Development for Conservation |

13 May Because: That’s Where the Money Is!

Posted at 08:30h in Board Development, Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership 0 Comments

In the end, fundraising is about personal relationships. Done well, the relationship is between the donor and the organization, but every relationship begins between two individuals. And 90 percent of fundraising comes down to how well you’re doing at building those relationships. Maybe instead of “fundraiser”...

06 May Development Committee Makeover

Posted at 05:10h in Board Development, Donor Cultivation, Featured 4 Comments

I had a great time in Pennsylvania last weekend presenting at the Pennsylvania Land Conservation Conference. One of the sessions I presented was called Secrets of High-Functioning Development Committees. I had originally envisioned this as a Rally session featuring a cast of actors who would play...

03 Dec December is for Saying “Thank You”

Posted at 17:42h in Board Development, Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership 1 Comment

Are you as engaged in fundraising as you should be? If not, December is a great month to change that – by saying thank you. Making calls to donors and members carries the twin benefits of increasing their connection to the organization and increasing...

28 May Eliminating Term Limits is a BAD Idea

Posted at 13:39h in Board Development, Featured 0 Comments

Eliminating term limits for board directors is a bad idea. Boards without term limits have no incentive to recruit, and without the constant stimulation new recruits bring, organizations can get stale and inbred over time and fail to grow. Furthermore, organizations that are growing have...

21 May Access to Donors – It’s Personal

Posted at 12:33h in Board Development, Donor Cultivation, Featured 0 Comments

An important concept in fundraising is that of “access” to current and potential donors. Access in fundraising means that if you send someone an email or leave a voice message, it will be returned. Each of us has a circle of friends, family, business colleagues,...

16 Apr Rethinking Board Orientations

Posted at 08:56h in Board Development, Featured 0 Comments

I encourage all board members to regularly deliver their elevator speech to the entire board, as a form of ritualized practice. Practicing is just good "practice" anyway, but hearing what others say can help you refine and hone your own message. Delivering such a speech...

10 Apr Standards and Practices – Are You Compliant?

Posted at 12:08h in Board Development, Featured 0 Comments

At a designated board meeting, s/he reports formally on the Standard, noting all the practices and policies underneath it, and offering an opinion as to the degree to which the organization is currently compliant. S/he offers recommendations for improvement or wording changes as appropriate. Any...

09 Oct Grand Decisions

Posted at 08:12h in Board Development, Featured 0 Comments

The case I meant to make is that $1,000 is not a lot of money in today's world. $84 a month, $21 a week. Think about all the things we buy without thinking that fall into that category: restaurant meals, designer coffee, wine/beer, internet/cable service,...

15 Nov Thinking About the Best Board Chair

Posted at 07:59h in Board Development, Featured 0 Comments

The point is that the Board Development Committee should be looking at least 7-10 years out. What kind of person do we need to cultivate (or get to know) NOW, so they are ready to come onto the Board in 2-3 years - so they...

06 Sep Creative Disruption: Sabbaticals for Executive Directors

Posted at 03:05h in Board Development, Featured, Staff Development 0 Comments

Early last year, six foundations with a history of funding Executive Director Sabbaticals released a study documenting their effectiveness, entitled Creative Disruption: Sabbaticals for Capacity Building and Leadership Development In the Nonprofit Sector. According to the study: Organizational capacity increased as the second tier of leadership took...

Board Development