Welcome to a curated collection of nonprofit leadership insights designed to inspire, guide, and empower changemakers across the sector. Whether you’re an executive director, development lead, board member, or emerging leader, these posts offer practical strategies, fresh perspectives, and thought leadership to help you navigate challenges, lead with confidence, and drive lasting impact in your organization and community.
You may be seeing headlines about a potential executive order targeting the tax-exempt status of climate and environmental nonprofits. While the chatter may feel unsettling, the facts—and your response—matter most right now. This email is primarily written for nonprofits in the climate space. If you’re a donor, board member or supporter to one, you should......
Discover nonprofit crisis communication strategies to lead with clarity, build trust, and stay mission-focused during uncertainty. Policy changes and funding shifts can create uncertainty for nonprofits, leaving many organizations scrambling to determine their next steps. As nonprofit leaders, we must rise above the panic and take strategic action. In this post, I’m sharing key communication......
The newest version of Giving USA’s Annual Report on Philanthropy was released on June 25, 2024. For over 60 years, nonprofit professionals have counted on Giving USA to collect and share definitive data about charitable giving trends that provide insight and intrigue to this most American of traditions. This year’s report is packed with hundreds......
Unrestricted support, often overlooked yet vital, is the cornerstone of nonprofit sustainability. While it may seem less glamorous than targeted donations, embracing the transformative potential of unrestricted funds can revolutionize your organization’s impact. In this article, we delve into the pivotal role of unrestricted giving and provide a roadmap for reframing conversations around the general......
Leveraging AI in Nonprofit Innovation for Authentic Engagement. As fundraisers and leaders in the nonprofit sector, we are constantly seeking ways to maximize our time and energy. Leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) presents an opportunity to carve out more space for authentic engagement by boosting efficiency, streamlining workflows, and hopefully providing the much-needed support to infuse......
Selecting a nonprofit campaign chair is a pivotal decision for any organization embarking on a fundraising campaign. This individual (or individuals, if necessary) plays a crucial role in setting the tone, guiding strategy, mobilizing resources, and ensuring the fundraising effort’s success. Based on our decades of campaign management experience, the team at Lindsay Simonds Consulting (LSC)......
Goal achieving might not be the easiest thing to do, but a good way to start is with a personal goal-setting practice. You must maximize actability and concreteness through habits. If you are having trouble setting personal or business goals, now is the time to improve and clear this process. Here are five habits for......
Congratulations on wrapping up your 2023 campaign! Now’s the time to apply smart year-end fundraising strategies to deepen donor relationships in 2024 and beyond. Don’t let your momentum fade—focus on nurturing lasting connections with your year-end donors. Here are five essential objectives for engaging your year-end donor base in the new year: Show Gratitude: Show......
RAISE MONEY LIKE A PRO… WITHOUT HIRING ONE! FINALLY! The LSC Playbook overview introduces a simple, practical framework that empowers nonprofits to launch a successful year-end fundraising campaign—without hiring extra staff or spending months planning. Designed for organizations of all sizes, this accessible resource helps you raise money quickly, strategically, and confidently. Crafted by Lindsay......
In the world of nonprofit overhead and fundraising, the scarcity model has long been hailed as the ultimate benchmark of success. Advocates argue that every dollar raised should be allocated solely to program expenses. However, I beg to differ. Focusing solely on achieving this as a “gold standard” distracts us from what truly matters: efficiency,......
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” – Coretta Scott King June 20th marked the much-anticipated release of the Giving USA 2023: Perspectives on Philanthropy Report, the most trusted and longest-standing report on charitable giving—and we’re here for it! Presented by CCS Fundraising in partnership with......
The newest version of Giving USA’s annual report on philanthropy was released in late June 2022, offering a comprehensive look at Giving USA 2022 giving trends. For over forty years, Giving USA has equipped fundraisers, nonprofit leaders, donors, and sector professionals with valuable charitable giving data to guide strategy and resource allocation. Following the challenges......
Nonprofit major gift fundraising is a dance that requires solid preparation, good timing, and attention to detail. When working with new volunteers, solicitation training often brings up anxiety—it can be daunting to initiate conversations about money. Knowing what to say and how to say it takes practice, but by studying the Five Fundamentals of Making......
With mere days left in the year, we’ve entered the height of giving season—a critical time to activate your year-end giving plan for nonprofits. Did you know that nearly 31% of annual giving happens in December, and 12% in just the last three days? December 30th and 31st are the biggest days for donation processing.......
As fundraisers, we must always keep relationships front-of-mind. One of the most effective tools is asking high-value donor questions (HVQs) —thoughtful, intentional prompts that go beyond surface-level conversation. Generic questions can overwhelm your prospects with irrelevant information and quickly fizzle their enthusiasm. No one wants a boring interview! High-value donor questions HVQs spark authentic, engaging......
Just like most aspects of fund development, successful grassroots fundraising strategies require creativity, clear goals, and intentional planning. While it may be tempting to view grassroots fundraising as low-scale or low-priority, the truth is quite the opposite. When an organization harnesses scalability, sustainability, and strategy, grassroots fundraising strategies can lay the groundwork for long-term growth,......
We’ve talked a lot about workplace reintegration and navigating these uncertain times as organizations—but what about the personal toll? Nonprofit burnout and self-care are more relevant than ever as we face ongoing work-from-home fatigue and blurred boundaries between work and life. Managing individual stress in this environment is tough, and if you’re feeling it—you’re not......
After a year-and-a-half of adjusting to life with COVID-19, it’s safe to say things have permanently changed. So what does workplace reintegration for nonprofits really look like as we return to the office? Should we follow “best practices,” or is it more effective to focus on adaptable, mission-driven strategies that reflect each organization’s unique needs?......
Rethinking ROI: Is Trust-Based Giving the Real Power Play? Consider this: Have grantmakers become so focused on impact metrics and evaluations that they’re missing the point entirely? What if trust-based giving replaced the constant obsession with ROI? This shift could redefine power dynamics in nonprofit fundraising, emphasizing trust and impact over control and bureaucracy. Consider......
To say that 2020 was a game changer would be putting it lightly. I know many of us in the nonprofit world were anxiously awaiting the Giving USA 2021 philanthropy trends report. After a year of unforeseen circumstances, nonprofit leaders across the country had to rely on creativity and resilience to navigate the storm—without clear......
Our weekly Wednesday 9am MT/11am ET Clubhouse chats are full of robust conversation about topics within nonprofit fundraising. As always, please feel free to share your reflections and experiences! This week, we explored change management in nonprofits—specifically, how to leave the “old normal” behind and embrace new trends that help organizations adapt, evolve, and thrive......
Key Takeaways from Our Recent Clubhouse Discussion on Nonprofit Fundraising Strategies Our weekly Wednesday 9am MT/11am ET Clubhouse chats are full of robust conversation around nonprofit fundraising. As always, feel free to share your reflections and experiences! This week, we dove into post-capital campaign strategy—exploring what comes next after completing a major campaign (or navigating......
Clubhouse Chat Recap: Prospect Research for Nonprofits Our weekly Wednesday 9am MT / 11am ET Clubhouse chats are full of robust conversations about key topics in nonprofit fundraising. As always, we invite you to reflect on your experiences and share your takeaways! This week’s discussion focused on prospect research for nonprofits—how mission-driven organizations can better......
Clubhouse Chat Recap: Nonprofit Feasibility Studies Our weekly Wednesday 9am MT / 11am ET Clubhouse chats are a space for deep conversations on nonprofit strategy and fundraising. This week, we explored the importance of nonprofit feasibility studies—how they can shape campaign direction, test donor readiness, and build early stakeholder trust. If you’re heading into a......
Clubhouse Chat Recap: Capital Campaign Readiness for Nonprofits Our weekly Wednesday 9am MT/11am ET Clubhouse chats are full of robust conversation about topics within nonprofit fundraising. As always, please feel free to add and reflect on your learnings and experiences! Here’s some key takeaways from our chat about how to know when you’re ready for a......
Crisis? What Crisis? Phone call after phone call, text after text, I am compelled to write a blog post in response to the impact of the COVID19 virus on the world of philanthropy. As a professional fundraising consultant, I’m drawn to thinking about philanthropy at large in order to deduce solutions to the situation. National......
Increase Communications: Email Template Responses to COVID-19 These are unprecedented and confusing times. In the past week, nonprofit leadership and advisors have emphasized the importance of showing empathy, increasing communications, leveraging technology, and continuing forward with fundraising plans. A wonderful post about principles for fundraising during the time of the Coronavirus by CCS is linked......
There is an art and science to fundraising. Knowing what to say and how to say it is not an easy task for anyone doing a fundraising event. In this brief but insightful video, Lindsay Simonds breaks down the fundraising fundamental five of making the ask. Lindsay’s great tips will bring you the clarity and......