Category Archives: Strategic Planning
Old Ideas. New Tricks.
Vaughn Schill, a partner in the New Jersey wealth management firm of Lane Bridgers & Schill, is a fellow Trustee on the Board of the Community Foundation of South Jersey. I subscribe to their weekly e-letter, which regularly features a brief piece entitled “Think About It.” A recent installment cited author Jonah Lehrer, and reminded [...]
Hunker Down and Plan to Succeed
While concerns about the possibility of a double-dip recession come and go, it is probably wise to follow the old adage to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Here’s what it means to prepare: Don’t assume that because you have always received a grant from a particular donor that you will continue [...]
State Your Case
Fundraising success results from effectively sharing your story, connecting with prospects, and making the “right” asks. A strong case for support jumpstarts your efforts, so allow time during the inception of any new project to create not only your written “sales” presentation, but also your board’s salient talking points. Preparing your case statement is an [...]
Painting The Big Picture
How current is your nonprofit’s most recent strategic plan? Is it an active, working document, or does it dwell untouched on a shelf in your office? Comprehensive strategic planning is critical to the success of any nonprofit. An effective plan addresses the question, “If you don’t know where you are going, how will you get [...]
If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail
Has your non-profit has successfully completed a capital campaign and you are wondering “what next”? Or, does your fundraising consist primarily of an annual fund and a couple of special events you’d like to expand, but don’t know how to move to the next level? Effective planning is a key to success in any organization. For non-profits, a focused, comprehensive [...]
Do You Know Where You’re Going? Get a Map and a Plan
Remember the old adage: “If you don’t know where you are going, how do you know when you arrive?” It’s easy to stray from our goals and become too involved in activities that only marginally enhance the success of our development program. Without a carefully crafted plan, we tend to wander in the wilderness, becoming [...]
Planning Essentials: A Staff-Volunteer Partnership
At least annually, consider scheduling a focused planning session with your key volunteers, then incorporate their thoughts and yours into your development calendar, goals, objectives and timetables. The advantages to this process are numerous: – Helps assure realistic goals and objectives based on historical data, your constituency and economic forces so goals can be challenging yet realistic – Involves the [...]
