Mendi Nieters
#GivingTuesdayNow and COVID-19
Giving Tuesday has announced May 5, 2020 to be #GivingTuesdayNow as an emergency response to COVID-19. It is designed to create a movement for unity and drive generosity for nonprofits. Many leaders, foundations, corporations, and online platforms have signed up showing their support for the…
Read MoreYour Next Hire: A Strategic Investment
One of the largest pain points inside nonprofits is bandwidth. We feel it nearly every time we walk into a client. And one of the largest investments for a nonprofit is normally personnel. Every dollar counts and is a strategic investment in your mission. Your next hire is important, whether…
Read MoreWhat’s Your Why?
‘Tis the season to be game on! Thanksgiving is behind us. Giving Tuesday is in the books. 30% of annual giving occurs in December and 10% in the last three days of the year. Many nonprofits have been planning for this season for months. There are now three and a half weeks left in 2019…
Read MoreYou Have A Strategic Plan. Now What?
Creating a strategic plan, if done right, involves stakeholders and requires time and thoughtful work. It builds consensus around shared goals, provides direction, and hopefully creates excitement. So then why do some nonprofits do nothing with it when finished? Is it time? Effo…
Read MoreTeam Up
The 2019 soccer season is in the books! It was a rough season for our household. Luckily, we ended on a high note with our first win in the last game of play of the tournament weekend. Yep, it was a long season of practices, rainouts, near wins, total defeats, and bruised egos. But that last…
Read MoreHow Much Does It Really Cost?
I comparison shop at a moment’s notice. You might have caught me in Costco or Target on my phone checking prices. Or you might have seen me looking for reviews on the product in hand. Intuitively we know that while cost matters, quality or desired impact also matters. When looking to…
Read MoreCan You Say No?
On Monday night I had requests to be three places, all at once. It’s happened to us all, especially in this Fall season when we are gearing up for many great things. I agonized over one of the requests. It was to fill in for another leader who …
Read MoreDo You See Me?
Friday, during my annual eye exam, I saw an email that caught my eye. The 2018 Nonprofit Email Deliverability Study reported that on average 24 percent of 2017 nonprofit fundraising emails were going into spam folders. For the 55 large nonprofits they surveyed, this result…
Read MoreMore Money, Fewer Donors, and Lots of Data
Headlines sell, and as much as I don’t want to be a victim of a lead, several have grabbed my attention this month. Recently, Giving USA released their annual report on giving trends. I love numbers and looking for trends, so I jumped in! I was excited to l…
Read MoreWe’re Number Three!
Do you ever have one of those days where all the dots connect? That happened to me on Monday. I started the day with an article from The Chronicle of Philanthropy showing that nonprofits are the third-largest employer in America with 11.9 million employees. I was so intrigued that I ha…
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