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INSPIRATIONAL TRAINING
Articles, Videos, Podcasts
Keep up with the latest trends with practical and inspirational content about topics like leadership, fundraising, organizational development, board engagement, governance, capacity building, and much, much more. You'll also find content about how to find and work with the best nonprofit board retreat/training facilitator, or the best strategic planning facilitator so your day is a resounding success.
For the podcasts, use your favorite podcast player and search for the title names.
Tom's Blog
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Why "Any Questions?" Is Killing Your Board Discussions
Board Development? Better decisions come from better conversations, and better conversations begin with better questions.
The next time you're leading a board meeting, or participating in one, resist the temptation to end with, "Any questions?"
Instead, ask the question that changes how people think. That's where real governance begins. Learn more now! . . .
The Biggest Lie in Strategic Planning
The biggest lie about strategic planning is that "we need more data! That's not necessarily true. In fact, it's more important to ask the right questions and collect the "right" data that will actually change the decisions you're facing. Learn more now . . .
Your Board Doesn't Have a Governance Problem. It Has a Courage Problem.
Board governance is not a substitute for board courage. Meaning, if you want an effective board, not just an efficient one, board members need to step up and do what's right for the organization, not what's convenient or easy. Learn more now . . .
How Great Fundraisers Prepare for Donor Meetings
Preparation for donor meetings wins gifts!
It also increases confidence, clarity, credibility, and effectiveness.
Unfortunately, too many nonprofit leaders walk into donor meetings carrying little more than optimism, caffeine, and vague hope that “something good will happen.”
Learn how to prepare like a champ for your next meeting now!
Your Essential Nonprofit Marketing Quiver
Your marketing content makes impressions and these impressions can have to substantial impact on how people view, give, talk about your organization, which is why you need to build the best quiver of materials possible. Learn more now . . .
The 5-Step Formula for Setting Up a Donor Meeting Without Sounding Awkward, Pushy, or Desperate
For many nonprofit leaders and fundraisers, making the initial donor call feels about as comfortable as parallel parking a boat. Even highly confident professionals suddenly become nervous, overly formal, or strangely robotic the moment they pick up the phone to call a potential donor. Here's an easy 5-Step Formula that will lower your blood pressure and get you a meeting! Read on!
Part 3 of 3: Ask Better, Raise More: 14 Proven Fundraising Ask Types & Tactics
Part 3 of 3: Learn 14 practical and field-tested ask types, tactics, and strategies. Learn more now! . . .
Part 2 of 3: Ask Better, Raise More: 14 Proven Types of Fundraising Ask Tactics
14 of the best fundraising ask tactics you'll find in the Web. Proven. Practical. Learn more now!
Part 1 of 3: Ask Better, Raise More: 14 Proven Fundraising Ask Tactics
14 Fundraising ask tactics. Includes scripts! Part 1 of 3. Learn more now!
The Importance of Building a Donor Pipeline BEFORE You Need It
Build a Donor Pipeline BEFORE you need one! Here's how . . .
8 Board Retreat Blunders and Mistakes that Sabotage Retreats . . . and How to Avoid Them
Hosting a board retreat? Here are 8 common blunders and mistakes and how to avoid them.
7 Strategic Planning Mistakes That Derail Progress (And How to Fix Them)
Strategic Planning Mistakes That Derail Progress. Planning is too important to mess up. Here are 7 things NOT to do at your planning session to ensure that you have a success process. Read. Learn. Do!
Your Board Isn’t Working: Why a Board Retreat Might Be the Best Investment Your Nonprofit Makes This Year
Is your board dysfunctional? Under-engaged? Underperforming? It might be time for a board retreat to change all that. Read more now!
Specialty Events: How To Turn Small Gatherings into Big Gifts
Let’s be honest: most nonprofits don’t need another event. They need better ones.
The kind that doesn’t drain staff, exhaust volunteers, or leave donors wondering why they just spent two hours listening to speeches when they could have been home in slippers. That’s where specialty events come in.
Learn how to host an amazing speciality event now!
How to Fund Your Next Board Retreat or Strategic Planning Session
Have trouble finding the funds to underwrite your board retreat or strategic planning session? Well, read this to learn some practical tips on how to secure the money you need. Read it here . . .
Unresponsive Donors: A Smarter Way to Respond
Unresponsive donors? We've all been there. You send the email.You make the call. You follow up—politely, professionally, thoughtfully.
And then… nothing.
No reply. No acknowledgment. No signal of interest or disinterest. Just silence.
Donor silence usually has very little to do with you.
But what you do after that silence? That part matters a lot.
This article will help you separate what’s outside your control from what you can and should do! Learn more now!
The Year-End (Holiday) Fundraising Secrets Nobody Uses
The “Notify First” Trick
There’s one move that can turn your ho-hum year-end appeal into a home run: notify first!
Before you send a single email or stuff a single envelope, reach out to donors—by phone or email—and announce your campaign is coming.
This one act can boost your response rate up to five times higher. If you actually reach a donor and they feel connected to your cause, half of them will give. Do it well, and that number can soar 70%. Incredible. Learn more
Are Local Board Retreat Facilitators Really the Best Value?
Are local board retreat and strategic planning facilitators really worth it? Or should you go outside your region? Retreats and planning sessions are too important to skimp on. Below are seven compelling reasons why you should consider looking beyond your region or state when searching for your next retreat facilitator.
Board Members: Help Raise Money (Without Asking For It!)
20 Simple tactics board members can do help raise money without asking for it!
Donor Objections: Common and Uncommon Types (includes scripts)
Fundraisers know that most donor objections boil down to just two things: the amount you’re asking for and the timing of the ask. But here’s the good news—both are manageable. In this article, you’ll discover practical tactics to navigate these common roadblocks, plus smart ways to handle the trickier, less common objections that inevitably pop up.
By the end, you’ll not only be ready to face objections with confidence—you’ll actually welcome them as opportunities to move
Mastering Donor Objections: A Simple 3-Step Process
Objections! You can't have dozens of tactics to handle dozens objections. Have a process is most efficient. Here's how!
Donor Objections: A Primer
Donor objections! Here's a primer . . . Experienced fundraisers know objections are part of the ask process, which is why they embrace them. There are dozens of reasons why donors throw caution signs that feel like red lights. What follows is a high-level primer that unpacks why donors hesitate, paired with clear principles for handling those objections with confidence—so you can turn tough questions into lasting commitments.
A Lighthearted Field Guide to Fundraising Disasters
Here’s a crash course in what “not” to do when fundraising, what donors secretly loathe, and a short list of how to ask for money without breaking into hives.
Yes, you'll chuckle because if you've raised money, you've experienced many of these things. So enjoy this lighthearted field guide to fundraising disasters . . .
Don’t Pitch—Connect: 10 Smart Moves for First Donor Meetings
10 tactics to make your first meeting with a donor exceptional!
Want to Make Inspired Change? Then Let's Talk Today!
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