What are some of the essential elements of fundraising that EDs should be familiar with to find success? Let’s shed light on the division of responsibilities within nonprofit organizations when it comes to development efforts:

This month we talked about the biggest nonprofit trends we’re seeing. While some trends have been simmering in the background for quite some time and are now rapidly gaining steam, others are brand new to the nonprofit world.
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Find out what’s going on the frontlines of nonprofits across the country right now to better strategize for next year:

As nonprofits find more uses for AI, they are discovering new ways to interact with their audiences, generate content, automate time-consuming processes, and use data to drive decision-making. Some people have described this transformation by saying that AI is helping nonprofits to unlock their true potential to change the world faster than we ever thought possible. However, even that might be an understatement because in many ways AI is enabling nonprofits to do things that we never could have imagined that they would be able to do at all! 

​This organization closed six months later.
 
In our sector, we are not rewarded for admitting our struggles. We are not rewarded for rapid cycle learning, failing forward, or innovation. We aren’t even rewarded for partnering. Instead, the sector is fueled by what I might call the 99% success rate fallacy that goes something like this – “Dear Funder, We have a unique approach compared to every other organization you might consider funding. What we are doing is nearly always working for nearly everyone we serve. Please give more.” In short, we are rewarded for presenting solid proposals that project that we are unique, have it all under control, and we are excelling on all fronts. We simply need more money.
 
After 30 years of leading and working in nonprofit organizations, I finally have the courage to say this: We are not all that unique, everything isn’t always under control, and we are rarely excelling on all fronts. Adequate funding is one essential piece, but that is not enough. We need to explore different strategies if we want to thrive organizationally, and more importantly, have greater impact collectively.

The article below from Liz Swanson expands on that topic, drawing from a workshop she recently led to help provide a framework on how to leave your leadership role. Get ready to enjoy her insights!

A question for you: Imagine tomorrow you go into the office and announce you are retiring in 4 weeks. What is the biggest issue your board must consider?

This time, he is going to cover governance mistakes related to people and processes. Find out what he has to share from his expansive career:

​This month we decided that getting down to business could wait. Instead of jumping right in, we decided to give everyone a turn to share their wins – uplifting stories about positive transformations we’ve seen, well-handled leadership transitions we’ve been a part of, and successful fundraising campaigns we’ve supported. As everyone shared their success stories, we realized that a clear thread was emerging. There was one thing these stories all had in common – great leadership.