What We’re Reading
Benchmarking Individual Donors
Data on retention is critical to understanding an organization’s fundraising program. When leaders know how many of their donors renew their giving each year and how many drop off, they can more reliably forecast income, measure…
Read MoreEffectively Engaging with Clients Facing Poverty
When faced with a crisis you might focus on the negative. Or you can consider a positive outcome, what assets you might access to turn things around, and what strengths you can tap into that will help you find…
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Mapping an Engagement Strategy for Successful Year-End Appeals
This is the best time of year to map out your engagement strategy and thank your donors. This article explains how to develop a thoughtful approach to help your messaging stand…
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An Ode to the Underappreciated Spreadsheet
It’s easy to fall into the trap of seeing spreadsheets only as applications for managing money, or at the very least, for working with numbers. But the structure and features of spreadsheets make…
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Designing for Good #5: The Best of End-of-Year Email Campaigns
With the season of giving almost upon us, it’s important to start planning your end-of-year email campaigns. This article highlights some of the best of last December’s appeals and…
Read MoreEvaluate and Evolve
It’s crucial to capture data.
Philanthropists seek it. Organizational strategy is informed by it. Data helps us to measure our impact, identify our successes, and avoid repeating our mistakes. Survey and Evaluation…
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“Brain drain” is a term commonly used to describe this movement of highly skilled individuals from poor countries to rich countries. “Reverse bran drain” involves the movement of educated, skilled migrants back to their homelands…
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Networking with People You Can’t Meet in Person
In order to develop solid professional relationships with contacts outside your immediate geographic area, it’s increasingly essential to master the nuances of virtual networking. This article provides three ways to connect…
Read MoreTechnology: Like it. . . or Not!
Technology. Most days I like it, but Wednesday was one of those “or not” days.
It started early last week when the Foundation Center computers would not connect to the internet. These computers are
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Updating the Nonprofit Work Ethic
Being a nonprofit professional should not translate to being a martyr; we should not view dysfunctional work habits or work conditions as necessary burdens of the nonprofit world. This article shows how nonprofit leaders…
Read MoreGrant Write With Gusto!
It’s a new day at your nonprofit. As you scroll through dozens of emails, a congratulatory notice emerges. You’ve been awarded a grant! Memory of the grueling application process trickles away, and you are flooded with relief. Grant writing…
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No company or organization operates in isolation. This article describes the movement known as collective impact which has facilitated collaborations between the private and the social sector, and how it can guide efforts to…
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17 Goals in 14 Years – This is Impact 2030. Let’s Build a Better World.
This week is the first anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals – a universal call to action to solve our world’s problems on a…
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You May Hate Planning, But You Should Do It Anyway
Many people struggle to find the motivation to practice effective time management and project planning but a life without planning or routines can make you tired at best, and…
Read MoreIs Your Compensation On Par
Is your nonprofit staff receiving fair and comparable compensation for their good work? The 2016 CNE Salary and Benefits Report can help you determine that. A valuable tool for just $50, this report is now available for purchase. Please…
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4 Essential Components of Effective Feedback
Consistent, detailed feedback gives us the perspective and insights from others that allow us to fix errors, grow, and improve. This article describes the four key principles to giving and receiving feedback effectively.
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Taking Advocacy Campaigns Off Auto-Pilot
A lack of creativity in campaign tech can stifle social change. This article explains how advocacy organizations can take more chances with technology and think beyond existing tools to achieve greater impact.
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Pep Talk for Your 2016 Year-End Campaign Strategy
The last few months of the year are vital to any fundraising campaign strategy. Year-end giving impacts the possibilities for future mission-fulfilling activities and fundraising programs. This article replaces common fundraising misconceptions…
Read MoreRefine Your Marketing Strategy
While the identity of your organization is tied to your mission, your brand is the messenger. It makes an impact. It’s not just a logo, website, or name, “your brand is much more than that…
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Four Approaches to Nonprofit Sustainability
How can nonprofits increase growth while becoming more sustainable and less resource-constrained? This article describes four approaches to help organizations think creatively, develop a strong strategic plan for sustainability, breathe new energy into the organization, and access new…
Read MoreAn Agile Workspace?
I recently encountered this topic in a Forbes Leadership article – How Agile Working Has Impacted Our Workspace.
Although there were elements of the article that seemed beyond my work situation, I was intrigued by a…
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7 Apps to Boost Your Workplace Productivity
The right app can improve your productivity, but who has time to find it? This article makes saving time with technology easy by curating a list of apps recommended by productivity experts.
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Powerful PR in the Digital Age
How can we best optimize our presence in social media? While digital media has leveled the playing field for small organizations like nonprofits, there remains confusion as to how exactly to execute such…
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How can we better embrace the idea of networking by shifting our negative perceptions and fear of it? This article from the Harvard Business Review will explore four strategies to help people change their…
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Getting to the Heart of Healthy Funder-Grantee Relationship
What are the factors of a healthy relationship? And if a grantee and a funder have such, does it make a difference for the communities they
serve? This article from the Stanford…