Nonprofits don’t exist to make money — but they do need it to make an impact. A social enterprise can help you do both. Read more to learn how to build a mission-driven business venture that strengthens your sustainability, credibility, and connection to your cause.

At a meeting back in February, my staff and I talked about some of the likely challenges with which we thought our clients lived after the barrage of executive orders that the current administration had released at that time.

As executive orders and funding freezes began to feel more common, we started collecting data in a quarterly Federal Grant Impact Survey. Today's blog post highlights are most recent findings and the state of Quad Cities nonprofits today.

Last week, I had the honor of cohosting the inaugural Table Talk session of the OneTable QC initiative, a joint venture between Wastyn & Associates and the Quad Cities Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. The event brought together nearly 60 local nonprofit leaders from various sectors to discuss their realities in the current political and economic environment, to share what they anticipate as the various elements of the Reconciliation Bill get implemented, and to brainstorm ways to minimize these impacts on their organizations and the people they serve.

Did you know? If 10% of your sporadic donors become recurring donors, you can boost five-year fundraising revenue by more than 70% (source: Virtuous) But how do we increase recurring gifts? Check out today's blog post for 5 tips!

To help you understand the recent executive order on Federal grantmaking, these 9 steps will give you a general concept of how federal grants operate and your role as the applicant or recipient in the process.

Having advocates on your board does not happen overnight nor does it happen by osmosis or chance. You have to prepare them. These 5 tips can help you grow a more advocating board.

Your membership program isn’t just fine. It could be fundraising gold. If you’re not building relationships, you’re leaving dollars (and future board members) on the table.

In this uncertain grant environment, these 10 basic steps can help increase your chances of success.

In our latest survey, 90% of Quad Cities nonprofits say they’re feeling or anticipating the squeeze. That means real impacts on local programs, staff, and services our community relies on. But there’s strength in this story, too. Nonprofit leaders are stepping up, and so can you.

If you want to grow your organization's revenue, invest in major giving. This blog post covers 5 key reasons to adopt this development strategy today.

Here at Wastyn & Associates, we do our best to stay current with these trends so we can provide you with the most relevant advice for today’s world, grounded in well-established elements of human nature, human motivation, and basic economics.

Today, we share with you 9 trends that you and your organization might consider embracing – or at least monitoring.

The last two blog posts talked about why you should use data to prioritize your development work and where you can find that data. This one outlines 6 ways in which you can use that data to work smarter, not harder, and raise more money in the process.

The first and best place to find data to support your development work sits in your donor database. Once you have examined the data from your database, today's blog post offers 3 strategies to help you dig deeper to find hidden giving potential.

When people think of lobbying, they often envision well-funded interest groups, not local nonprofits fighting for community change. But nonprofits often serve on the front lines, helping our most vulnerable populations and deeply understanding the issues that hold people back and let them thrive. Nonprofits have every right to lobby legislators—and they should.

These examples demonstrate the importance of taking the time and effort to assure that you have good, up-to-date data upon which to base your fund development plan and decisions as it will save you time – and raise more money – in the long run. 

National data suggests that individuals give 80-90% of donations to all types of organizations. If you want to raise more money or diversify your funding streams, you need a strong major gift program.

Nonprofits across the Quad Cities face an uncertain financial future. Recent shifts in federal grant funding – freezes, reductions, and policy overhauls – have create ripple effects that threaten organizational stability and disrupt critical services for the most vulnerable residents.

A new Federal Grant Impact Report by Wastyn & Associates reveals the extent of these changes. The findings confirm what many nonprofit leaders already feel: financial uncertainty, staff stress, and competition for limited dollars.

The federal grants environment has been – in a word – “interesting” the last two months. But rather than sit back and let change happen to you and your organization, I recommend that you take an active role – starting immediately – to manage the change rather than let it manage you.

By taking a strategic approach – on fundable projects, conducting deep research, and assessing both qualification and logistical fit – you ensure that you pursue the right opportunities rather than just lots of opportunities.

Here are 6 ways your board can help navigate change in your organization.