on in the past may no longer be available in the same ways. Whether you work in a nonprofit or volunteer as a board member, navigating uncertainty is part of the job description.
Development staff, CEOs, and marketing teams can empower board members to use storytelling as an effective and comfortable way to participate in the crucial work of raising money.
As we move through the year, nonprofit leaders need to ask themselves: Are we where we hoped to be? These check-ins are about more than forecasting—they are a strategic opportunity.
Turmoil and uncertainty can leave nonprofit volunteers and staff at a loss. Turns out, there is much we can do to keep fundraising forward.
One might wonder how can any organization create a strategic plan if they don’t know which end is up right now?
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