- By: Amanda Mizrahi
There are many pieces to starting up a new campaign. Especially for a small and growing organization this can mark a significant turning point. There are three critical things you should know about starting a new capital or endowment campaign:
1. Know if you’re not ready.
There are some very easy ways to tell if you aRead More
- By: Amanda Mizrahi
“The deed is everything, the glory naught.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
It is not uncommon in the world of philanthropy for gifts to be made anonymously. The first thing to do in this circumstance is make sure you are very clear about the donor’s intentions. Do they wish to remain anonymous only to the public? What abRead More
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Do More Mission founder and president, Todd J. Sukol, discusses the importance of choosing your words carefully when dealing with donors.
For more advice on effective donor relations, sign-up below for our newsletter!Read More
- By: Amanda Mizrahi
I recently listed to a broadcast called Increasing Donations by Showing Impact. The key to the conversation was the word ‘showing.’ It is common knowledge in the nonprofit world that donors want to know how you are spending their money and the effect your programs are having. Communication is a critical element of fundraisRead More
- By: Amanda Mizrahi
Even school children know that the best way to make new friends is to already have some. Being seen around people makes more people want to be seen with you, and the same is true for foundations and nonprofits. Through connections and relationships with other organizations with overlapping interests, your organization can Read More
- By Todd J. Sukol, Do More Mission President
I once learned that all thinking is a series of asking and answering questions in our minds. Most of the time we are totally unaware of the questions we ask ourselves -- they live in our subconscious mind. But if you pay attention to the kind of things you find your mind drawn to, you can uncoveRead More
- By Todd J. Sukol, Do More Mission President
What a week -- it's only Wednesday morning and I've recharged my philanthropic batteries to the max. I spent Sunday, Monday and Tuesday morning at the annual conference of the Council on Foundations in Chicago.
As usual it was stimulating to be among colleagues representing foundations large and sRead More
- By: Amanda Mizrahi
A proxy is a way of measuring a complicated desired outcome using easy to acquire data about related outcomes. Also called an indirect indicator, these more manageable pieces of information allow an organization to have a better understanding of how they are making an impact in addressing complex issues. Everyone from Van HRead More
- By: Amanda Mizrahi
If your organization is providing services to youth, you may actually be doing them a disservice by not including them in part of the decision making process. In her article in The NonProfit Times, Susan Ellis explains that “if your organization provides services of any kind to teenagers and children, you have an obligation Read More
- By: Amanda Mizrahi
Do More Mission’s founder, Todd Sukol, likes to say that there is no magic bullet. People often come to us looking for that one, easy trick that will immediately transform their fundraising efforts. We aren’t that. But we can’t be because no such thing exists. There is no easy way to fundraise, no magic bullet, no simpleRead More
- Our President, Todd Sukol, gives a brief talk on the most important part of any meeting with potential donors, the ask!
If you liked what he had to say and think you could benefit from more tips, advice, and discussions on trends in the nonprofit sector, sign up for our newsletter below!Read More
- By: Amanda Mizrahi
No matter what business you are in, it is impossible to avoid bad press all the time. Even organizations that are totally devoted to bringing more good into the world can run into difficult circumstances. Sometimes, the trouble doesn't have anything to do with the organization as an entity or even its mission. The most imporRead More
- By: Daniel Dubin
As an individual with my fair share of volunteer experiences, I understand that the tasks at hand hold the potential to either be meaningful or dreadful. In order to create a meaningful volunteer experience, I have broken my thoughts up into three sections: pre-volunteering, volunteering, and post-volunteering.
Pre-VolunteeRead More
- The video below shows our president, Todd Sukol, explaining a few reasons why you shouldn't be scared of criticism, but instead embrace it. He touches on drawing useful information from it, the benefits of criticism over apathetic responses, and the idea that "if no one is criticizing you, you may not be doing enough." Take a look!
Read More
- By Colin Rice
This post is the third post of a series on using volunteers in small and mid-sized nonprofits. The first post is The Value of a Volunteer, the second is The Proper Use of Volunteers.
To begin, I’d like to ask a question to those involved in an organization that already uses volunteers: When considering your fundraising strategRead More
- By: Amanda Mizrahi
It isn't the size of the gift that matters, but the size of the heart that gives it.
~Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994
In the world of philanthropy it is very easy to get caught in the numbers - the dollar amounts, percentages, and figures that make up so much of what we give anRead More
- By: Amanda Mizrahi
We know you want to do more of what you do best: feed more people, save more trees, teach more children...and that the most difficult work is finding money to pay the bills. So why waste time entering information into a database? Here are three easy ways to make the information in your database work harder for you:
1. TrackRead More
- By Colin Rice
This post is the second post of a series on using volunteers in small and mid-sized nonprofits. The first post is The Value of a Volunteer.
When considering the use of volunteers in your organization, you should keep in mind that there are essentially five broad roles that a volunteer can fill while working with you:
ServiRead More
- By Amanda Mizrahi
An article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy titled In Fundraising, First Impressions Make All the Difference reviewed some of the work needed to make the best first impression possible. The article, found here (sorry, need to be a subscriber), suggests some good advice for preparing to meet with a potential new donor, - doing yRead More
- By Amanda Mizrahi
Fundraisers never want to hear the word “no,” but this little word can be a perfect opportunity easily lost. When a pitch is rejected, this is the time to ask the potential donor why they are choosing not to support your organization or why they are choosing to support it at a lower level. First, this will demonstrate to thRead More
- By Colin Rice
Whether your organization currently uses volunteers, is considering it, or has not thought anything about it, it is worth learning a little more about the possibilities available with the essentially free labor, knowledge, and connections that they can provide. One of the most often overlooked and under-pursued goals in small nonprRead More
- By Amanda Mizrahi
A mission statement concisely states who your organization is, what it does, who it does this for and where this takes place. These four pieces of information quickly communicate to potential funders, employees, community members, and others the most critical information about your organization. Having an easy to remember missiRead More
- Do More Mission’s
Social Entrepreneurs Roundtable
What is it?
Do More Mission’s Social Entrepreneurs Roundtable is an exclusive membership group designed to give dedicated, caring change makers access to philanthropic sector experts, a supportive community of peers, practical support, professional coaching and access to loads of useful fRead More
- One of the questions we get asked frequently here at Do More Mission is how to best host a parlor meeting -- a fundraising event you hold in your home on behalf of your favorite charitable organization. Watch this 12-minute tutorial on YouTube and feel free to email us if you have any questions or suggestions for improvement.
Read More
- By Amanda Mizrahi
Whatever your mission is, however you achieve it every day - your donors want to hear about it. So many nonprofit organizations fail to communicate with their donors frequently enough. The result is that they miss opportunities to connect donors more deeply to the organization’s mission and work.
[caption id="attachment_545"Read More
- In an article I recently read, a term was used that I had never heard before: "intrapreneur." It really got me thinking. I subsequently discovered that a variety of management thinkers have used the term to describe people working in corporate environments and advocating quicker, innovative, results-oriented activities within their organizations. IRead More
- This week we had the opportunity to get one of our clients up and and running with a TechSoup account.
Given the disappointing performance of so many nonprofit purchasing cooperatives, resource clearinghouses and other "special deals for nonprofits," I thought a great experience deserved a shout out. Bravo to the folks at TechSoup for providinRead More
- The other day I got a phone call from one of those chop-shop telemarketing funds. It must really stink when you're auto-dialer leads you to a nonprofit efficiency professional in a chatty mood. I pulled up the organization they were raising money for on Guidestar and peppered them with typical round one questions that grant applicants get from us wRead More
- Everyone in my office groaned when they saw the topic of Phillip Haid's blog post at HuffPost Impact this morning. The title "Charity Ratings Kill Innovation," was sure to awaken my most repeated soapbox speech. I'll spare you going through it again here, save to say that Haid is right on target; read his full blog here. The oversimplification of cRead More
- Hi folks -- I promise to give it a rest soon and get back to our regularly scheduled information and opinion packed blog, but this seems to be the week for shameless self promotion so here goes:
Do More Mission is dedicated to bringing out the best in philanthropists and the change-makers they support. Our work comes in two flavors: philanthropyRead More
- Many of the small and mid-sized nonprofit organizations we do outsourced management for face similar challenges that divert attention and funds from activities that serve their core mission. Outsourcing isn't for every organization, but if you've got an annual budget of at least $500,000 and not more than $5,000,000, it's well worth a look.
If yRead More
- "Should our family foundation entertain unsolicited grant requests?"
I get asked this question periodically and it always reminds me why I love this business. I deal with a lot of foundation execs and trustees, and there's no shortage of strong opinions on whether or not it's a good idea to accept unsolicited grant requests.
We're all swampedRead More
- I had the pleasure of spending the past four days in Miami Beach at the Council on Foundations' annual Family Philanthropy Conference.
There was alot to experience there, but I'd have to say that -- as usual at these kind of gatherings -- the highlight was spending time with my fellow attendees.
The group was a great mix of large and small Read More
- In my dual role as a philanthropy adviser and team leader of Do More Mission's nonprofit management unit, nonprofit governance issues are part of my everyday life.
Some of the top questions and frustrations that come up involve:
"How big should our nonprofit board be?"
"What should a board be involved in and what should be left to staff?"
Read More
- Suburban panhandling is on the rise. Okay, maybe it is and maybe it isn't. I speak this time not with statistics in hand, but only with the anecdotal evidence of my own observations. More and more intersections in the middle class and upper middle class neighborhoods I regularly drive through in suburban Washington, DC, are populated by panhandlersRead More
- I groaned recently when I was emailed a link to a debate on McKinsey & Company's "What Matters" blog about whether the the language and strategies of business should be embraced here in the social sector. The Debate Zone: Should social entrepreneurs adopt the language and practices of business?
I'm so sick of that old rant by now! My reguRead More
- It's been really gratifying to have received so much attention lately. Thank you all for the emails and phone calls responding to my various blogs, articles and presentations. It feels good, so thank you!
[caption id="attachment_347" align="alignright" width="105" caption="Todd J. Sukol, Do More Mission President"][/caption]
BUT -- It's comeRead More
- One of my (almost) daily reads, eJewish philanthropy, summarized 2011's giving data in their recent posting, U.S. Charitable Giving Officially on the Rise.
Data reported by Blackbaud and Convio, as well as a release from The Atlas of Giving, are all cited as pointing to optimistic numbers approaching pre-recession levels of giving.
If thingRead More
- I read two thought provoking reviews of Olivier Zunz's Philanthropy In America: A History (2011, Princeton University Press) before breaking down and buying it on my new Amazon Kindle Fire.
[caption id="attachment_329" align="alignleft" width="198" caption="Olivier Zunz's History: a worthwhile read"][/caption]
I'm still new to the digitaRead More
- "What are you pretending not to know?" This simple, powerful question was introduced to me 12 years ago by Hugh Mcgee, then president of marketing firm Top Hat & Details. Hugh, who now serves as Executive Director of Revendell Recovery Center in White Post Virginia, was pointing out that finding profound opportunities for improvement often requRead More
- Too often PURPOSE takes a back seat while we struggle for survival. True in life and true in nonprofit management. There's been a lot of discussion on some of the blogs and discussion forums I follow about earned income being the new savior for nonprofit sustainability.
Without question, earned income is an important part of the revenue mix. I'vRead More
- Today's blog entry at GiveWell lifts the thin veil from an oft-used technique in fundraising, matching giving. I'm not sure the semantic distinctions Holden makes are meaningful in every situation, but it is a very well thought out point of view that a lot of fundraisers and major donors are in denial about.
When I was a fundraiser I discoveredRead More
- This recent article from the Boston Globe, entitled Why We Give to Charity highlighted in eJewish Philanthropy today, is the right conversation for us all to be having -- not just in our giving, but in our lives. When head and heart come together, human potential is released.
Read More
- This week one of my staff members at Do More Mission got a call from a client, a woman who serves on several boards of directors. At a recent board meeting she had been handed a balance sheet that confused the hec out of her. She was sure the organization was doing great work, but the strange financial report put doubts in her mind about whether heRead More
- Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse.
Although Do More Mission has philanthropy advisory clients of various sizes and interests, it is not uncommon for me to get involved with exploring the wisdom of a substantial gift being considered. This is when we work the hardest and often find ugly problems that need fixing. We move decisively beRead More
- The latest round of hysteria about proposed caps on charitable deductions is SO stinking typical that it’s become a cliché. See the Council on Foundations' Issue Paper or the Association of Fundraising Professionals' Action Alert for some well reasoned reasons to oppose the cap.
Don’t misunderstand me. I get it. It stinks. The nonproRead More
- I recently had the opportunity to help orient the incoming president of a terrifically impactful nonprofit organization. Like many charities, this group's boat has been rocked dramatically by the economic storms of the past 2 years. Unlike most, they made extremely difficult choices, cutting costs dramatically and restructuring operations to protecRead More
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Hidden Funds Lurking on the Expense Side
In the Summer of 1995, in preparation for starting what would later become the marketing and public relations firm Sukol Communications, I was searching for hard core business to business sales experience when I stumbled upon the photocopier industry.
During the year I spent in the copier trenchesRead More
- A recurring theme in conversations I have with dedicated social entrepreneurs and social sector workers lately seems to center around their increasingly myopic self-image as "nonprofit professionals." The nonprofit designation should always be thought of as a means to the end, not the end in itself. The point isn't that you work in the nonprofit seRead More
- A number of months ago I read an editorial that’s been rattling around in my head ever since, irritating me enough to motivate me to share some thoughts with you and see what you think.
Basically, the author of the article (it’s probably better that I cannot remember her name) was a development professional addressing her fellow fundraisers,Read More
- I have gotten into trouble saying this before, so I’d probably be best advised to keep my big trap shut on this topic, but that’s just not what I do! Among my many pet peeves is the term “random acts of kindness”. Drives me absolutely crazy! The phrase has stuck in my craw ever since I first heard it used and in today’s rough nonprofit enRead More
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Council on Foundations conference this year was no great shakes. We did meet some terrifically dedicated program evaluation folks and enjoyed a characteristically entertaining presentation from Arianna Huffington.Read More
- As a company that works with both philanthropists and nonprofit organizations, we occasionally get hit in the face with the all-too-common misunderstanding about the interdependence that philanthropists and nonprofit organizations share. Here’s the big secret: people who are committed to using their wealth to accomplish something meaningful in Read More
- The mantra has become as hackneyed as it once was hated: "Run your nonprofit like a business."
Not long ago I was invited to speak at a philanthropy summit in Chicago. Just before I went on, two senior nonprofit execs raised thunderous objections to the "run it like a business" message many philanthropists have been sending to beneficiary agencRead More
- Hi folks -- it's been a long time since I've posted on the Do More Mission blog. It has been a wonderful second quarter for us -- keeping very busy with our philanthropy advisory clients as well as slowly building the other side of our business -- outsourced management services for nonprofits.
We've added several new members to the team -- 3 oRead More
- Many of the best nonprofit organizations do extraordinary work and could do so much more of that great work if they teamed up with the right partner.
Do More Mission! helps nonprofit organizations with operational efficiency, marketing and fundraising. We work with passionate leaders — executive directors, directors of operations, board memberRead More
- At Do More Mission, we work with philanthropists and staff members at nonprofit organizations. In both cases, the goal is to use our social sector expertise to help talented, generous and caring people improve the world to a degree that they otherwise never would.
We know the joy of watching even modestly funded projects magnify their impact eRead More
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