Nice post from the Veritus Group Blog: 7 Wishes for Non-Profit Leaders in 2023:
- Less Fear. Fear wrecks fundraising fast. You might be afraid donors will be offended if you ask. You may feel you have to hold tight to limited resources and avoid investing in the future. You may avoid trying something new because it might fail. Fear always does more damage than the things you’re afraid of.
- More Risks. Breaking away from fear is great. Embracing risk is even better. Guess what: Everything you do has an element of risk. Success is never guaranteed. One of the most recklessly risky things you can do is hunker down and never take risks. That virtually guarantees failure.
- Value Management. No matter how much vision you have, if your organization is well managed, you will do everything better. Good management is how you deploy your people by valuing them, training them, aligning them with organizational goals and with each other. There’s no substitute for good management.
- Align Development Team Structure with the Donor Pipeline. The secret to success in fundraising is a good donor pipeline. That means you have an upward path for every donor to reach their capacity and connection with you. The main donor paths to higher value are monthly giving, upgraded giving (to mid-value or major status), and bequest giving. Not all donors will take those paths, but longterm success comes from fostering those journeys for as many as possible. That requires a structure that makes it possible!
- Continue and Expand Your DEI Work. Make it a priority. We are hobbled and less effective until we transform ourselves.
- Take Care of Your People and Yourself. Burnout is killing too many nonprofits. Make sure everyone takes time off, and has room to think, grow, and take it easy now and then.
- Celebrate More. Fundraising is hard. Harder now than it has been in awhile. Celebrating is more important than ever. Recognize the things that go well!
