Sherry Quam Taylor teaches nonprofit leaders to confidently ask for the size donations that fully fund their programs year after year. Yep - more donors and larger donations.
The leaders she works with are experts in their field, but when it comes to fundraising, it feels uncomfortable and frustrating. She helps them overcome that, so they can finally stop dreading fundraising and get back to accomplishing their mission.
“What’s the formula for a strong, sustainable nonprofit? Put simply, balancing a nonprofit heart with a business mindset.” That’s the tagline that caught my eye and led me to the fantastic series called “Nonprofit Heart, Business Mindset” over at BDO USA, LLP. Most nonprofits aren’t lacking heart, but MANY are lacking the business mindset needed to sustain the heart over the long haul. Read more about this heart/mind balance and how your nonprofit can learn from it.
Have you seen this annual report from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation? It outlines how some people, due to circumstances they cannot control, start out ahead in life. A person’s gender, birth country, access to services, and more affect us greatly. That’s why I love working with nonprofits—these organizations are helping people all over the world overcome these hurdles and get on better footing. Read more on how various factors affect individuals, communities, and nations around the world. It’s fascinating!
FANGIRLING ON FRIDAY
(WHEN JOAN GARRY RESPONDED TO ME!)
Have you ever read an article so remarkable you read it twice?! This just happened to me. The Chronicle of Philanthropy posted a guest article written by #nonprofit industry icon Joan Garry titled “Who Needs an Executive Coach? Time for Some Myth-Busting.” Here’s what spoke to me:
“Board members often think a request for a coach signals a deficiency. They’re wrong: It’s just plain smart.”
So very true—I see this all the time with my clients! Learn why Garry’s entire article had me cheering and tell me if you’ve ever had or wanted an executive coach.
NEW PROJECT ENERGY
Don’t you love launching new projects? Me too!
There’s nothing more invigorating than day one with a new client. Learn why I LOVE starting new projects and get a sneak peek into my step-by-step process I use with new clients to help them grow in the discipline of fundraising—because that takes energy for executing daily, weekly, and monthly rhythms and habits.
Have you ever been blown away by an off-the-wall question from a donor or board member? You know, the one that makes you wonder if they even know what your organization does?
I hear this often.
On the flip-side, one of my favorite things about my business is that I get to regularly meet with leaders of nonprofits all over the world and hear about the amazing journeys their missions have taken them on. These organizations are solving problems I didn’t even know existed.
Do you have a background in finance? Me neither.
One of the most important things she taught me was that financial management is not only about the accuracy of the numbers but also about using those numbers to discover trends that will inform your business decisions. Your numbers tell a story about your organization – and when you understand how to read your numbers you can run a better business.
I love volunteers - when I started in nonprofit years ago I was that volunteer working a 50-hour-a-week corporate job who went home and worked another “full-time job” by volunteering for a nonprofit. Looking back, I don’t know how I did it - but I was super passionate about the mission (and single at the time!). Better yet, there were probably 10-15 other core volunteers working alongside the team - their energy really catapulted the mission and organization through those initial sticky start-up processes and early years.
But, once the organization was fully up and running with a few full-time staff members, I found it increasingly harder to use volunteers. There were timing issues, not-quite-the best-fit issues, and areas where well-meaning volunteers lacked expertise. I struggled with this - aren’t nonprofits built off the backs of volunteers?
When I started in nonprofit years ago I had no idea what a Form 990 was - all those numbers and check-boxes seemed like a lot of painful information for someone to fill out. Frankly, I didn’t understand what most of it meant. I’ve put off filing because of “more important” business and have admittedly filed a few extension myself.
But that was before I understood the importance of this little gem of a document.
You are a subject-matter expert. You can do these programs in your sleep.
Honestly, this is one of the most inspiring parts of my job! I get to teach and coach you, who are an absolute industry-expert, how to grow your nonprofit to support your mission. I’m lucky enough to be the student at times - learning about a problem in the world and how you are solving it! As fun as it is for me to be able to come alongside and support you as you grow your organization, this is often a stress point for many Executive Directors.
The ways, means, and methods you can fundraise in 2019 are endless, aren’t they?
We have it all.
The campaigns and peer activism are creative and never-ending: give-your-birthday, Mother’s day, grow a beard, have a garage sale, bake sale, run a really long distance, create art and give proceeds, host a dinner party, host an “un-event” where nobody comes, organize a board-game night, plan a casino night, 3-on-3 basketball tournaments, and eating contests (oh my!)...and then we must not forget the ice-bucket challenge.
Thankful to be featured on The A Group podcast! Here’s what we’re talking about:
Sadly, nonprofit organizations that don’t embrace change are sure to fall behind, plateau, or, worse yet, deteriorate. So, what can you do and change to ensure your revenue is growing each year to support your mission and programs? As January 1 approaches, we're talking about safeguards to put in place to ensure change initiatives stick and greatly impact the revenue to our organizations. Take a listen!
