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,

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

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

Have you ever stopped to wonder how your donors see their relationship with your organization? Spoiler : it’s often very different from...

I bet you know a nonprofit that constantly sends out “urgent” messages—so often that they start to sound like Chicken Little, even when...

Goosebumps. Misty eyes. If you see a Paralympic montage or hear an Olympic athlete's childhood story, you might get a little choked up....

You are a superhero! Whether you’re a nonprofit professional or a dedicated volunteer, you show up to do the hard work of changing the...

I often tell folks that I take after a crock pot: I need time to let ideas simmer before I can articulate them to others in a clear and...

When I stumbled into the nonprofit sector after grad school, I had lots of misconceptions about this work—especially about major gifts....

It’s September. Back to school time. Pumpkin spice season is just around the corner. And, for our sector, it’s time to draft our year-end...

Kristin Raack, Principal at AltruNext, was recently featured as a guest author about how to avoid confirmation bias. The full article was...

Perhaps you’re thinking that Halloween is the scariest … but I’m referring to the face-to-face philanthropic solicitations that are often...

Based on my 20+ years of experience working with small to mid-sized nonprofits, I’d estimate that three-quarters of the organizations in...

In the busyness of nonprofit organizations, sometimes we forget what drew us to this work in the first place. We lose sight of what we...

Grant Professionals Association - Annual Conference November 3, 2022 10:45am - 12:00pm Louisville, KY (in-person & virtual options)...

Creating Change through Invitation Nonprofit organizations possess an incredible power to connect people—not only with each other, but to...

Strategic plans. Program plans. Fund development plans. Business plans. Data collection and evaluation plans. Nonprofits are always engaged in planning. Yet, all too often, we dread the planning process. Then, after countless hours of work, we put the plan on the shelf and forget about it. How can organizations engage in successful planning and avoid the common pitfalls? I’ve recently learned about a model called Appreciative Inquiry that has revolutionized my approach to or

Here in Chicago, we love Daniel Burnham, the renowned city planner who envisioned and built the 1893 World’s Fair among other notable...

Are you maximizing your gift matching? Learn more about this simple way to increase your impact.

Asking the RIGHT questions sometimes depends on WHY you're asking the question. Building greater awareness and intentionality into your...