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Equip Your Board for Campaign Success
Capital campaigns open up exciting possibilities for nonprofits. They also bring plenty of questions and misconceptions. Who leads the effort? What will board members be expected to do? How much should board members give? These are questions I hear often. Clarifying the board’s role early helps everyone move forward with greater confidence. First, what is a capital campaign? A capital campaign is a focused, time-bound fundraising effort to support a major organizational prior
Kristin Raack
3 days ago2 min read
Kristin Raack Featured as a GrantSummit 2026 Speaker
AltruNext Principal Kristin Raack, CFRE, GPC, will lead two online sessions at the Grant Professionals Association’s GrantSummit 2026. Her presentations will explore how grant professionals can apply their expertise across fund development and help guide their organizations through change. These topics reflect Kristin’s work supporting nonprofits in strengthening their fundraising efforts and organizational capacity. Both sessions connect professional growth with practical ap
Kristin Raack
Oct 52 min read
Donor Advised Fund Essentials: Maximizing the Power of DAFs
AltruNext founder Kristin Raack, CFRE, GPC will join Dr. Sandra Ehrlich, CFRE to co-facilitate Donor Advised Fund Essentials: Maximizing the Power of DAFs, a special educational session presented by AFP Global as part of the 2026 AFP Montana Educational Summit. Held October 22–23 in Billings, Montana, this year’s Summit will explore Pathways in Planned Giving: From Simple Gifts to Complex Strategies. Kristin and Sandra’s session will provide fundraising professionals with pra
Kristin Raack
Sep 281 min read
Reframing 🔄 How We Approach Challenges
Reframing the Problem: Start With What’s Strong Scarcity mindset and deficit-based problem-solving run rampant in our society. When a challenge comes up at your nonprofit, you might hear someone ask: “What’s going wrong?” “Why isn’t this working?” “What are we missing?” “Who or what is causing the problem?” “How do we fix it?” To survive, humans have always needed to notice trouble and address it, but this explicit process of viewing challenges as inherent deficits to be dia
Kristin Raack
Sep 83 min read
When the Path Isn’t Clear 🧭 A Better Way to Make Tough Decisions
Hard decisions are not unique to nonprofits, and they are not unique to uncertain times. Whether your organization is thriving or strained, you will likely face moments when you need to decide what to keep, what to change, and what to let go. For nonprofits, the challenge is that decisions cannot be made on finances alone. Every program has a dual bottom line: mission impact and financial sustainability. The Dual Bottom-Line Matrix (created by Jeanne Bell and Steve Zimmerman)
Kristin Raack
Aug 112 min read
The Secret ✨ to More Effective Nonprofit Events
Rethinking Nonprofit Events: Start with “Why” Is your nonprofit’s calendar dotted with events—luncheons, galas, open houses, 5Ks, or house parties? For many organizations, events are an important tactic. But not every event should serve the same purpose, and not every gathering needs to be a fundraiser. The most effective organizations start by asking one simple question: Why are we hosting this event? When you get clear on the “why,” everything that follows—audience, format,
Kristin Raack
Jul 143 min read
A Decade of Impact
I started AltruNext back in 2008. For years, it was just me: one person, partnering with nonprofits to advance the greater good. Ten years ago, that changed. AltruNext grew from a solo practice into something bigger, and my husband, Don, left his job to build it with me. It was a leap of faith for both of us. Two parents, young kids, and the very real uncertainty that comes with betting on your own business. Ten years in, I can tell you it hasn't always been easy, but it rema
Kristin Raack
Jun 93 min read
Credentials in Action: Finding the Right Path Across Grants and Fundraising
June 9, 2026 | 1:00 - 2:00 PM This joint webinar brings together GPCI, CFRE, and NGMA to explore how accredited credentials support professional practice across grant development, grants management, and fundraising. Held on World Accreditation Day, the session reflects a shared commitment to the quality, consistency, and trust that accreditation brings to professions worldwide. Representatives from each organization, along with guest speakers who hold two or more credentials,
Kristin Raack
Jun 41 min read
AFP Deep Dive — Gift Acceptance Policies
Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) June 24, 2026 | 1:00 - 5:00 PM Eastern $209 USD (Members); $279 USD (Non-Members) Eligible for 4 CFRE points. Strengthen your organization’s fundraising by joining this practical, interactive session designed to help you draft or audit your Gift Acceptance Policy that protects your mission, manages risk, and builds donor trust. Together we’ll explore what types of gifts you should and should not accept, who inside your organizati
Kristin Raack
May 282 min read
A Seasonal Way to Think About Nonprofit Growth
This time of year, gardeners are eagerly watching to see what emerges. Some plants seem to burst to life overnight, while others take their time. I’m not great at keeping plants alive, but I’ve been trying to add pollinator-friendly perennials to our yard over the last few years. The problem is that they seem pitiful in that first year. I water them, I hope, and I wait. But I’m not even sure they’re alive. I found out there’s a gardening axiom for that: the first year it slee
Kristin Raack
May 262 min read
10 Key Insights from Fundraising Leaders Across the Sector
Sometimes we all need a reset—a chance to step away from the daily grind and reconnect with the reasons we do this work. I had the pleasure of doing just that last week while attending the largest fundraising conference in the world: AFP ICON. You deserve to benefit from the energy and insights I brought back, so here are 10 takeaways for you: Call one donor every single day. Developing that simple habit is one of the easiest ways to strengthen authentic relationships and imp
Kristin Raack
May 52 min read
Focusing on the Grants that Matter Most
Many nonprofits feel pressure to pursue every available grant, which can be overwhelming and counterproductive. When we’re chasing dollars, strategy and quality suffer. Instead, a well-designed grant screening tool helps your organization invest its limited resources where they can make the greatest impact. Why Build a Screening Tool? Grant opportunities vary widely in fit, likelihood, and return on investment. A structured screening process allows you to: Save time by quickl
Kristin Raack
Apr 143 min read
The Power of Curiosity
Have you seen NPR’s brilliant new marketing campaign ? It “defend[s] the right to be curious.” I’m absolutely smitten . As NPR’s Chief Marketing Officer, Mishka Pitter-Armand, put it, "Curiosity is the fuel of a functioning democracy." It’s also essential for thriving, creative nonprofits. Get Curious About Curiosity Curiosity can be intrinsic or externally motivated. It can focus on intellectual topics or interpersonal issues. Regardless of its particularities, the ben
Kristin Raack
Mar 102 min read
Coaching that Works
We’ve all been there. You’re coaching a new hire, a volunteer, or a team member on a specific task, and it’s just not landing. You’ve explained the process, shared resources, and even offered support—yet two weeks later, the task is still undone. What’s the disconnect? I realized the problem wasn’t in what I was explaining, but how I was coaching. I could outline steps and cheer people on, but that’s not the same as effective coaching. True coaching requires understanding wh
Kristin Raack
Feb 102 min read
Two Improv Phrases That Change the Conversation
What if we began the year believing in abundance rather than scarcity? What if we felt confident that we could attract the volunteers and donors our organization requires to meet the community’s needs? What if we expected great things to happen? What if we really believed that we could improve the world? Notice what happened as you read those questions. Did you feel your shoulders relaxing? Did you feel curious? Did you find these questions opening you up to new ideas? That’s
Kristin Raack
Jan 133 min read
When December Feels Like Whack-A-Mole
Whack-A-Mole is one of my least favorite arcade games. It feels rigged. There is no way to keep up with those blasted moles. There are too many, and they are too fast. (For the record, Skee-ball is my preferred game.) As a nonprofit professional or volunteer, you may feel like your whole life is Whack-A-Mole. Work on the grant budget. Make a plan for the staffing shortage. Reach out to the key donor who left a message. Check with the finance department about an unpaid bill. I
Kristin Raack
Dec 9, 20252 min read
Humanize - in a World of AI
Whether you love it or hate it, AI (Artificial Intelligence) is transforming the nonprofit landscape. We’re all on a colossal learning trajectory—even the most tech-savvy among us are discovering something new every day. Lots of questions linger about ethics, intellectual property, and data privacy. (And don’t even get me started on mysteries like AI hallucinations. How does that happen?) Within nonprofits, we’re seeing all sorts of amazing uses: Wealth screening with deep a
Kristin Raack
Oct 28, 20252 min read
The Tables are Turned: The Coach Becomes the Student
I’ve been a fundraising consultant now for 17 years, and a frontline fundraiser for years before that. So, much of my career has focused on helping organizations raise the resources they need to achieve their missions. I love guiding nonprofit leaders through the art and science of making the ask—coaching teams through major gift best practices, building donor strategies, and creating fundraising materials. But recently, the tables turned. I found myself on the other side—no
Kristin Raack
Oct 23, 20253 min read
The Tables are Turned: The Coach Becomes the Student
I’ve been a fundraising consultant now for 17 years, and a frontline fundraiser for years before that. So, much of my career has focused on helping organizations raise the resources they need to achieve their missions. I love guiding nonprofit leaders through the art and science of making the ask—coaching teams through major gift best practices, building donor strategies, and creating fundraising materials. But recently, the tables turned. I found myself on the other side—no
Kristin Raack
Oct 14, 20253 min read
Start with Why: A Guide to Meaningful Engagement
If you’ve ever spent time with a preschooler, you know the power of the question: “WHY?” For any answer you give, they’re inclined to say, “BUT, WHYYYYY?” Soon, you’ve gone leaps and bounds beyond their initial question into another realm of knowledge completely. It can be exhausting, but those kiddos are on to something… Start with Why That relentless curiosity is at the heart of Simon Sinek’s classic Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. If I ha
Kristin Raack
Sep 24, 20252 min read
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