When asking for a gift, what counts most, aside from preparation, are three variables: your attitude, your ability to close the sale, and a realistic notion of the next step. In my book, Fundraising Realities Every Board Member Must Face, I address the whole gamut of soliciting major gifts, but here I’ll focus on these three elements.

In October, I published a post about hiring consultants. This piece was passed around, re-posted, and featured on other blogs, including GuideStar. If you read it and shared it—thank you! Because there’s lots more to say (and learn) about this subject, here are five more tips you can use to build productive relationships with consultants.

Three keys to a more powerful conversation Every organization is a language community. Its members encourage certain ways of speaking and discourage others. What we forget is that language regulates the possibilities we can imagine, which in turn constrains our behavior. As a nonprofit leader, you’re also a language leader. Your ways of speaking and writing can unleash organizational capacity—or restrict it. This is especially true with cultural competence. Cultural competence—the ability to work effectively […]