What’s Coming – The Next Ten Weeks of the Fundraising Blog

Please Note: We are in the process of switching from posting half of each of two different articles each week to posting only one piece each week. So, over the next ten weeks, some will be in the old format (two halves) and some will be in the new format.

August 13:

 

Checklists – A Valuable Tool for the Nonprofit – Part I
by Bill Huddleston

Addressing the challenge of being able to filter out unnecessary information and acquire/apply actionable and useful knowledge.

August 20:

 

Four Major Donor-Retention Sins
by Jonathan Howard

The success/growth of your direct mail fundraising program lies with getting those first-timers to keep giving.

August 20:

 

Make your Grant Proposals More Visually Appealing
by Jayme Sokolow

People who put proposals together are often highly intelligent;but, perhaps because they are so focused on content, they ignore the obvious need to make their proposals pleasing to the eye.

August 27:

 

Things That Fundraising Managers Need To Keep In Mind When Working With Millennials
by K. Michael Johnson

Millennials have an internet-first mindset when it comes to communication, problem solving, shopping, you name it. Now, contrast that with the network-first mindset (“Who do I know who can help?”) of many in older generations. These different approaches are a recipe for tension in the workplace.

September 3:

 

Checklists – A Valuable Tool for the Nonprofit – Part II
by Bill Huddleston

Checklists can be lifesavers … literally as well as figuratively … and not just in the world of fundraising.

September 10:

 

Your Bequest Program: It’s Easy Getting Started
by John Elbare, CFP

The simple bequest, which is a charitable gift in a donor’s will (or living trust), still accounts for most planned gifts — and it is the easiest program to implement.

September 10:

 

Being Quick and Genuine with Your Thanks To Donors
by Tony Poderis

Thanking donors seems like something so basic that we shouldn’t even have to talk about it. But more mistakes, with more devastating results for donor loyalty, are made in the thanking of donors than anyplace else.

September 17:

 

When to hire a Fundraising/Development Consultant — Part I
by Hank Lewis

A fundraising consultant can be of great help, not just in providing expertise that your organization would not otherwise have available, but also in getting things said to your board and/or your executive director that can’t/won’t be said by a member of the family.

September 24:

 

When to hire a Fundraising/Development Consultant Part II
by Hank Lewis

There are lots of issues/circumstances that would more easily be resolved with the help of a fundraising/development consultant.

October 1:

 

Checklists – A Valuable Tool for the Nonprofit – Part II
by Bill Huddleston

Making the most of your checklists – improving the likelihood of success in your Combined Federal Campaign enrollment.

October 8:

 

Reason And Emotion In Grant Writing: An Observation
by Tony Poderis

On June 18 & 25, Lynne deLearie wrote about “Reason and Emotion in Grant Proposals. Coincidentally, I’ve recently been involved in some discussions in which some folks were leaning much too far in one direction or the other….

October 15:

 

Tech-Related Advice For My Fellow Millennials
by K. Michael Johnson

In my last post, I shared a few thoughts with fundraising managers about supervising “digital natives.” Today, I have some tech-related advice for my fellow Millennials.

 

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Crisis Management Musts: Compassionate Leadership

group-diverse-people-having-business-meeting

Showing you care is critical to crisis communication success

Our “Three C’s of Credibility,” the characteristics you must display if you wish to be heard by your target audience, are confidence, competence and compassion. Executives and CEOs we work with typically understand the first two, but many run into a roadblock when it comes to showing compassion.

Compassion can be a powerful tool with widespread positive impact, so why do leaders so often have trouble conveying it? Harvard Business Review’s Roger Schwarz had this to say:

People who experience compassion feel more committed to the organization and feel more positive emotions at work; when people receive bad news that is delivered with compassion, they remain more supportive of the organization; and acting with compassion can increase your own satisfaction and mitigate your own stress at work.

And yet even if you want to be compassionate with others at work, you may find it difficult. You may find yourself either judging others or making assumptions about what will happen if you are compassionate.

This can be especially challenging for leaders. As a leader, you get paid for your judgment. You are constantly evaluating situations and people. But that strength can become a liability when others need your compassion.

Simply put, if you can’t learn to show compassion, it may be a good idea to get someone else to speak for your organization. Unless you acknowledge how your audience is feeling, be they employees, investors, or victims of crisis, you’ll be fighting an uphill battle with any type of crisis communication. Not only will you instantly plant a seed of negative sentiment, being perceived as cold and callous, but you’ll also cause many to completely tune out.

By showing compassion, you create a bond and put audiences in a receptive state, key components to any successful communication. If you’re a leader in your organization and just can’t figure out why nobody’s listening, try out this Crisis Management Must.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]