On Point Philanthropic Consulting Blog

January 26, 2022 A previous post discussed what a mastermind group is and does. This post explores why nonprofit leaders, fundraising professionals, and development staff can expect to gain from joining a facilitated mastermind group. Mastermind expert Karyn Greentstreet gave a great overview of the mastermind problem solving model in my OnPoint interview….

December 15, 2021 Have you considered pursuing an advanced designation and then wondered if they are worth the time and financial investment? There are several advanced designations and certificates that fundraising professionals can consider. The most common ones that I see for generalists are the CFRE, ACFRE, CAP,  and certificates in fundraising, fundraising…

December 13, 2021 The nonprofit sector IS the small business sector: Nonprofits have a median of four employees in the US. According to the Small Business Administration, 99% of nonprofits employ fewer than 500 people. Those large nonprofits are often hospitals and universities. Few are community service organizations like your local emergency housing…

November 30, 2021 A Five Question interview with Debby Peters I recently sat down with author and networking guru Debby Peters to talk about navigating those odd duck gatherings- holiday work events. These include receptions hosted by vendors, open houses, cocktail hours, or holiday programs.  After second year of social distancing, many holiday…

November 24, 2021 No one achieves anything alone. We rely on support and encouragement from many people who play different roles in our lives. It is up to us to remember to reflect back their kindness and help it grow in ourselves and our business and personal relationships. The quality of these relationships-…

October 18, 2021 Use these seven tips to improve your #GivingTuesday results and set your organization up for success (and a bonus tip for 2022) An eye-popping $1.4 billion was given last year on #GivingTuesday. Yes, giving was affected by the pandemic. However, you can continue the momentum by taking steps now to…

October 4, 2021 Is your fundraising on a treadmill? Do you acquire donors one year only to lose them the next?  You may be experiencing donor churn. Your rate of donor churn significantly impacts your organization’s sustainability and long-term success.  Donor churn is the constant turnover of new donors in your giving program….

August 10, 2021 How do you make decisions? Do you naturally think of all the things that could go wrong? Or do you get stuck in data collection mode, not feeling like you have all the information you need to make a decision? It’s essential to have a repeatable process for achieving important…

July 26, 2021 Effective Planning post #4 and an introduction to the 5 Whys Technique You have gathered the team- staff and board- around the table. It’s time to brainstorm the list of new programs or consider a new partnership. But wait! Before you hop over to the ‘real work’ of setting goals…

July 19, 2021 Effective Planning- part 3 Nonprofits often shy away from benchmarking themselves.  The reasons are understandable. It takes time to develop and track a set of indicators. An organization might have to purchase data, such as a salary survey or report. It can be threatening to compare your organization’s performance to…

July 12, 2021 Bad plans simply restate whatever the organization is currently doing and adds 10% or 15% more. Effective plans come from a planning process that is fearless.   Fearlessness allows the organization to consider its mission and vision and honestly assess the size of the gap between what is and what could…

July 5, 2021 David Lively and Naveen Vinukonda recently published a great article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy about the high cost of turnover in development staff and leadership. If you haven’t read it, it’s one you don’t want to miss. However, buried in all the great information regarding how long it takes to…

June 28, 2021 Effective strategic planning requires traction Ask ten non-profit board members about strategic planning, and eight will probably say it’s a waste of time. Many non-profit leaders feel the same way. Sums of money, not to mention valuable time, are expended to create plans without traction, destined to sit on the…

April 12, 2021 The ideal board member attends meetings, is prepared to engage in critical thinking in the board room and understands the fiduciary AND strategic roles that board members are called on to play.  Checking the fiduciary boxes is no longer enough to ensure your organization thrives and reaps the full benefit…

March 29, 2021 Build a Better Board Part 3 Visualize the most recent board meeting you attended and ask yourself these five questions about board performance: Were recommendations based on low aspirations due to fear of risk or criticism?  Did the board leave knowledge and skills untapped in its members? Did one or two…

March 22, 2021 Recruitment – What’s wrong with this picture? Recruitment is the first step in building any high-performing team. Governance and nominating committees need to use the same care as CEOs use to hire a new employee.  Board membership is a privilege. Board members can develop leadership skills, make a difference in…

March 15, 2021 What’s wrong with this picture? People rarely join a nonprofit board in search of mediocrity. And yet, that’s where they find themselves.    If you think your board is not engaged or engaged in the ‘wrong’ things, you are NOT alone. From confusion about roles and failure to fulfill essential legal…

March 8, 2021 Foundation Variance Power and Donor Intent I love watching the original James Bond movies. It seemed Bond would inevitably end up escaping from the villain at least once during the film by pushing the eject button on the dash of his fabulous sports car. Dramatic, yes. Recommended for day-to-day driving…

March 1, 2021 Benchmarks: don’t settle for mediocrity In parts 1, 2, and 3, I presented simple ways to future-proof your organization and create an early warning system by creating simple but powerful processes to help you monitor internal and external changes. Telling your organization’s story with emotion AND data is powerful. Connecting…

February 22, 2021 Trends- what are they, what do they mean. This post is the third in a series about creating an early warning system for your organization. In the first post, I talked about how dangerous it can be to ignore the environment in which your organization operates. Small changes in rules,…

February 15, 2021 …and create an early warning system for your non-profit or foundation. You can respond to rapidly changing conditions and provide nimble leadership and high-quality decision-making when you have access to timely information about the environment and the organization.   A fundamental expectation of leaders in the for-profit world is that…