Lagging indicators are easy to measure but can be hard to influence. For nonprofits, a clear lagging indicator that is easy to measure but hard to improve on is donations. The problem with lagging indicators is, well, they’re lagging. It’s not too tricky when we are experiencing year-over-year increases in revenues but it quickly becomes … Continue Reading
According to “Overcoming Barriers to Giving,” Fidelity Charitable’s study of over 3,200 donors, 64% of donors want to give more. While your donors may have other questions and concerns, demonstrating your nonprofit’s effectiveness has the greatest potential of encouraging your funders to increase their gift size or giving frequency, or both. That’s where we can … Continue Reading
You are not alone. When it comes to getting an objective view of your organization’s operations, most nonprofit executives and board members are too close to judge. One of the hardest parts is determining where the gaps are and what to do about them. Until very recently, the only real option was to have a … Continue Reading
Is there competition between nonprofits? Probably, even if it is not head-to-head competition. Here’s why: In short, more nonprofits are seeking funds, less money is being donated, and fewer major donors are redistributing the same amounts of money. The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University reported that 20 million fewer households gave in … Continue Reading
Seventy-three percent of your funders say it is “very important” to trust a nonprofit before giving, yet only 19% say they “highly trust” you and 10% are optimistic about the sector becoming “more trustworthy” over time. Wait, what? I’ll say it another way. This research was first reported in The Chronicle of Philanthropy: What have … Continue Reading
By studying industry leaders from other sectors, you may be able to immediately adapt their insights to address challenges that your nonprofit (or the nonprofit you are funding) is facing or will face in the future. Amazon Founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos unknowingly gave your nonprofit (or the one you fund) a huge gift … Continue Reading
Business leader and philanthropist Bill Gates said, “I have been struck again and again by how important measurement is to improving the human condition.” Thought provoking, isn’t it? I wonder what questions the founder of the largest software company and largest private foundation in the world would ask your nonprofit (or the one you fund)? … Continue Reading
All nonprofits want to operate effectively and efficiently. Most do not. According to the Harvard Business Review, 94% of all managers assume that they are operating above operational competency. They are not. Given its systemic nature, this must be an extremely difficult problem to solve. It is not. What Gets Measured Gets Managed The complete … Continue Reading
Would you consider the nonprofit you work for, or financially support, excellent? I don’t know too many people who would want to work for a mediocre organization or give money to an adequate agency. Do you? Okay, let’s get real… Excellence Guru Tom Peters says in his book, The Excellence Dividend: “Excellence is the next … Continue Reading
There are many reasons to consider inviting an outsider inside your organization. Usually, it involves a specific outcome or objective that you need or want to achieve. Are your donations lagging? Do you need fresh messaging? Have you lost key employees? If your organization already had the capacity to address the issue, you would have … Continue Reading