Nonprofit Training Resources And Blog Posts
 

A dear friend of mine manages a sales team at a television station in Atlanta. Last week she told me a story that I haven't been able to stop thinking about because it's just as true for nonprofit leadership as it is for sales. One of her account executives had been working with a prospective client for nearly a year. Meetings. Proposals. Check-ins. Encouraging conversations. And every single time no signature. So when he finally walked up to her and said, "I think they're re

The last week was a big one for my family. After a summer spent at home serving as my Junior Consultant, my youngest son, Carson, started kindergarten. Sending him off to school with his Bluey backpack was exciting and more than a little emotional. More than just a life milestone, starting kindergarten is an especially big step for Carson. He was diagnosed with autism at age 3, but thanks to the amazingly kind, caring, and dedicated staff at our school district's Early Childh

There’s a funny thing about taking on a new role: you often don’t realize what you don’t know until you’re already in the middle of it. As an expectant mother, I eagerly read all the books about pregnancy. I followed along as each chapter detailed my baby’s growth and development, convinced that if I read enough and prepared enough, I would know what to expect. Then the baby arrived. And I suddenly realized there was an entire shelf of books I had neglected to read. There I w

My desk is wood, the walls are beige, and I sit in the same chair most every day. If you're like me, most of your daily steps are earne walking to refill your coffee or water, or maybe grab a snack. But sometimes, it's important to change your view. Literally. And sometimes, changing your view helps you see things in a completely different light. I've always been a fan of working outside. Of course, when you live in Florida, that's only an option during the winter — in the su

When we all finally crawled out of the haze of COVID lockdowns, I could not wait to get back into the gym. Working out has always been my go-to stress management tool, and I was ready to dive back in. The gym I joined had more options than I was used to. I started with old favorites spin and yoga. Then I tried Pilates. Then I took the leap into something called barre... a workout inspired by dancers that promised to work your whole body through small, precise, dancer-style mo

Five years into working as a grant consultant, I still have to stop and pinch myself sometimes. I’ve gotten to meet incredible people, contribute to amazing causes, and do it all while taking care of my kids (thanks to everyone who’s been patient during those moments with a screaming child in the background). I’m also struck by how much the field has changed in that time. When I started this work, “artificial intelligence” sounded more like a bad sci-fi plot than a practical

Fundraising events are often the biggest line item on a nonprofit's fundraising calendar and can be the biggest source of stress. They can require months of planning, hundreds of moving pieces, and a significant investment of staff and volunteer time. Yet too often, organizations measure success by attendance instead of revenue, donor engagement, or long-term relationships. We work to support our clients across the fundraising continuum. We know that in small and mid-sized no

Picture this… I was 8 months pregnant with my son and had a 3-year-old at home. I was Director of Sales for 8 radio stations. I had never worked a job from home in my life. Enter the man who would change my life forever. It started with a call from the VP of a company called Interep Radio, the national sales representative for large radio groups like ABC and CBS. They had a project of scary proportions called Radio Disney (then owned by ABC) — a group of 50 unrated, low-power

How did it happen that we are once again approaching July 1 and the start of a new fiscal year for many nonprofits? One of our clients recently asked if we could create a “Development Plan” for them as they approached the start of their year. It’s a question we hear often—and one we love—because it signals something important: a desire to be intentional, not just busy. Too often, development work becomes reactive. A sponsor asks for a meeting, so we take it. An event date sne

I love to tell a story…But how do you tell part of a story and leave out the KEY parts…It’s like telling the story of Thanksgiving 1985 and leaving out the part that your cousing nnouced he won the Lottery and was paying for everyone's college. We've all seen the nonprofit that sends a beautifully designed appeal, complete with compelling photos and an emotional story and then goes completely silent after the donation is made. No update on how the money was used. No follow-u

Every year, nonprofit professionals spend enormous amounts of time, energy, and money trying to write better grant proposals. They attend workshops. They tweak their logic models. They agonize over word choice. And now, increasingly, they are turning to AI tools to help them produce more polished narratives faster. None of that is wrong. Strong grant writing genuinely matters. A muddled narrative, a budget that does not reconcile with your program description, or a proposal t

Long ago, when I was in college, I drove from Buffalo to Michigan to visit my uncle. I was excited to see his family, but even more excited to spend time with my grandparents, who were visiting from New York. While I was there, my uncle pulled out his brand-new and very swanky, camcorder. For the first time in his life, my brilliant, sophisticated, MIT-graduate grandfather saw himself on a television screen. He was mesmerized… and maybe just a little unsettled. In 2025, that

This weekend, my husband and I hosted "Camp Gramsy and Pops" for our three-year-old and five-month-old grandchildren. Actually, it was mostly for us (and for our daughter and son-in-law, who were able to enjoy some child-free time together). Luckily for everyone involved, both children sleep through the night. As I watched our grandchildren explore the world around them, I found myself reflecting on how our roles change over time. This weekend, I saw clearly how my role at ho

I like to tell people I found my calling in the nonprofit field the traditional way: that is to say, completely by accident. So many of my friends in this sector are the same way. We are fueled by our desire to build stronger communities and make people’s lives better, but we often find we need a lot of on-the-job training. Professional development programs are a lifesaver for people like us! So much of what I learned came from webinars, AFP events, and one-on-one connection

Years ago, I wrote a blog post titled “When Moira Rose Moved to Schitt’s Creek, She Took Her Wigs. It was a lighthearted way of sharing a very real truth: when I made the leap from radio sales into nonprofit management, I didn’t leave my experience behind — I packed it right alongside me. The skills I had spent years building in sales, advertising and marketing, event sponsorships, relationship management, and leadership quickly became some of my greatest assets in this new c

Our Team Kat & Mouse storytelling sessions often begin with a simple but important question: What brought you to the mission? The answer is what fuels our work and allows nonprofit professionals to speak authentically about the impact their organizations have on the communities they serve. But even the deepest passion can become buried beneath daily responsibilities, deadlines, and competing priorities. When that happens, organizations often face an important question:Can you

Let’s be honest—fundraising is one of the hardest parts of running a nonprofit. Not because the mission isn’t strong. Not because the team doesn’t care. But because the constant pressure to secure funding can be exhausting. That’s where we come in. At Team Kat & Mouse, we believe fundraising shouldn’t feel like a scramble—it should be a system. One that works, grows, and supports your mission long-term. Raising funds is generally acknowledged as a challenge in operating a non

Yes, we are all very busy. So now must be the time for you to protect every moment of your day. Long ago, I moved from the world of radio to the ad agency world. There, I learned something that completely shifted my perspective: you must keep track of your time to bill clients. This was a huge surprise to me, since I had always just spent whatever time was needed to get the job done. SURPRISE!! I was learning what I had never fully understood before: your time is money--- thi

Earlier this month, I went on my annual “Girls Weekend” with my four college besties. Not surprisingly, our conversations have evolved over the years. This time, instead of dissecting college applications or early career decisions, we found ourselves talking about caring for our aging parents—and making sure our own financial and estate plans are in order. Some of the questions were practical (When should we start taking social security?) and others led to more philosophical

When I talk to nonprofit leaders about their grant strategy, the conversation usually starts the same way: “We need more grants in the pipeline.” It sounds reasonable. More opportunities should mean more funding, right? Not necessarily. In fact, one of the biggest risks I’m seeing right now isn’t a lack of grant activity. It’s the wrong kind of grant activity. On paper, the pipeline looks full. In reality, it’s fragile. And that fragility tends to show up at the worst possibl