Contingent-Pay for Development Staff

By Tony Poderis on March 6, 2012

Why Not Work on Percentage, Bonus or Commission? I have long and unyieldingly stood against any form of contingent-pay in the non-profit sector — having an organization’s staff development officer working for compensation based on a percentage of funds raised, a bonus, or a commission. Such arrangements, and any variations, are denounced by major “for-the-profession” […]

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The Dog Ate My Foundation Report…

By Lynn deLearie on March 1, 2012

Grant Reports Aren’t Always Required, But They’re (Almost) Always A Good Idea !! Not sure about you, but the dog eating my homework excuse never worked for me.  And not turning in a grant report to a funder who requires one is not going to work either. At best, you’ll be given an extension for […]

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A Future Capital Campaign: A Reader’s Questions

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on February 28, 2012

And Some Questions in Response: We are a small 501(c)(3) arts organization with an annual budget of about $25,000 in a small community of about 4,000. We are looking at mounting a capital campaign to buy a building and make it a community arts center. Most buildings of the needed size are selling for $100,000 […]

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Don’t Let Your Grant Proposal Time Slip Away!

By Jayme Sokolow on February 23, 2012

One of the most precious commodities in any government grant proposal effort is the amount of time you have to conceptualize, develop, produce, and deliver your proposal. For many nonprofit organizations, time slips away too easily. Phases of Grant Proposal Development There is a good four-phase rule-of-thumb that can be applied to grants, each phase […]

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Looking Forward: Major Gifts In The New Year

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on February 21, 2012

Responsible planning, in any economy, involves identifying sources of funding sufficient to ensure continuation/survival of the programs that satisfy the needs of the people and the communities you serve. Ensuring the funding of your programs requires that you minimize the risk of (again?) losing a large percentage of your income. According to “Giving USA 2011,” […]

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Saying “Thanks… And…” via Email

By Rick Christ on February 16, 2012

If you have a donor’s email address, use it several times without asking for money. The best way to use a donor’s email address is to thank them for a recent gift, and tell them how their money is being used. If you have a donor’s email address on file, then send them an email […]

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Strategic & Development Planning: Love and Marriage

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on February 14, 2012

Strategic Planning Every nonprofit must periodically assess its success in pursuing its mission, and must evaluate its progress toward achieving its long-term goals and objectives. Those assessments and evaluations can only proceed if an organization has clearly established (and periodically) confirms its reason for being, and has established benchmarks by which it can judge its […]

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The CFC: Leadership Development & Charity Fairs

By Carter McNamara on February 9, 2012

In this and the next several CFC posts, we’ll examine some of the steps that you and your organization can take to benefit from participation in the CFC, in addition to those activities that generate revenue. One challenge that many non-profits face is how to provide real opportunities for their staff members to develop their […]

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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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