Category Archives for FRM Main Category


What Do Volunteers Want?

 Organizational Success The most recent data reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that 62.6 million people volunteered through or for an organization at least once in the 12 months that ended September 2013. However, this volunteer rate was the lowest it has been in the past decade, declining 1.1 percentage points to […]

The Donor-Centered Marketing & Fund Raising Process:

When you follow this seven step process, you will be adopting the donor-centered marketing and fundraising process, and well on your way to improved results. 1. Listen to your constituency.  (Research) Go outside the institution and ask people what they think of it, and what they want from it.   2. Define and segment your […]

Build A More Effective Board

Board Development Techniques It is undeniable that a nonprofit organization’s success in fundraising is affected by the way it goes about selecting and recruiting its board members.  Success is also influenced by the way new board members are introduced to the organization and how they become involved in the operational and organizational life of the […]

Forming a new Committee on Governance

An organization stands to gain a definite edge if it does a better job of enlisting, training and involving its board members, and managing the board, than its competitors do.  One way to do this is to replace the standard nominating committee with a committee on governance.  The committee should include the current board chair, […]

Focus on Board Participation or Board Leadership?

Which will your board choose? In today’s competitive fundraising environment it now seems universally recognized that successful organizations strive to attain 100 percent gift participation from their board members. We have observed that many organizations and development officers seem overly fixated on achieving this significant goal of participation. But, is this focus correctly targeted? We […]

On Second Thought: Board of Directors -or- Board of Trustees, does it matter?

Is there a changing preference for the name of your nonprofit governing board?  In our experience it’s hard to say that there is a clear industry standard.  As we observe the practices of our clients, there are actually some that have both a governing board of trustees and a supporting board of directors. When I […]

Ready! Set! Go! Are you ready for a fundraising campaign?

A fundraising campaign is won or lost long before the kickoff. How do you know when your fundraising campaign will be successful?  It’s when the right people are asking the right prospects, in the right way, for the right amount of money — for the right reason and at the right time. Sounds like an […]

Get it Done. Do it Right. 10 Fundraising Essentials

A top ten list of fundraising essentials Whether you like him or not, David Letterman now has the longest late-night hosting career in the United States. To recognize his accomplishment, we thought a Top Ten List was in order.  Here are ten fundraising essentials for the development officer. Our list is not necessarily in order […]

Quiz: Are You Ready to Launch a Capital Campaign?

Pre-campaign preparation is essential to the success of your next capital campaign. Test your readiness by taking a moment to answer the following questions: Q:  Have you involved your board and other key donor constituencies in planning and preparing for the campaign? ☐ Yes      ☐ No Q:  Does your organization have a strategic […]

The Road Ahead Survey and Report

Our Road Ahead Survey and Report set out to answer a few questions. Who is raising more?  How are they doing it?  What changes have organizations already made?  What changes are organizations planning for the future? You want to know what the philanthropic marketplace is thinking and doing.  Our Survey Report will provide you with […]