Strengthening Our Nonprofit Community

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Time to Put it in DRIVE!

By Susan Ross. Now that Election Day has passed, the calendar shows just eight weeks left to hit your year-end goals. Now is the time to get your message out and bring in the gifts you need for your nonprofit. Here is where to start: 1)   Set a goal and get to work. Analyze your data and budget - how much money do you need by 12/31? Look up what you usually raise this time of year. You may have some catching up to do -- you need to get out there and ask. Enlist your colleagues and Board members to help you bring in gifts. 2)   Get your 2020 message right. Last year’s recycled message points just won’t do it. Take the time to uncover and tell new stories that are relevant to donors making a 2020 decision. Donors want [...]

2020-11-11T03:39:41+00:00November 11th, 2020|All Posts, From The Partners, Fundraising Counsel|
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m+r interim solutions: Look Ahead to 2021

By Lizzy Mottern. People are what make your organization amazing, and moss+ross affiliate contractors have a variety of skills that can contribute to your organization’s success. As you think about closing out the year and looking ahead to 2021, consider a short-term hire of a talented nonprofit professional who can step in on short notice, for as long as you need. Over the last few months, many organizations have reconfigured staffing models and pivoted, some several times, to ensure programs are available for those who need them most. moss+ross specializes in helping organizations navigate transitions. For example, we can provide critical staffing support for a vacancy during a search for an executive director or development director, to lead a special project, or to help build a development operation. In 2020, m+r affiliate contractors worked more than 7,000 hours making an impact in 25 Triangle-area [...]

2020-11-11T03:58:04+00:00November 11th, 2020|All Posts, Staffing|
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To Keep Your Donors, Keep It Clean!

By LisaCaitlin Perri. Database clean-up will help retain your nonprofit’s donors by equipping you with the tools to get those second- and third-time donations through the door. 1. Identify the top 25-50-100 individual donors and prospects, and make sure you have accurate email addresses and phone numbers on their records. 2. Generate the following lists for your development staff, executive director, and board to review. Then, make notes in the database about who is connected to whom so you can improve solicitation assignments for large gifts and maximize stewardship actions like appeal follow-up and thank yous. a.      New donors above a certain giving amount b.     Top donors from the previous year (LYBUNT, or Last Year But Unfortunately Not This Year) c.      Top, lapsed donors going back no further than 3-5 years, considering that the average “recapture” rate of lapsed donors [...]

2020-09-09T18:45:07+00:00September 9th, 2020|All Posts, Fundraising Counsel, Team Expertise|
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It’s Fourth Quarter, Now What?

By Mary Moss. You have been working all year long to keep your head above water, to strengthen the relationships you have, and to identify new ones along the way.  You have learned how to operate remotely, and even ask for money remotely. While filled with gratitude for what you have been able to accomplish due to the generosity of so many, you are still telling us that you are worried about your donors not giving as much or at all this year. Even with powerful relationships, you are worried about money. So now, here you are, headed into the fourth quarter. What is your next best play when the times are so uncertain? Your next best play is to concentrate on donor retention of your individual prospects. As you enter the last quarter of the year, [...]

2020-09-09T18:46:41+00:00September 9th, 2020|All Posts, From The Partners, Fundraising Counsel|
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Welcome Dr. Bill Ingram

from the partners. moss+ross welcomes former Durham Tech President Dr. Bill Ingram to our Of Counsel team, starting August 1. Bill brings extensive experience in public higher education, having served as DTCC president from 2008 until his retirement last month. His 30 years at Durham Tech came during a period of tremendous growth, capped off by the recently completed $5 million Forge Great Futures campaign. His leadership at Durham Tech and in the Durham and Triangle communities gave him a valuable perspective on the importance of community partnerships in supporting accessible educational opportunities and other community needs. The moss+ross Of Counsel team is a select group of executive-level professionals who offer strategic counsel, sector-specific insights, and unique skills for client engagements. "We are thrilled that Bill has chosen to join our team. Mary and I have long [...]

2020-08-11T20:11:19+00:00July 31st, 2020|All Posts, Team Updates|
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What Help Looks Like

By Mary Moss and Susan Ross. One week ago, we joined the nation in witnessing yet another atrocity -- the murder of an unarmed Black man captured on video. What happened that day has left another image burned in our memory of what systemic racism looks like. The image of George Floyd joins those of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others. We grieve their unnecessary and untimely deaths, and we also grieve the violence that has erupted in response to these events. This is our home, and everyone who works with our moss+ross team loves it dearly. We grew up in Durham, went to college in Chapel Hill, raised our families in Durham and Raleigh, and built our company in the Triangle. Our mission statement: impact that matters in a place we love, is built on our stated core belief [...]

2020-08-11T20:15:26+00:00June 2nd, 2020|All Posts, From The Partners, Special Topics|
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Working Through Transitions with m+r interim solutions

By Lizzy Mottern. As your organization adjusts and innovates to move successfully through the COVID-19 crisis, you will have opportunities to evaluate your needs and rethink how you do what you do. An m+r interim solutions contractor can provide specialized expertise as a temporary member of your team to help during the transition. At moss+ross, we view transitions – whether planned or unplanned - as opportunities to help clients navigate new challenges and emerge even stronger than they were before. For example, do not put off projects that will strengthen your nonprofit. See our website for a list of project ideas for which an experienced m+r interim solutions contractor can roll up his or her sleeves to work on with your nonprofit. When clients who are facing a transition contact us to explore the idea of staffing [...]

2020-05-22T16:00:16+00:00May 22nd, 2020|All Posts, Staffing, Team Expertise|
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Phasing in Your Fundraising

By Susan Ross. Now that North Carolina has begun its phased reopening, you may be looking at how this applies to your fundraising efforts. The nonprofit community has responded in extraordinary ways during this time, with dedicated staff and volunteers doing all they could to serve clients, maintain programs, and raise money when able. In the process, nonprofits realized which services were most critical to clients, and many were able to pivot when they saw a service gap that they could fill. Going forward, this pandemic-induced clarity is an opportunity for change as nonprofits review missions, collaborations, and impact in the community. Importantly, whether or not you have been actively fundraising during the past few months, you need to start getting back up to speed soon. Like everything else in our lives, fundraising activity will fall into [...]

2020-05-21T20:19:03+00:00May 21st, 2020|All Posts, From The Partners, Fundraising Counsel|
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Risk Management and Continuity Planning

By Chuck Fyfe and Jim Roberts. Many organizations are now asking themselves: Could we have been better prepared? As nonprofits look to the future, risk management and continuity planning is a high priority. Effective emergency and crisis management planning cannot foresee every possible scenario, but it can prepare organizations for addressing adversity from any quarter. Organizations need this type of planning to face the future realistically and avoid the optimistic bias of everyday operations. Checklist for Planning Your organization must systematically identify and prioritize risks, articulate prevention and mitigation strategies, develop contingency plans to ensure business continuity, and provide a framework for effectively managing through unavoidable emergencies. In addition, you should consider the possibility that some change may be permanent and require a modified business model. Addressing this whole spectrum is essential to prepare for what could [...]

2020-05-22T15:26:28+00:00May 21st, 2020|All Posts, Strategic Planning, Team Expertise|
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Strengthening Our Abilities

By Mary Moss. For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.  African Proverb The past six weeks have tested all of our abilities – personally, professionally, and societally. By almost any measure, the blow of this virus has been mitigated by the selfless response of people and nonprofits that have stepped up in ways unthinkable two months ago. What have we learned? While we and our society have changed forever, we can be ready when the cloud lifts, as it surely will. Before you miss the moment, stop, think, document, and act on what you have learned. This new knowledge will make us stronger. Review the following five …abilities to assess what has happened and how you can be stronger in the future. Capability – You have now seen what you are capable of [...]

2020-04-22T16:17:44+00:00April 22nd, 2020|All Posts, From The Partners, Special Topics|
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