Welcome to my blog.

I have spent the past 25 years working in both non-profits and foundations dedicated to positive social change. 

When I started in the field, we were just trying to get our issues noticed and our voices heard.  Today there is much discussion about how nonprofits and donors can really make a difference addressing the issues that matter to them.  We debate how to evaluate impact, which business models work best for which non-profits, and whether to provide project or general operating support.

25 years ago, we did our marketing with brochures and raised our money mainly through events , direct mail and government and foundation grants. 

Today, the marketing scene changes daily as new media explode and we learn to tweet and create facebook pages.  New revenue possibilities and models are  emerging almost as quickly, including:

  • thousands of new family foundations
  • social enterprises that meld business practices with social change
  • traditional non-profits are exploring revenue generating options as other funding streams dry up

In spite of all this change, I remain convinced that what is needed is deceptively simple:

In a world facing so many serious challenges, we need a non-profit sector that encourages new ideas while holding on to what already works.  As donors and fund raisers, we need to seed new approaches, build organizations with strong foundations for the future, and help our successful older organizations prepare for the changes ahead.

As always, the “devil is in the details,” and I plan to use this space to look at those details.  I will share strategies for effective fund “raising” and fund “giving”.   I also plan to blog about the non-profit sector in general and the role we all can play in getting the most change for our dollar!

Welcome, and I look forward to our ongoing conversation.