Articles by CharityChannel Members
CharityChannel members who have years of experience in their field may apply to join a Contributor's Panel. Once accepted to a panel by the panel's editor, the member will work with the editor to determine article topics and to prepare an article that is ready for publication. With tens of thousands of colleagues in the CharityChannel professional community, this is a key opportunity to give back to your profession by sharing your hard-won expertise and wisdom.
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How Many Board Members Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb? Contributed by:
Jim ToscanoWednesday, December 12, 2012 (152 days ago)
How many times have we read, heard or said something like, “board members must not only give, they must get” or one of the variations of that message?
I have read it, heard it, said it, taught it, written it a few thousand times in my fifty years in nonprofit management and consulting.
And who listens? Apparently not a lot of board members
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Bad Planning, Misuse of Mission, Contradictions of Cause Marketing? Contributed by:
Jim ToscanoWednesday, April 04, 2012 (1 years 39 days ago)
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.
Unfortunately, the deal blew up in their faces....
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We’re All Development Officers Now! Contributed by:
Jim ToscanoFriday, March 30, 2012 (1 years 44 days ago)
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.”
What about nonprofits?
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Results, Results, Results Contributed by:
Jim ToscanoTuesday, November 01, 2011 (1 years 195 days ago)
The director of a start-up nonprofit was livid, “We worked our — — off trying to do something real for AIDS victims, and all the donations still go elsewhere…to the big boys.”
What’s going on here? Certainly we’ve all heard it before, but why do, indeed, most of the major gifts go to the brand names?
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The Courage of the Lead Gift Contributed by:
Jim ToscanoTuesday, October 25, 2011 (1 years 202 days ago)
There’s a special breed of donor, possessing courage, commitment and vision, who is capable of a lead gift in a major campaign. Most donors are not.
Often when asked for a major gift, the prospect responds with a question: “Who else has given?”
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What Really Provokes a Donation? It Isn’t About Money!! Contributed by:
Jim ToscanoTuesday, October 18, 2011 (1 years 209 days ago)
The donor-centered values approach constitutes the infrastructure for the entire development program, from direct mail through individual major giving to estate planning.
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To Give...And Receive Contributed by:
Jim ToscanoTuesday, October 11, 2011 (1 years 216 days ago)
Development is not a one-way relationship. It is an exchange. An exchange of values. It is always two-way.
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Bah, Humbug!! — Ebenezer Scrooge Might Have Been Right Contributed by:
Jim ToscanoTuesday, October 04, 2011 (1 years 223 days ago)
Just after he responded to those two proper gentlemen, asking for an end of year donation for the poor, with his classic, “Bah, Humbug !” Ebenezer Scrooge must have mumbled under his breath, “The only time I hear from them is when they need money.”
How many of your donors might say the same thing?
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Give Something They CAN’T Throw Away Contributed by:
Jim ToscanoTuesday, September 27, 2011 (1 years 230 days ago)
The lesson: “Give Something They Can’t Throw Away.”
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Constituency: They May be Sitting Right in Front of You Contributed by:
Jim ToscanoTuesday, September 20, 2011 (1 years 237 days ago)
Donation dollars follow values; donors share explicit and implicit values with the nonprofit organizations they support. Donor values, interests, relationships and involvement are paramount. Now, how do we find these donors?
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Probabilities Contributed by:
Jim ToscanoTuesday, September 13, 2011 (1 years 243 days ago)
An intercom from my secretary told me of my first visitor, whom she ushered politely into an office not quite furnished. As we stood among the packing cases, this older gentleman beamed as he handed me a check for $2.2 million, told me how happy he was to do so, and after an exchange of pleasantries, hurriedly left the office, with me wondering what to do next!
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To Give...And To Receive: Examining the 'Exchange' ProcessTo Give...And To Receive: Examining the 'Exchange' Process Contributed by:
Jim ToscanoTuesday, March 04, 2003 (10 years 74 days ago)
When I was a young...and presumptuous...development officer, I remember saying such smart alec, cynical things about donors as, "They say they don't want to be thanked for their donation, but just forget to send them a letter" or, "Just leave their name off the annual report, or misspell it, and you'll see!"
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What Really Provokes a Donation?: It Isn't About Money !! Contributed by:
Jim ToscanoTuesday, February 04, 2003 (10 years 102 days ago)
A new non-profit organization with a Board of dedicated, eager, enthusiastic true believers once asked me to review their emerging development plan. One of the first things they wanted to do, as soon as they could afford it, was to buy a mailing list of the "50,000 Richest Individuals in the United States"!
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Ten Strategies for Fundraising Success: A Donor-Centered Approach to Development Contributed by:
Jim ToscanoTuesday, January 07, 2003 (10 years 130 days ago)
Having been an adjunct professor for over ten years at a local university, I was awarded a month-long mini-sabbatical by the graduate school of business where I taught in the MBA program.
Using the funds to pay part of a trip to Boston, our family set out for a summer adventure: our teen-aged daughter enrolled in a summer program at Wellesley; my naturalist wife explored zoos and the flora and fauna of the area; and I sat with my laptop in our room for five to seven hours each day.
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Give Something They CAN'T Throw Away Contributed by:
Jim ToscanoTuesday, December 03, 2002 (10 years 165 days ago)
A number of years ago, we had a prospect interested in donating a significant piece of equipment to our hospital. The prospect and his spouse had been long-time patients -- grateful patients, who had established a solid history of generous giving.
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The Courage of the Lead Gift: A Demonstration of and Commitment to Core Values Contributed by:
Jim ToscanoMonday, October 28, 2002 (10 years 201 days ago)
There’s a special breed of donor, possessing courage, commitment and vision, who is capable of a lead gift in a major campaign. Most donors are not.
CharityChannel's WE REVIEW
CharityChannel members who have been admitted to the WE REVIEW Contributors Panel are eligible to receive recently-published books from a variety of publishers (and some self-publishers) to review. Reviews are not limited to books published by CharityChannel Press, the publishing project of the CharityChannel professional community. If you are interested in reviewing books, you are welcome to apply. Note that, even though WE REVIEW has been publishing reviews for over a decade, it has recently been reorganized and re-launched. We took the opportunity to remove prior reviews, since our focus is on newly published books.
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Fundraising for the Genius: The Only Book You'll Every Need to Raise More Money for Your Nonprofit Organization Review by:
Jim ToscanoWednesday, September 26, 2012 (229 days ago)
In
Fundraising for the Genius (and here it’s for the genius in us all), Lysakowski has truly given us a gift, a
tour de force, a comprehensive, knowledgeable, wise and practical overview of the elements of resource development. A definitive look at what we do!
In twenty-nine chapters and in thirty-one very useful appendixes, Lysakowski covers all of the specific elements of development and the tools and templates needed to do our work effectively in an understandable way. I know I will adopt it for my graduate school class in development and recommend it to friends and to those seeking to know about careers in fundraising.
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The Moves Management Manual: A Fail-Proof System for Major and Planned Gift Fundraising Review by:
Jim ToscanoWednesday, September 26, 2012 (230 days ago)
The authors produced a manual that adds vision and depth to existing materials, constituting a must-read for all of those doing major and planned gift development work, along with those in their chain of command, not excluding CDOs, CEOs, presidents, EDs and board members.
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Banding Together for a Cause: Proven Strategies for Revenue and Awareness Generation Review by:
Jim ToscanoMonday, September 24, 2012 (231 days ago)
One of the more successful cause marketing campaigns, with over $100 million raised so far, is the now-legendary yellow wristband “LIVESTRONG” partnership between Nike and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the nonprofit funder of cancer research and survivor services. Author Rachel Armbruster, one of the Foundation’s three original staff, was there for the rapid growth of the Foundation. She describes in detail her experiences and the insights and learning gained during this episode in her career, on which she builds her consulting practice with other organizations.
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The Nonprofit Development Companion: A Workbook for Fundraising Success Review by:
Jim ToscanoThursday, March 29, 2012 (1 years 45 days ago)
What makes the book unique is the liberal use of examples. While technically not the type of workbook in which the reader writes answers to exercise questions, this volume provides examples and detailed explanations of specifics that result in a professional product. It is a useful handbook containing all of the basics.
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The Power of Social Innovation: How Civic Entrepreneurs Ignite Community Networks for Good Review by:
Jim ToscanoThursday, January 05, 2012 (1 years 129 days ago)
With our political and economic institutions seemingly overburdened and incapable of true progress, along comes a book like this offering insight and hope through emphasis on civic entrepreneurship. One could call this splendid volume the updating and contemporary operationalization of the American Dream--one with a framework of innovation for actionable, responsible, creative social change.
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