Every organization believes it knows why people value its work.Until you ask. When a team has just completed a strategic plan, they’re often eager to tell their story in a new way—to raise visibility, engage partners, and attract funding. But what’s often missing is a clear understanding of what different audiences actually value about the […]

Nonprofit leaders often speak of “our stakeholders” as if it were one group. In reality, every organization serves a constellation of stakeholders—clients, donors, board members, partners, community members—each listening for something different. When leaders collapse these differences into one generic message, resonance gets lost. Communication that tries to reach everyone risks landing with no one. […]

I was a fundraiser for 15 years. The implications of my survey’s findings on who funds, owns, and benefits from intellectual property created by nonprofits was always lingering in the back of my mind. Fundraising is not a new activity or new profession. I remember one of my grad school professors showing us a direct […]