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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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Cultural Facets of Getting Personal and Kindness and Caring
If you spend enough time in the nonprofit world, one thing becomes clear: the most successful organizations intentionally foster close personal relationships. The result is a team-oriented culture that is friendly, resilient, and enjoyable.
“Getting personal” is an essential cultural facet because relationships play an outsized role in nonprofit success—especially in emerging organizations where staff and boards are small. Learn more now how this effects your culture now!
Why Flex Time Is a Powerful Cultural Facet for Staff
Staff at nonprofits routinely work longer hours and earn less than their for-profit counterparts. Offering two weeks of paid vacation and national holidays is a good baseline—but it’s rarely enough.
One of the most meaningful ways to deepen staff culture is to reward people with time, not just words.
Time is valuable.Time restores energy.Time communicates trust. Learn more now!
Why You Must Continually Reinforce Your Culture
Today I want to talk about why it’s so important to remind staff and board members of the culture they’ve chosen to adopt.
Once you establish a culture, your work isn’t done. Culture must be nurtured, reinforced, and kept front and center—because people forget. It’s that simple.
If you don’t actively remind people of your cultural facets and your culture statement, they will eventually collect dust—just like many strategic plans do. And we’ve all seen that happen.
Learn m
How to Reflect and Celebrate Your Culture
If a board and staff serious about adopting a culture, it must be authentic in how it reflects that culture.
Culture isn’t defined by what you say—it’s defined by what you do. Learn more now!
The Reality of Building Culture
The Reality of Building Culture. Let’s be honest: building a culture—whether board, staff, or organizational—takes work.
Defining culture is challenging because culture is an abstract concept, much like happiness or beauty. It’s easy to recognize when it’s unhealthy. You can feel a toxic work environment or see disengaged board members from across the room. But defining a healthy, intentional, and high-functioning culture requires thought, clarity, and commitment.
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Fundraising: Double Your Response Rates for Your Giving Tuesday and Year-End Appeals
Double Your Response Rates for Your Giving Tuesday and Year-End Appeals
Find the Best Nonprofit Board Retreat Facilitator (9 Keys Things)
Nonprofit: Finding the Best Board Retreat Facilitator (9 Keys Things). It's not easy, but it is possible. Here are some tips to help you through the search maze.
Ratings: Finding the Best Strategic Planning Facilitator for Your Nonprofit (9 Keys Things):
Best Strategic Planning Facilitator
COVID: 5 Fundraising and Donor Relations Tactics to Use in a Time of Crisis
COVID: 5 Fundraising and Donor Relations Tactics to Use in a Time of Crisis
COVID: 7 Things Your Board Members Can Do to Lead in Times of Crisis
COVID: 7 Things Your Board Members Can Do to Lead in Times of Crisis
Get the Majority of Donors to Say "Yes!
Fundraising: How to Get 70% of Your Donors to Say "Yes!"
Make your donors feel like stars!
Make your donors feel like stars!
Sometimes we need to be honest with ourselves. We take our donors for granted.
Most nonprofits pour enormous time, energy, and passion into programming—and that makes sense. That’s why we exist. We want to change lives and make a difference in the world.
But in the process, it’s easy to unintentionally neglect the very people who make the work possible.
To strengthen donor relationships and increase giving, make donors feel like stars!
Stop Chasing the Gold Medal: What Mikaela Shiffrin Teaches Us About Fundraising
Too many nonprofits fixate on fundraising goals — dollar targets, deadlines, thermometers, and dashboards — while neglecting the very process that produces sustainable giving in the first place.
If you want to raise more money, stop chasing the “gold medal” and start mastering the process.
Fundraising Advice from Mikaela Shrffrin
Increase response rates of year-end appeal letter 10x!
Increase response rates of year-end appeal letter 10x!
Here's How to Get Donors to Respond to Your Messages
Have you ever felt like you did everything right to nurture a donor relationship—only to have the donor suddenly go quiet when it was time to make a gift?
Get Donors to Respond to Your Messages and Letters when they go silent! Learn more now!
How Better Copywriting Inspires Donors to Take Action
Learn How Better Copywriting Inspires Donors to Take Action. Read now!
Raise More Money . . . Invest in Goosebumps!
Raise More Money . . . Invest in Goosebumps!
Great programming alone is not enough. Great intentions are not enough.
If people don’t feel your mission, they won’t fund it.
How David Beats Goliath: Goose Bumps. You don’t compete with massive institutions by outspending them. You compete by out-feeling them. Learn how here!
The Best Fundraising Tactic Ever - Vegas Style
The Best Fundraising Tactic Ever - Vegas Style. Learn more now! You won't believe it.
5 Ways to Wow Donors When Thanking Them!
Wow Donors When Thanking Them!
If you want to raise more money, you must keep retention rates high and attrition rates low. One of the simplest—and most powerful—ways to do that is to wow your donors and show genuine appreciation.
Read on to learn five simple, practical ways to do exactly that.
Last-Minute, Year-End Fundraising Tips
Last-Minute, Year-End Fundraising Tips. December is absolute mayhem. People are busy. Malls are packed. Inboxes are overflowing. Attention is scarce.
And yet—this is when most charitable giving happens.
So the question is simple: How do you inspire donors to open their checkbooks now, especially those who haven’t yet made a gift? The answer is focus and simplicity. Learn the tactics now!
Get Your Donors Off the Sidelines and Into the Game. Engage your donors!
Get Your Donors Off the Sidelines and Into the Game. Learn how to engage your donors! Why, they have more than just money to give; they have skills, influence, networks, time, and experience. Learn how to tap into all this now!
The Most Overlooked Growth Opportunity in Your Donor Database (small donors)
Sometimes your smallest donors provide the biggest opportunities. What about an elderly couple who has giving $100 for 20 years . . . they just might be your next legacy givers! Learn more now!
How Understanding Behavior Types Can Dramatically Improve Your Fundraising
Fundraising! 4 Must-Know Tips on Reading People to raise more money. Learn more now!
When it comes to asking for money, donors are not all motivated by the same things. What inspires one donor may completely turn another one off. That’s why understanding behavior types is so powerful.
Why donors are better than grants
6 Benefits Donors Provide That Grants Cannot. Donors can also bring:
Time – volunteering to support programs; Expertise – improving operations, strategy, and systems;
Influence – opening doors and making key community connections;
Advocacy – serving as mission ambassadors in the community; Energy – igniting passion and generosity that inspires others.
No grant can do all of that. Learn more now!
Want to Make Inspired Change? Then Let's Talk Today!
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