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2012Advanced Fundraising Mnemonics
A post by James V. Toscano mne·mon·ics: the process or technique of improving or developing the memory. In this outing, we go from alliterative letters, e.g. WWW, PPPP, to catch phrases to capture more complex fundraising concepts. We often use catch phrases to provide the key to lists or formulations, e.g. “”My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas,” gives us the clues we need to list the planets in order from the sun, at least the old order of planets before Pluto got thrown out! The Roles of the Board Prince Paul Favors Fresh Oranges There is frequent…
05
2012Board Selection Mnemonics
A post by James V. Toscano mne·mon·ics: the process or technique of improving or developing the memory Let’s trot out the old chestnuts, those alliterative mnemonics often quoted in training and articles about the type people who should be on a nonprofit organization’s board. Governance is always one of the leading topics of discussion and controversy in nonprofits, both in sector and academic circles. One sometimes hears three prescriptive letters summarizing desired qualities of prospective board members, sometimes not understood, sometimes dismissed, sometimes used cynically, and sometimes followed with insight. A variety of “schools” e.g. Carver, Benevan, cite specific roles…
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2012Impact Measurement – Part Three of Three
A Post by James V. Toscano Measuring impact of nonprofit programs is clearly an important element in determination of benefit to society. It has also become a proxy to demonstrate return on investment to governments, foundations, corporations and other donors. The state of the art and science of such impact determination is largely work in progress. Certain nonprofit sectors, namely healthcare and education, are well advanced in such measurement compared to other sectors. Epidemiological methodology, such as used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has important elements that are available to be adopted/adapted by other sectors. Using such tools…
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2012Impact Measurement – Part Two of Three
A post by James V. Toscano There is currently considerable buzz about performance, outcomes, results and other measures of impact in the nonprofit world. Foundations and corporate funders are now interested in what the results of the inputs of their grants are. Individual donors are told that they should also be very interested in what their gift dollars produce. In the Part One, questions on the uses of epidemiological variables and the need for standardized measurement and agreement on those measures were raised. In Part Three, the necessity for empirical testing to really determine causality will be explored in some…
09
2012Social Impact Bonds
A post by James V. Toscano A new report sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation, A New Tool for Scaling Impact: How Social Impact Bonds Can Mobilize Private Capital To Advance Social Good, gives an interesting boost to the British idea of infusing private capital into projects that have a societal return, with repayment based on the success of the project. In the introduction to the report, Judith Rodin, Rockefeller Foundation president states: “Social Impact Bonds have the potential to substantially transform the social sector, support poor and vulnerable communities, and create new financial flows for human service delivery by offering…
03
2012Nonprofit Board Search
Announcement from Dania Toscano Miwa Here at Toscano Advisors, we’ve been thinking about what an amazing sector we work in, especially in Minnesota. As we were discussing this and brainstorming ideas to add even more value to this already vibrant sector and we think we’ve found one! We are very excited to launch Nonprofit Board Search which is a free service from Toscano Advisors, allowing nonprofits to submit their open board positions on this site. Now, I realize this may sound like a rather self-serving, even a shameless self promotion post. However, we know most, if not all, of our…
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2012
Nature Conservancy: Cavorting in Sea, Surf and Deep Manure
A post by James V. Toscano Certain specific demographic cohorts flock to the annual swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated each year, presumably to experience nature and the environment up close. Some of our friends at Nature Conservancy were intrigued with the demographics of these readers, clearly holding the prospect of adding to NC constituency and donors, so they entered into a three-pronged sponsorship of this year’s swimsuit edition with the magazine and a high-end luxury website.
05
2012
We’re All Development Officers Now!
A post by James V. Toscano A much emailed and referenced article from McKinsey Quarterly by Tom French, Laura LaBerge and Paul McGill, “We’re all marketers now,” stresses the need for commitment from everyone in an organization to fully engage customers. The authors advocate a total organizational approach to marketing. Quoting the article: “…customers no longer separate marketing from the product—it is the product…In the era of engagement, marketing is the company.”
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2012
Guest Post – The Best Advice to Achieve Success
Post by Gary Gilson When I headed the Minnesota News Council I heard what I consider the best advice for a nonprofit on how to achieve success. I was in Denver to conduct an ethics workshop for managers of public radio stations in the far west, and I heard a Washington, D.C.-based consultant tell them the two most important things they could do: 1) convince their audience that the station belonged to the listeners, not to the management, and 2) take risks to grow, even if risks meant incurring debt. In other words, a nonprofit had to be entrepreneurial to…
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2012Ten Thoughts on Retirement/Leadership Transition
Post by James V. Toscano With one-third of all Executive Directors reporting they will be leaving their positions in the next few years, I advance the following thoughts on retirement, now having retired this month for the third time. 1. Ensure that the Board of Directors has agreed to a succession policy and plan for top executive leadership well in advance of any announced departure. The Executive Director will probably need to initiate this policy, while board leadership needs then to jump in early and take responsibility. 2. Always nurture and work hard to develop all internal talent…