Creating more strategic, financially savvy, and confident nonprofit leaders and organizations.
It amazes me how many nonprofit leaders form their organizational strategy, their fundraising pitch, or their program model inside their nonprofit’s own walls. In order to be successful, you must understand the market in which you operate. And in order to understand it, you must go investigate it. It is a simple fact that nonprofits must compete […]
As much as we might like to deny it, nonprofits exist in a market economy, which means that nonprofits, like everything else, must compete for customers and resources. Therefore it is critical that you understand where your nonprofit fits in the market. While a business has one customer, a nonprofit has at least two distinct customer groups: […]
In the nonprofit world marketing is fairly misunderstood. “Marketing” is the act of segmenting the potential market for your products or services and then targeting the right segment(s) in order to convince them to “buy.” While in the for-profit world there is typically just one customer, in the nonprofit world there are (at least) two distinct […]
If the news (fake or otherwise) is getting you down lately, you need look no further than my fair city of Austin, Texas to restore your faith in humanity. Austin is a quirky mix of conservatives to the North and progressives to the South and somehow we all (for the most part) get along. Last week our […]
March offered lots of insight about how philanthropy should respond in the age of Trump. From investing in social movements, to getting involved in advocacy, to strengthening local communities, to giving more than the required 5%, there was much advice. Add to that a growing interest in how to combat “fake news,” steps to creating a digital marketing strategy, […]
In January it seemed as though we moved into social change hyper drive. With the inauguration of a new president, a litany of controversial executive orders, numerous efforts to block or minimize them, and advice for or frustration with the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors’ responses, the world of social change moved at warp speed. Add to that […]
Today is Halloween, which means it’s time for another monster list. In keeping with my Halloween tradition on the blog, today I’d like to add to past monster lists (of social change blogs, conferences, books, and resources) with a monster list of social changemakers to follow on Twitter. I know, I know, Twitter is struggling. Maybe […]
A lot of the conversation in September centered around inequality, philanthropy and data. When do data and philanthropy address inequality and when do they actually reinforce it? And if you add to that discussion about whether donors really care about impact; concern about the distracting, addicting influence of social media; and a call for philanthropists to be more supportive of nonprofit […]
From an historic blizzard that blanketed the country, to tackling poverty, to the leadership of Black Lives Matter, to technology in the new year, to using social media to stop ISIS, to advice for Charity Navigator, January was an interesting month in the world of social change. Here is my pick of the 10 best reads […]
October brought some great discussions in the blogosphere, including a forum on whether regulations around donor advised funds should change, concerns that we are working too hard, the need to better retain donors, and a debate about whether social media is (or can be) an effective fundraising tool. Round that out with examples of successful crowdfunding and volunteer skill crowdsourcing, […]
Since I was out of the office for a good chunk of July and August, I’ve decided to combine both months into one 10 Great Reads list. But let me be clear, there was still lots going on, I just happened to be (somewhat blissfully) missing it. From philanthropy’s role in inequality, to climate change preparation, to […]
In today’s Social Velocity interview I’m talking with Jay Geneske, Director of Digital at The Rockefeller Foundation. Jay directs the Foundation’s digital strategy to engage internal and external audiences, champion organization-wide collaboration, deliver data that informs organization decisions, and pioneer new ways to hear and share innovative ideas. Jay previously served as the Director of Online […]
Earlier this month I participated in a podcast conversation with Joed Lopez of Panvisio as part of their on-going Q2 Podcast series with social sector leaders. We talked about: How broken fundraising is A more effective financing approach Nonprofit fear of money The passion of nonprofit leaders The need to articulate a nonprofit’s message Capacity capital […]
