During my time as a leadership and fundraising coach, I’ve helped thousands of nonprofit leaders clarify their fundraising stories. Nearly all make the same mistake: they forget the audience – the donors. Take hospitals for instance. Have you ever asked...
QUESTION: What should I do when I call potential donors but only reach their voicemail? Should I leave a message? If yes, whats a good “script.” MY ANSWER: Great question. Years ago, the norm was to not leave a voicemail the first couple times. Only maybe...
Nonprofits love sending email. It doesn’t take all the printing time of direct mail. And it costs less. But what if your emails aren’t getting to your list? In the last few weeks, Google and Yahoo have tweaked their algorithms – the systems they use...
I just returned from training NGO leaders in Lebanon. Prior to the training, I spent time studying Lebanese philanthropy and interviewing people who’d registered. Fundraising is clearly getting harder. I kept hearing the two reasons it was particularly hard in...
I’ve been getting the same type of question from a wide variety of nonprofit leaders in many different sectors. The question goes something like this: “This guy is rich. What’s my next step?” Part of me wants to applaud them. These leaders are...
I’ve just getting back from the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference so it’s likely no surprise stories are on my mind. At the conference this year, I noticed talk about 2 types of nonprofit stories. I heard talk about “institutional stories” and...