25 Pearls of Wisdom from 25 Years (Part 2)
Our 25th Anniversary celebration continues! Last month we shared 13 pearls of wisdom from 25 years serving nonprofits, and this month I am pleased to share 12 more, including our #1 insight. If you find some new inspiration in our list, I encourage you to subscribe to The Beat (published once a week) and our eNewsletter (monthly), so you’ll receive future insights as we deliver them.
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 (NPVA). I invite you to schedule a complimentary call with me to discuss your goals and challenges.
FUNDRAISE MORE EFFECTIVELY (CONTINUED)
Pearl #12: Share your people stories. It’s a powerful way to inspire donors, volunteers and employees.
Pearl #11: Deliver on what you promise. Mac ‘n cheese isn’t just a preschooler superfood, it also reveals an important life lesson.
Pearl #10: Ensure everyone can give in the way most comfortable for them. Even if you aren’t “becoming your parents” just yet, keep in mind that some of us are already there (oh, how I love those Progressive commercials!).
Pearl #9: A strong donor relations program means repeat donations. An essential step towards sustainability is building enduring relationships with the donors you already have.
LEVERAGE DATA & TECHNOLOGY
Pearl #8 – Engage a Nonprofit Virtual Assistant to help with data collection and management. Most nonprofits struggle to collect and maintain what they need to support decision-making and fundraising. There are at least nine ways an NPVA can help.
Pearl #7 – Be sure that when the data talks, you're listening. (Especially when, in the case of my phone’s step counter app, the data tells you something you prefer not to believe.)
Pearl #6 -- Use technology to make your nonprofit stronger. Choosing the right technology – and using it to its full potential – is one way you can truly do more with less.
Pearl #5 – If something isn’t working for you, change it. Never settle for something that isn’t serving you.
ADD AFFORDABLE INFRASTRUCTURE
Pearl #4: Add a Nonprofit Virtual Assistant to support your fundraising program. They can assist with an event or a year-end giving campaign or with year-round donor acknowledgement/stewardship activities.
Pearl #3: Let a Nonprofit Virtual Assistant put the “Executive” back in Executive Director. Get your Executive Director out of the weeds and back to addressing the important work only they can do.
Pearl #2: Focus on skills, not hires. It’s a more efficient strategy to securing the expertise your nonprofit needs.
And what is our most important pearl of wisdom?
Pearl #1: Consider fractional staffing.
I am a true believer in the fractional staffing model we offer at The More Than Giving Company. It’s a model that supplies the precise expertise or bandwidth a nonprofit may be missing, for only as long as it’s needed (without the long-term commitment of a hire). I believe it’s the missing piece that will help more of our nonprofits grow and sustain their wonderful, visionary work over decades. Get a fuller explanation with ungated access to my white paper, How to Staff Your Nonprofit for Success.