Build your strengths and strengthen your weaknesses. This two part formula will take you a long way toward becoming the best professional you can be. (Yes, I did say weaknesses, not challenges. More on that here.) Our innate abilities express themselves through hard-won skills. A college roommate of mine was a classical guitar major. An…
Category: Nonprofit Management & Leadership
Year-end Fundraising: Creating Opportunities
It’s here. Thanksgiving week. For so many nonprofits, this week feels like the unofficial season opener for year-end fundraising. True, this is a good time to run your LYBUNT and SYBUNT lists. Prioritize your calls. Start the push to hit December 31 in the black. Regardless of when fiscal years begin and end, the calendar…
Polished Rocks
In a special space in my home, I keep a small collection of polished rocks. There are no more than eight or 10 of them. One is a crystal. Each landed in my hands from one source or another many years ago. One, the crystal actually, was given to me by a deeply spiritual and…
Five mistakes grant seekers make over and over
As a grant seeker, so much is out of your control. What follows are five common errors that cause grant applications to get ignored. These are things you can do something about. I have seen all of these mistakes in my work as executive director of a grant making foundation. I’ve made my share of…