News You Can Use

News You Can Use Issue 133/January 2014 How to Guarantee Success in the Selection of Campaign Volunteers   Mary Ellen Clark Senior Vice President   The success of fundraising campaigns hinges on leadership, and that leadership starts with the Board. Board members are the campaign solicitors of first and last resort. They are the most important fundraising resource of the organization.…

News You Can Use Issue 118/October 2012 While You Are Waiting for Change...          By Mary Ellen Clark  Senior Vice President  The speculation over the outcome of the elections and any potential changes in the national healthcare policy has handicapped some hospital development offices. And in small rural hospitals that have no dedicated development staff, starting a fundraising program…

News You Can Use Issue 115/July 2012   "Beware"  Hiring an Unethical Fundraising Consulting Firm Can Cost You Your Reputation and Results By Jeffrey D. ByrnePresident & CEO Recently it came to my attention that a competitor was misrepresenting their firm to potential clients. I was appalled by the allegation, and I asked what this consulting firm was doing that caused alarm.…

News You Can Use Issue 127/July 2013 Editor's Note: We are pleased to introduce Shelley Loethen as a guest contributor to this month's issue of News You Can Use. Shelley is the owner of Encore Grant Services, Inc. Since beginning her grant writing career in 2009, Shelley has written or been part of grant-writing teams that have been awarded more than…

News You Can Use Issue 117/September 2012 Diversify Your Portfolio... of Donors By Judy Keller Senior Vice President   We have all read about the fast growing changes in our country's demographic composition, but the demographic composition of volunteers and donors to nonprofit organizations is not keeping up.   According to the American Marketing Association, the number of interracial couples in America…

News You Can Use Issue 132/December 2013 A Year-End Note  Perspectives on Philanthropy in 2013 Jeffrey D. ByrnePresident + CEO   As I reflect upon 2013 and the great and numerous events that happened, three things really resonated with me in regards to our professions in the nonprofit world. First, giving hit an all-time high as reported in Giving USA 2013. Second,…

News You Can Use Issue 135 / March 2014 Is "Overhead" a Valid Way to Evaluate Your Nonprofit? Continuing the Dialogue about "The Overhead Myth"  Jeffrey D. ByrnePresident + CEO     Editor's Note: This article is the first in a series aimed at continuing objective analysis and hearty dialogue regarding the appropriate role "Overhead" should play when assessing the value of nonprofits.  …

News You Can Use Issue 119/November 2012   Clear Expectations: For the Board and for Organizational Leadership By John F. MarshallSenior Vice President  Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work with many boards of directors both as a senior staffer as well as a consultant. I have been involved with boards from a number of different organizations and in…

News You Can Use Issue 109/January 2012 The Powerball Winner: Sharing in Good Fortune By Jennifer FurlaExecutive Vice President    Recently, a convenience store customer in Minnesota won the Powerball - at $229 million. While the lucky winner had not yet revealed himself, accompanying the story was the ubiquitous security cam picture of the transaction that suggests it was a 30-something male.  The…

News You Can Use Issue 121/January 2013  Insights for Strategic and Tax Changes for 2013    by Jeffrey D. ByrnePresident & CEO  As Congress passed legislation in the early hours of the New Year, much changes for tax and fiscal issues for 2013. The two things we know about life is: sooner or later we all pay taxes and we can't take our…