Nonprofit Training Resources And Blog Posts
 

2026 is suddenly the year of mah jong, and while I am not always trendy, I have learned how to play and even joined a weekly game. And you’d think … I thought … that friendly competition would be just that – FRIENDLY. But last week’s game took a turn for the worse over a disagreement about game rules. There were raised voices. There was a “call a friend” moment where an instructor was asked to send written verification of the rules. There was a days-long group chat that those

When I was in college, I had an internship at a local TV station in Buffalo. It was a summer full of hard work, great experiences, and lessons I still carry with me today. Back then, internships were a little different. They paid you, you joined the union, and if you showed you could handle the responsibility, you got some pretty incredible opportunities to be part of the action. One of those opportunities was going out with a cameraman. I learned a lot that day, but one less

There’s a common dilemma that comes up for nonprofits: everybody needs more grant funding, and there appears to be no shortage of grant opportunities out there. But when your organization applies for everything, the funding still doesn’t appear! One of the first things I do when I work with a new client is not only to identify the need for grant funding, but also the right place to look for grants. Applying for everything - and putting time into too many long-shot opportuniti

Sharon and I did a Zoom training today on Giving Tuesday for one of our clients. As you can imagine, we talked about a lot of things: making the ask, telling a compelling story, making it easy to give, engaging your Board, using social media, and of course what happens after someone clicks that DONATE button. We were talking about the importance of thanking donors, both individuals and businesses, when a participant asked an important question:“How should my organization be t

If you grew up in the New York metro area in the 1980s, you probably remember a retailer called Crazy Eddie. You might also remember that his story didn’t end well: the company filed for bankruptcy in 1989, and years of legal battles followed. But that’s not the point of my story. Crazy Eddie was famous for his over-the-top TV commercials (“His prices are INSANE!”), and one of his best-known campaigns promoted his CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST SALE. While everyone else was still at the

For many nonprofits, grant reporting feels like homework. The award is in hand, the deadline is looming, and the report gets written quickly to check a box. We understand why. Staff are stretched thin, and reporting can feel like a distraction from the actual work. But we encourage organizations to see grant reporting as something more: one of the best opportunities to build trust with a funder. Done well, it can shape how a funder sees your organization long after the check

I was honored to be invited to speak with the Board of one of our clients this month. This Board was formed at a time when the organization was (happily) reliant on government grants and funding to bring its mission to life in the community. Board members had contacts, relationships, and political perspectives that were valuable in creating success in grant seeking and legislation. But times have changed. Today, the organization finds itself needing to seek funding from indi

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