Too many nonprofits think that they cannot talk to lawmakers about the causes that matter to them because they know that lobbying can jeopardize your 501c3 status. While the latter is true, you can engage in advocacy. Learn the difference between the two in this short video.

Now is the perfect time to reach out and thank your donors for investing in your organization and show them what a difference they make in fulfilling your mission. At the halfway point through the year, giving tends to slow down which should give you some time to implement some stewardship activities while cultivating your donors to give again at the end of the year.

Whether you are a board member, new nonprofit executive or new to development work, understanding the basics of budgeting will go a long way toward your career and organizational success. This overview discusses the basics of organizational and program budgets and how to create them with a specific focus on smaller organizations who do not have a dedicated finance person.

Do financial statements get you confused? What they are and how to read them? This short primer will give you an overview of the most common financial statements - the profit and loss statement and the balance sheet, useful to new grant professionals, executive directors, board members or anyone who does not feel comfortable with this way to understand their organizations financial position.

Because it costs so much more to recruit new donor than to retain a current donor, how you treat new donors can make a significant difference in your bottom line. These three strategies can help you retain more donors … and raise more money.

2025 has certainly been a stress filled year so far. Nonprofit professionals have born a lot of the brunt of that stress. Try some of these tips that I have found help me reduce my stress in my days and weeks. I hope you can find something that works for you as well.

The broader environment in which nonprofits operate has become uncertain at best, downright scary at worse. Many of our donors also exist in this environment. Should you continue to ask for money and, if so, how? (HINT: YES!!)

How do you know which donors you should spend time cultivating and soliciting for a major gift? The answer lies in your database; you just need to know what to look for and how to use that information.

Do you know the difference between capacity and propensity? Just because a person has money does not mean he or she will give it to your organization. Likewise, just because they love your organization does not mean they will make a major gift.

Have you come across a grant funder who looks perfect for your organization only to read that they "only give to preselected organizations" or do not accept unsolicited applications? Learn what that means and the next steps you can take the next time you run across these types of funders.

You may have heard people talk about different types of funds that you can raise. Learn what those are, how they differ and how to secure each type for your organization.

Too often board members and organizations define "conflict of interest" too broadly which may preclude some highly qualified board members from serving on your board. Learn what a conflict is and isn't and how you can protect yourself and your organization from a potential conflict.

Nonprofit executives do not need to navigate these ever-changing and chaotic times alone; that's part of your board's role. Learn four ways that you can leverage the power for your board to help you and your organization during this time.

Happy Holidays from the Wastyn & Associates team with best wishes for a prosperous and joyous new year.

25-30% of all gifts come in during the month of December yet many fundraising professionals simply send a letter and wait for the money to pour in, wondering why they didn't raise more. These five strategies will help you raise more money this holiday season.

If you have a small and often volunteer-led nonprofit, the question often arises about paying your executive director. Should you? Is it appropriate? How can we afford to? Why should we take money from our mission to support a salary? Learn answers to these and other questions you may have about paying your executive director. (HINT: The answer is YES, pay them!)

November 15 marks National Philanthropy Day. Whether your community has a formal recognition of this day, you can - and should - use this opportunity to celebrate the philanthropists who make your work possible and the staff and donors - that's you - who help them find the joy of giving.

Time is not the friend of development professionals who always have much more to do than hours in the day. Time blocking is one way to stay on top of your tasks to get more done. How do you manage your lengthy to do list without going crazy?

An important and often overlooked part of a successful grant application, this week we explore three ways to ensure that you make the most of your grant budget instead of leaving it as a last-minute afterthought for your application.

When you know your organization needs to change, you need staff ready, willing, and able to implement that change. But I'm a firm believer that change doesn't happen to people, it should happen with people. Learn how and why to get your staff prepared for change and how to effectively engage them in the change process.