Posts by Mary Walker

You have heard all the advice about considering your physical space to see what sort of image it projects to your clients and potential donors.  Is the front desk neat and inviting or messy and confusing?  Are the plants in the lobby thriving or dead?  Is your signage professional, or do you use a hand-scribbled…

“It was like a really bad SNL skit,” Janet* told me.   Janet was a brand new board member and chair-elect of the finance committee. They had been meeting in the conference room.  “They” being the finance committee:  the board chair, the board treasurer, the executive director, the bookkeeper, Janet, and a few other board members…

Sometimes I find leadership metaphors in the strangest places.   My son played soccer with a local club team for many years.  He used to complain about one of the players on his team, Jason*, who just couldn’t seem to anticipate members of the opposing team closing in on his teammates.  Jason would make a seemingly…

A friend invited me to her church’s Wednesday night program to hear a local celebrity speak. Dinner was a delicious buffet prepared by young man hired to be the church’s chef, custodian, and handyman.   Suggested payment for the evening was on the honor system:  $5 per person with a $20 max per family.  The sign…

The pandemic has hit many of us really hard.  Nonprofit revenues are generally down, and development directors everywhere are scratching their heads, trying to decide how to ask for donations during a recession. But not all your for-profit donors have experienced a drop in revenue.  In fact, some industries are doing quite well during Covid-19. …

Many nonprofits are fortunate to have a circle of enthusiastic volunteers who manage an annual fundraiser for their favorite cause, your organization.  If you are lucky, the fundraiser has continued to grow and now represents a significant percentage of your annual operating revenue.  Your nonprofit is reliant on the event, and therefore the auxiliary group,…

Hey, we found a few more good (and free) aps and sites to pass along.  As always, if you have any to share, let us know. SocialTables.  Calculate your event space needs and instantly design your room layout for events.  There is even a social distancing tool. This site wants you to subscribe monthly, but…

I have been enamored recently by the titles some people assign to their giving levels. You know, the categories that go on an annual giving wall or an event invitation that organize the donors into tiers based on the amount of their support.   The most traditional titles include words like Benefactor, Patron, Platinum-Gold-Silver-Bronze Sponsor, Director’s-…