Do We Really “Know” Our Corporate Donors And Prospects?

By Tony Poderis on February 7, 2012

We should (and usually do) work hard to make our best possible case for support to corporations … wanting them to know as much as possible about us. But an equally important issue is, “What do we know about them?” I was recently thinking about the extent, the depth, to which we have to know [...]

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How To Better Manage Your Grant Program

By Lynn deLearie on February 2, 2012

Too often we wind up letting the tail wag the dog. I know, I’ve been there. Not long ago, I came across an RFP (Request for Proposal) that was outside the scope of what our organization was planning to do during the current fiscal year. I talked to our program staff, and they came up [...]

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Staffing The Development Office

By Hank Lewis on January 31, 2012

The Senior Development Person functions in four broad areas: •  Long- and Short-Term Planning        Working with Leadership •  Operational Planning and Analysis        Working with Leadership, Administration and Staff to identify        and select the (marketing, public relations and development)        programs that will best address established goals and        objectives. •  Coordinating Development Activities with those of the other depts. •  Program [...]

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Minimize your Government-Grant-Proposal Risks!

By Jayme Sokolow on January 26, 2012

Developing a grant proposal to a government agency is a risky undertaking. However, there are predictable risks that you should anticipate and address. If you do not address them at the beginning of your effort, your may have trouble submitting a competitive grant proposal by the deadline. Risks and How to Address Them Below are [...]

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The Role of The Development Office

By Hank Lewis on January 24, 2012

The Development Office and its staff functions with-and-through a volunteer cadre, and: •  Participates in the strategic planning process to address the     feasibility of attaining specific long-range and short-term     funding goals. •  Is responsible for working with Leadership and Administration     in planning and implementing the activities needed to generate     the funding required to meet the goal established [...]

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Going Over The Head Of A Foundation Program Officer

By Tony Poderis on January 19, 2012

Recently, a disgruntled grant seeker I know told me that he was so upset with what he said was a “blatant” turndown from a foundation Program Officer that he was going to go over that official’s head to appeal to a board member of the foundation — someone whom he knows. My immediate reaction was [...]

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Recording Year-End Checks/Gifts to Nonprofits

By Christine Manor on January 18, 2012

A reader asked: If my 501 (c) 3 organization receives a check/donation in January 2012 (postmark is also for January 2012), but the check has a December 2011 date, is it correct that we are to record that donation as 2012 income … even though the intent of the donor may be for the gift [...]

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Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You

By Lynn deLearie on January 17, 2012

When Does A Foundation Really Mean “No”? Unfortunately, the answer is most of the time. Let’s go through a couple of scenarios from my recent real-world encounters to see how this can play out. Scenario A: You’ve done your prospecting homework and have identified a foundation that’s a good fit with your organization. Unfortunately, you [...]

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Google Changed the Search Engine Rules

By Rick Christ on January 12, 2012

Online fundraising happens …when people come to your website and make a gift. While you can reach previous donors and prospects with email, the vast majority of online donors are not on your email list – yet. While you can pay for ads to bring traffic to your website, Google and other search engines will [...]

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Separation of Church and Nonprofit

By Hank Lewis on January 10, 2012

A reader wrote: Our non-profit, faith based social service agency is going to split from the identity/brand of the church, but continue under a new name and separate 501(c)(3) to offer the same programs and services. The only difference is that it would no longer be associated with the church or considered part of the [...]

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