GETTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE ON THE BUS: The Neurotically Obsessed with Excellence

by Eddie Thompson | Mar 20, 2019 | Development Management

In 2007, six years after publishing Good to Great, Jim Collins wrote a 35-page booklet applying the principles to the nonprofit world—Good to Great for the Social Sectors: Why Business Thinking Is Not the Answer. That follow-up seemed to be inevitable since his own...

THE POWER OF PERSONAL SOLICITATION: A New York Murder, Faked Seizures, and Six-person Juries

by Eddie Thompson | Feb 22, 2019 | Development Management, Donor Communications

I sat in a room yesterday with a group of development officers from a large and well-known international organization. This fantastic team makes an enormous impact on the lives of families in need. Since the majority of the funds they raise comes from special events,...

FUNDRAISING SIMPLICITY: The Paralysis of Self-imposed Complexity

by Eddie Thompson | Dec 13, 2018 | Development Management, Donor Communications

As I visit and have conversations with nonprofit leadership teams, I’ve noticed an increasing trend in organizational practices. We’re making fundraising excessively complicated. It’s true that fundraising can be difficult. However, a good advancement system is not...

THE BOARD MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE: Systems and Accountability at the Highest Level of a Nonprofit Organization

by Eddie Thompson | Nov 9, 2018 | Development Management

One of my favorite parts of my profession as a consultant is catching organizations doing things exceptionally well. The more difficult part is when I see organizations doing great work but struggling on many fronts. Below is a tale of two organizations whose...

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES: How Every Decision Affects Fundraising

by Eddie Thompson | Sep 17, 2018 | Development Management, Professional Development

Everything that happens in a nonprofit organization affects fundraising—everything. Of course, some things have a more direct and immediate impact than others, particularly decisions on programs, budgets, hiring, policy, administration, board recruitment, etc. Many of...