Silver Bird

Some quick ideas concerning nonprofit development

Obviously, nonprofit development is all about growth — one step, hopefully, leading to the next.  It’s also about campaigns, initiatives, and ideas that take flight — like a Silver Bird.

There are numerous strategies for development, but here are 6 ideas →

1.  Allow time for development.  Ideas take time to root, to grow and flourish.  Impatience will only lead to “starting over” time and time again without enjoying true growth.

2.  You need a strong volunteer base to take your development plan to the next level.  Staff and board members, yes, of course, but volunteers extend your efforts.

3.  Development plans should be appropriate to the size of the organization — its level of sophistication, its history, its goals.

4.  Build cohesion into your development efforts on an organizational level.  Disjointed efforts are often counter-productive and reduce overall impact.

5.  A great campaign is built on a solid foundation of P & P (planning and preparation).  There are no valid shortcuts during this phase.

6.  Check your progress according to campaign time lines, staying flexible and willing to change course, as needed.