by Lauren Brownstein | Jun 6, 2019 | Nonprofit, Philanthropy
Why won’t a board member make the ask? Lots of nonprofit board members are resistant to asking for donations. In my 25+ years working with nonprofit boards, I’ve heard scores of objections and hesitations from board members. Many objections are valid and...
by Lauren Brownstein | Apr 25, 2019 | Nonprofit, Writing
Say and Write What You Actually Mean Let me start by saying: I have nothing against the Gap. I have lots of clothes from the Gap. As far as I can tell, Gap, Inc. is a solid company that sells things that almost everyone I know has, or had, or will have. But this post...
by Lauren Brownstein | Apr 16, 2019 | Fundraising, Nonprofit
Ask Better Questions If you work or volunteer in the nonprofit world, you’ve probably heard that old-school advice: If you are going to do outreach for your charitable organization (whether you are raising money, forging new partnerships, generating good PR,...
by Lauren Brownstein | Mar 12, 2019 | Fundraising, Nonprofit, Philanthropy
Connecting with the Right Kind of Donors in the Right Way I recently listened to a great episode from NPR’s TED Radio Hour podcast. The episode, “Wired for Altruism,” features TED Talks that explore questions like: Are certain people biologically pre-conditioned...
by Lauren Brownstein | Feb 17, 2019 | Nonprofit
More Effective Nonprofit Boards Most charities focus on what they want from their nonprofit boards (Board of Directors, Board of Trustees, etc.): more donations from board members, more donations brought in by the board members (from people in their personal...
by Lauren Brownstein | Dec 5, 2018 | Fundraising, Nonprofit, Philanthropy
If you are scrambling to finish everything you need to finish during December 2018, planning for 2019 could feel like an impossible dream! I sometimes find that making a huge, multifaceted plan can feel like an awfully big mountain to climb, but if I chip away at a...
