RECOMMENDED READING

Order a copy of ASKING by Jerold Panas. In fact, order copies for your volunteers as well. There’s no author in the field more prolific or better read than Jerold Panas. His eleven books are highly acclaimed and at least several are on virtually every fundraiser’s bookshelf.

FUND DEVELOPMENT

            Any development shop worth its salt has a well documented operational plan that articulates fundraising goals, quantifiable objectives, action plans and a time table for the entire fiscal year.
             Unfortunately that’s where it stops for some shops. They put plenty of time and thought into creating their plan, but then it sits on a shelf until it’s time to go through the planning process once again the following year.
              Don’t let that happen to you. Whenever you hold a staff or volunteer meeting, make time to refer to your operational plan. Are you on track with where you said you wanted to be at this point in time? What adjustments need to take place to get back on track or even ahead of schedule?
              Recognize that your operational plan is critical throughout the entire year. Study it. Make notes in it. Rely on it as a valuable guide.

VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT

             Work to identify your knowledge deficits. Do you ever think about those aspects of your volunteer responsibilities that may be holding you back, preventing you from being all that you can be?
              Perhaps you could take an even more proactive role in promoting this organization if you felt you had a better understanding of what it does or how it works. Maybe you could improve the volunteer job you’re currently doing if you knew more about its impact on the agency or institution.
              Identifying “knowledge deficits” –– aspects of the organization with which you are less familiar –– is an important first step in building your level of understanding about volunteer roles and ways in which you can become an even more effective leader.
              Your initiative in eliminating knowledge deficits will make your position more rewarding and will serve to encourage others to strengthen their understanding of key areas as well.

RESOURCES FOR NONPROFIT AND ASSOCIATION PROFESSIONALS

UPCOMING WEBINARS
If you’re interested in landing more major gifts for your nonprofit, don’t miss Warming the Cold Call: Major Gift Identification and Qualification Strategies scheduled for Wednesday, September 22! And for those of you who plan special events, Successfully Aligning an Online Charity Auction with a Live Event (October 6), is sure to provide you with great hands-on tips and techniques. David Lamb is scheduled to give a 90-minute Webinar on October 8, Social Networks and Fundraising, that will introduce the participants to some of the most popular networking sites, explain the differences between them, and explore the opportunities and challenges they present to fundraising. And remember, one registration fee covers as many participants as you would like at your location. So sign up today!

POST JOB OPENINGS WITH US
If your nonprofit has a job opening, be sure to post it on our Jobs Center. Any subscriber (to any of our newsletters) who posts a job opening will receive an extra month tacked onto their subscription!