Jennifer E Goldman, Nonprofit Consultant

When was the last time you got an appeal letter at home that included a self-addressed, stamped envelope...so you ran for your checkbook? I can’t remember either. It may have been enough to get you bonus donors back in our mothers’ day, but today the extra money spent on double the envelopes and double the postage is just an added expense to an already low-netting fundraiser. On average, fundraising appeal letters see a return of around 5%. That’s not a lot. To put it into perspective, here’s a little math I did for you. You’re welcome ;)      100 = number of letters you sent out          5 = the number of donations you receive If your ask in the letter was $100, then you may (or may not) have grossed $500 for that fundraiser. Total. And here’s likely what you spent on this “fundraiser”: 5-10 hours of your time creating, composing, collating, and mailing out – if you make $30/hour that’s $150 - $300 of your time $126 on posta...

If you’re struggling to find support for your nonprofit organization, you may want to begin tracking certain data to help you build a more compelling narrative. The more you understand what your organization has accomplished, in specific quantitative measures, the more your stakeholders and prospective supporters will be able to grasp the magnitude of the importance your nonprofit has in the community. Nonprofits that aren’t able to show their value, in both quantitative (numbers) and qualitative (narrative) ways often find support lacking in the following ways: Board member disengagement and/or dysfunction Not enough volunteers signing up Volunteers who step forward but don’t commit or follow through Donations waning in number and/or amount Grant applications rejected Partnerships dissolved or waning in commitment The more data you can collect during your fiscal year, the easier you’ll find it to tell your organization’s story. The method of data collection isn’t important – it can be...

Many nonprofit leaders feel as if their board isn’t engaged  *, or not as engaged as they’d like. On the flip side, many board members feel useless, like they want to do more, they just don’t know what to do and no one’s asking them. So, how can we get our directors to go from sitting on a board, to serving the board? It’s really quite simple. Talk to them! I invite you – either the head staff member or the board chair – to meet with board members one-on-one and find out how each member would like to be involved and at what level. The results may surprise you. Some board members will jump at the chance and some may not, but I believe they will all feel good about having had the conversation and the opportunity to be heard. Here's a list of questions or conversation starters you might want to use in these conversations: What first attracted you to our organization? What’s the biggest challenge you feel our organization is facing? And what suggestions do you have for resolving it? Wh...

Board retreats are a fantastic way to create meaningful engagement between staff and board, board member to board member and to solidify the commitment your board has to your nonprofit organization. Unfortunately, sometimes after a retreat, board members go back to status quo and that’s not ideal. Typically, a board retreat is put together with the hopes that board members will be re-energized, re-connected and renewed in their zeal to help lift an organization to a higher level of success. Here's a list of things I’ve found to be helpful in creating a retreat that will have a positive, lasting impact on your organization and the people you count on for its success: Decide what challenges you want to work through at the retreat and what outcomes/goals/deliverables you’ll be working toward. Make it a full-day or 2-day retreat. Eight solid hours if it’s only one day, six hours each day for 2-days. The best times of year for 2-day retreats to get the highest level of attendance (appr...

  Many nonprofits struggle with fundraising . I see several of them addressing funding concerns by adding events to their already busy calendars. And I get it. An overwhelming majority of people aren’t comfortable with asking for money. It may seem easier to raise funds through ticket sales, silent auctions or cash bars. But in reality it takes a lot more time (not to mention energy) – from your staff and your volunteers. I’d like to help organizations be more comfortable with asking for money. It ties into my 2023 theme of value proposition . It’s easier to ask for money when you believe in yourself and you believe in what you’re asking money for. See and feel the value of yourself and what you bring to the table as well as your organization, your programs, your projects and the level of service that you bring to your community. The first step, in my mind, is to realize (visualize) your own strengths and assets. We all have different personalities, different attitudes, different ...

I don't actually mean you. I meant me. I did it wrong. Not ALL of it, but certainly some of it. And maybe you are, too... Despite the fact that that line ( You're doing it wrong! ) came from the movie Mr. Mom , pointing out that the daddy was doing school drop-off/pick-up incorrectly, I’ve come to realize that being the mommy doesn’t give you any better instincts. Forget parenting, just being a human can be difficult to comprehend some days. You can see why I’ve been in therapy more than once in my lifetime. Turns out my first hurdle was mommy vs. daddy in a bout of marriage counseling. What I learned is that I’m one of those people who does it all. Sometimes because I have to, when there’s no one else willing to share the load. And sometimes because in my head, it’s just easier and faster to do it myself instead of explaining it to someone else. Or because I shouldn’t have to ask, so I don’t. Or because I know I’ll do it the way I want it done – and isn’t that really better an...

Have you ever been invited to an event coordinated by a nonprofit organization and thought, "That's strange. Why would  they  be hosting something like  this?"  If so, then chances are that the organization didn't think about their mission when they planned the event. There's no alignment there.  The main concern with events that don’t align with an organization’s mission is that it dilutes the understanding of what that nonprofit was set up to do. It’s Branding 101 – be consistent in your messaging. Always. I’ve seen private schools who boast instilling education, values, and citizenship for its students and then hosts a Monte Carlo Night with cigars, booze and gambling. I’ve seen historic preservation organizations coordinating Halloween parades for children. I’ve seen community small business support organizations create a haunted forest event out in the middle of nowhere. The allure for nonprofits is the idea that creating super big, fun events will give the...

Everybody likes free stuff, right? Well...maybe. It depends on the stuff. If I were to give you the choice: a free new car or a free mud pie, which one would you choose? What if I never offered you the car, just the mud pie? Would that seem like an awesome gift to you? Maybe if you’re three. But as a nonprofit leader, what are you going to do with a mud pie? Ok, so all of that is me being silly and playing devil’s advocate, but how many of you have given consideration to the value of in-kind contributions offered to your organization? Not the stated monetary value of the item; the value of that item to YOU. When is a gift not a gift? In consideration of the in-kind contributions you’re being offered, ask yourself (or your board if you need additional input): Is the service or item you’re being offered of benefit to your organization? Is this something you would have sought out and paid for even if it hadn’t been offered? Is this something you know exactly what to do with, or will it ta...

  Have you ever heard the words that come out of your mouth and thought, “Why did I say that? That sounded so dumb.”? Or re-read the email (after you hit send, of course!) and totally criticized yourself for sounding small ? I’m guilty of self-analyzing. A LOT. Really, I spend so much time thinking about the things I say, write, do, and think that I should be paying me for therapy. I’d be rich! I remember one of the members of my board, when I was running a nonprofit organization, telling me to stop using “wimp words”. That’s what he called them. Words and phrases I would use to soften my ideas, cushion my thoughts, or qualify my opinions. I’m still guilty of doing many of these things. However, I’m making an effort to be more intentional with my words and how I use them. I don’t want to sound wimpy. I want to sound like a strong, intelligent, kind, and thoughtful person who has (sometimes) really good ideas, and (always) valid opinions. I’m still learning to stop packing myself in...