“It all comes down to people…capable people.”  Hiring an effective Executive Director is perhaps the most important decision that a nonprofit Board will make.  The following steps provide for a sound search process.

No matter how good I am . . . you and I are better.  No one person “has it all.”  This is why the ability to form a team and lead others is so critical for the nonprofit’s success.  Following are 11 attributes to look for in a great nonprofit leader. 

The most important element for successful fundraising is the caliber of the staff assigned to do the fundraising. "It all comes down to people." Different types of fundraising require different skills. However, there are attributes that are common to successful fundraisers. These attributes include the following:

1.  Thinking your organization will attract support simply because it is a good cause. 
Organizations must attract support the old fashioned way - earn it. To succeed, you must explain exactly why you seek funding, why your project is compelling, who will benefit, and why the money is needed now. Your needs must be specific, people oriented, and have a sense of urgency.

A common problem we hear from nonprofit staff is how to encourage board members to help raise money. Here are some suggestions for "activating" your board.

1. Get board members involved in formulating your case for support. If they "own" it, they will be motivated to find funding for it.

A development audit of three major hospitals culminated in a list of 'best practices'. These best practices have been assembled in this resource piece. A thorough exposé on each 'best practice' is beyond the scope of this document, however, what follows is a list of the best practices and a brief commentary on each one.

How do you identify individuals that might be ineterested in making a planned gift to your organization?  You need a systematic method of identifying these prospects.  Of course, not all planned gift donors fit into a "profile", but many do. Following, you will find a list of the traditional characteristics of planned gift donors:

A case statement speaks to the vision and need for the campaign. Why is your organization and cause important? Why is it that the funds are needed at this time? More important, the case should reveal what a campaign will accomplish in expanding your ability to carry out your mission.

Prospect identification is the first step in the actual solicitation process.  You are looking for two types of prospects who may or may not be the same individuals: major gift donors and planned giving donors.

Successful campaigns capitalize on a sense of urgency, a sense that the programs and endowment are needed now! Often there is a timely issue or challenge confronting the organization that is addressed in the campaign to give it that urgency. The challenge becomes an “opportunity” to rally support for the campaign.

Have you heard it enough?  I have. "Effective planned gift fundraising is not accomplished behind a desk.  Planned giving is fieldwork.  You must get out of the office for success."  Like you, I hear these lines and over and over in seminars and I read them all of the time in the literature.  And you know, I believe them.  Planned giving requires one-on-one contact with prospects and donors.  These concepts make common sense and my experience confirms their value.

Wealth is not a prerequisite to be a planned giver. Assets are. There is a difference, you know. 
I am in hospital fundraising.  Several years ago, a physician on staff gave me the name of an elderly woman who had our hospital in her will. 

The traditional capital campaign is not what is used to be.  Once, these campaigns were used for a new building or other capital improvements that needed extraordinary funding.  But over time, fund raisers found that this remarkably effective fund raising method could also be used to raise dollars for programs and endowment.

Planned giving is a special form of fund raising.  It is different from capital campaigns and other such things.  We planned giving people do not pretend to be better, just different.  However, we must remember that however different we may feel, we are still fundraisers and that includes following that old maxim of being sure to ask for the gift.

Want to begin a fund raising campaign? The first step an organization should take is to engage an outside consulting firm to conduct a campaign feasibility study. Right? Not necessarily. As a consultant, I have learned from experience that feasibility studies are not all they’re cracked up to be.

Frankly, not many people actually enjoy soliciting gifts.  However, fund raising provides the financial fuel for non-profits and their critical missions.  Perhaps another way to put it is “No solicitation, no mission.”

There is no one correct way to do planned giving, just as there is no one correct way to do other fund raising.   However a recent collaborative study of four private College’s and Universities in Kansas City revealed the following benchmarks for a successful planned giving program.

An effective case statement sets forth the reasons why an organization is deserving of philanthropic support. A case statement 1) articulates the societal cause the organization champions, and 2) lists the reasons why one should make a contribution in support of the cause.

Writing associated with development has become a science.  Excellent writing, especially grant writing, is critical to the success of your campaign or project. It is imperative that the grant application presents your organization’s unique strengths and the case for need in the most succinct, comprehensive and accurate light.

Because endowments are permanent funds, they are attractive vehicles to perpetuate the memory of, or honor, a loved one.  If you know your donor’s relationships, you can easily ask them to consider a naming opportunity.

Foundations and public agencies increasingly require that the nonprofit organizations they fund provide project or program outcomes measurement. However many nonprofit administrators remain unclear about how to define their outcomes and carry out measurement. A common mistake many organizations make is to measure activities rather than outcomes.

Effective volunteer involvement results in a much stronger campaign.  Yet volunteers are often apprehensive and question their role in a campaign.  What specifically are they going to be asked to do?  Will they be required to go out and ask others for money?

How do you uncover foundation prospects that might be interested in funding your nonprofit organization’s programs or operations? It may not be as difficult as you think.

This topic is so timely right now.  With the economic downturn of the past several years, funders have been besieged for help by charities struggling to find sufficient revenue to carry out their mission.  Their strategy recently has turned to capacity building—help the charity, through a capacity-building grant, to “grow” their own revenue streams and become less dependent on grantors to make up the shortfall in their operating budget.

Establishing an honor society (i.e."Heritage Society" ) for planned gift donors is the foundation of many planned giving programs.  This honor society recognizes those who have remembered the organization in their will or through some other planned gift.

Planned giving and estate planning seminars can be an effective tool to raise awareness of planned giving and estate planning vehicles.  In addition, they can be used to identify planned giving prospects.

Does your organization have a plan for keeping requests for funding in the pipeline year-round? Do you know who your most recent donors are, how much they gave, and for what initiative?
By following a few, simple steps, there’s an easy way to organize your development efforts so that current revenue streams can be retained and new revenue streams identified. The result is steady, philanthropic support over time.

If you or a board member were writing a Report Card on the performance and practices of your board, what grade would you give it? Would you conclude you have a good board, a great board, or something else? To be most effective in your organization’s performance and funding success, you will want to move your board from a good board to a great board.