25 Pearls of Wisdom from 25 Years (Part 1)
It has been a pleasure to be part of so many nonprofit success stories over our 25 years in business. We are grateful. As a celebration of our anniversary, we thought it would be fitting to share some of the wisdom we’ve gleaned over the years. These 25 “pearls” are designed to give you, our valued clients, something new: a curated collection of some of our best insights, organized into a road map for greater success. We’re also, for a short time, un-gating two valuable resources. You’ll find direct access to them via a link in this post and one in our Pearls (Part 2) post, which we’ll be releasing next month.
As always, The More Than Giving team is here to help you execute any of these recommendations, with the guidance or the extra hands of a More Than Giving Consultant or Nonprofit Virtual Assistant. I invite you to schedule a complimentary call with me to discuss your goals and challenges.
ASSESS AND PLAN
Pearl #25: Unflinchingly consider your strengths and weaknesses. We’re giving you un-gated access to a valuable self-assessment tool.
Pearl #24: Articulate your nonprofit’s primary audience. It may be harder – and more important – than you think. Our tips will help you nail it.
Pearl #23: Don’t be afraid to depart from the pack! It’s just one of the valuable life skills I acquired riding Boston’s subway.
Pearl #22: Ease into strategic planning with a collaborative planning exercise. It creates a road map for a successful year – and it can be fun!
STRENGTHEN YOUR BOARD
Pearl #21: Build the right board for organizational growth. Identify the skills you’re missing and build a pipeline to fill them with our tips.
Pearl #20: Get new board members off to a strong start. You’ve invested time in finding them, now’s the time to get them fully engaged so they will stay with you long-term and deliver maximum impact.
Pearl #19: Keep your board accountable. A staff member cannot hold your board accountable; only your board can hold itself accountable. These tips will help you maximize engagement and accountability without requiring someone to be the “bad cop.”
PREPARE FOR THE UNEXPECTED
Pearl #18: Never underestimate what you cannot see, lessons from an unplanned polar plunge.
Pearl #17: Achieve greater financial security – or be ready to seize an unexpected opportunity – with a contingency fund. If you’re wondering how to get started, how much you should set aside, and what rules you might want to put in place around accessing it, this post is for you.
Pearl #16: Panic-proof your nonprofit with a leadership succession plan. If a key leader in your nonprofit had to step down suddenly, would it create chaos? It needn’t if you’ve planned for future transitions ahead of time.
FUNDRAISE MORE EFFECTIVELY
Pearl #15: Make the most of each year’s biggest opportunities for fundraising with twelve effective tactics to boost year-end giving. Our list has ideas for nonprofits of every size.
Pearl #13: Make sure you don’t have too many nuts in the same fundraising basket. Boston Public Garden squirrels are surprisingly wise in their ways.
Be sure to keep an eye out for next month’s post, with a dozen more curated insights for nonprofits. It’s the only way to end your suspense and find out what our #1 pearl will be!