The Nonprofit Board of Directors has its Fiduciary responsibilities to govern the organization. But what about the Advisory Board? Does it have role? It can. Learn the two ways to strategically leverage an Advisory board to help strengthen your nonprofit.

We all have something to offer, because we all have tried and failed, tried and won. With resources so limited in the nonprofit sector, we win by sharing knowledge and resources--not by competing. Let's pool our shared wealth of knowledge and insider secrets with those struggling to make this world a better place and fill the gaps that prevents our sector from accomplishing the mission we are here to accomplish.

Are you posting on IG like crazy, but not seeing any return on your efforts? It could be that your donors aren't on IG. Learn how to research and identify which platforms your potential donors are on and how to reach them for more effective fundraising outcomes. Meet your donors where they are. Nonprofit marketing and fundraising requires strategy and intention. Learn what that looks like so you can increase your donations.

When you start a nonprofit, there is a huge learning curve. Many nonprofit leaders do things that don't align with industry practices and norms. Instead of addressing these missteps, they keep them in place, not knowling that they serve as red flags to Funders and nonprofit leaders in the sector. When you know better, do better. If you don't know how, listen for the steps so that you can improve your organization's reputation and prospects for funding.

There are times when nonprofits need to collaborate and times when they are in competition. It's important to understand when, how, and how best to cultivate collaborations, and when, how, and how best to set your organization a part from your competitors to win grants. Learn the in's and outs to powerfully set your organization up for success.

If you got into this thinking grant money was waiting for you. If you thought it would be easy (not a Real business). If you thought you could just make stuff up and get funded. You picked the wrong business! Running a PROFITABLE nonprofit takes more work than running a for-profit business. Learn all it takes to be successful as a nonprofit organization. Save time, money, and get the real deal about running a nonprofit.

Funders don't know you from eve. All they know is what you show them. Words have meaning to the IRS. What are your coordinates? What street will your sign lead funders to? Stop making stuff up. It hurts you in the end. Learn what your lack of knowledge could be doing to your ability to generate revenue and how to change directions so that you lead funders to an organization ready to receive funding.

Are you at every community meeting? Do you sit on multiple committees? Join every rally? If so, ask yourself if those efforts are moving your organization forward? Chances are they are not. What they are doing is keeping you Busy. Learn how to develop a strategy that maximized your time and effort. Learn how to Stop Moving and start Being in Action -- doing things that moves your organization forward instead of burning you out.

Be careful when accepting donations. Because they are tax deductible, individuals/companies are incentivized to donate. However, often these donations may not align with your organization's goals, may be obsolete and unusable, and end up costing the organization either in space, time trying to figure out how to use it, or money--getting rid of it. Learn how to make donations work for your organization by establishing donation criteria that helps guide the process so that it helps, not derails your organization from accomplishing its goals.

You may have a mission statement, a budget, program descriptions, and a board of directors. But, are they Funder-Ready? Funders use the documents they request to weed out nonprofits. Learn what Funder-Ready means, and how to get there.

Funders need to know if they cut you a 6-figure check, they will be able to determine if your nonprofit made an impact or not. They use the measures you set as the barometer for accomplishing your goals. Learn how craft measurable goals that help you tell your Success Story.

Not getting funded? It could be how you describe your Programs and Projects. A Funder doesn't know you or the work you do. If you don't explain your programs in a way that shows ROI, you could be missing an opportunity. Learn exactly what it is a funder is looking for so you can increase your odds of securing funding.

There's a lot of conversation around the disconnect between the Full Costs of running a nonprofit and what Funders cover (90% Direct Cost v 10% Direct Cost). Learn the Funder's perspective behind funding a nonprofit's overhead and how it impacts your organization.

Mission creep is when take money to administer programs that aren't aligned with your mission. You take the money to fill gaps. It's tempting but it's expensive: you need to hire staff, that takes away resources, but most importantly it distorts your IMPACT. Instead of chasing money, build out your organization to position it for consistent revenue by building out your infrastructure. If you don't know how check out 90 days to a Profitable Nonprofit, the roadmap.

If you're struggling to move to the next level, you need to assess where your organization is. What stage? Be truthful. When you know what stage it's in, you can move to the next stage by checking off the foundational elements you have (or don't have). Don't check off the box to move forward. If you've been self-funding your organization, chances are whay you've been doing isn't working (so don't check that box! Fix the issue!) That's what gets you to consistent revenue.

Funders look for proof of success when determining who they will fund. Get some quick wins: quotes, testimonials, praise from collaborators. Show your impact: Pre/Post Tests, graduations, Sign in sheets, number of clients served, food bags given away, volunteer hours transformations. Build a track record by demonstrating proof of impact.

An Org assessment is like your vehicle 3,000 mile check up where you look under the hood to proactively catch issues early, before they become costly. Lift your head up, get out the weeds. Make sure your programs are relevant. Make sure your staff is happy. An assessment helps you stay in the know, prioritize, and develop a strategy to get you back on track, or ahead of issues.

Today we're celebrating my 100th Episode by sharing my journey, lessons learned, and words of wisdom to nonprofit leaders on how to make true impact in their communities, the nonprofit sector, and their lives.

Nonprofits compete for a small pot of money. Funders aren't handing out money to any nonprofit just because they have a tax exempt status! They select the most qualified nonprofits to fund. "Qualified" comes down to Proof. In this episode, learn how to define, capture, quantify, and demonstrate Proof to Funders to increase your chances of being selected for funding.

Ever wonder why we haven't moved the needle on most causes plaguing society? With over 1.45 million nonprofits in the US you'd think we'd solved some of our problems. There are plenty of reasons, and some simple solutions. Check out this episode for some insights on the plan for how to solve the big problems (hint: it requires some Big Solutions!)