Love them or hate them, online grants forms are here to stay. Personally, I'd much rather wrestle with technology than add in the time to copy and mail my application to a funder! These four tips will help you to maximize the benefits of the online application form while minimizing its challenges.

Stories make your application and case more relatable, interesting, and memorable. Reviewers will read your application longer, pay closer attention to it, and remember it when it comes time to evaluate all of the applications sitting on their desk or inbox for funding.

As we head into that all important final quarter of the year, you might ask yourself how the economy – and continued unpredictability of the pandemic – could impact your year-end giving campaign.

If you’ve applied to a grant program from the Quad Cities Community Foundation this year, you’ve noticed some new questions on the application. They ask for aggregate demographic data for your board in the areas of race/ethnicity, gender identity, and ability status. Learn why!

Leadership does not mean that you hold a position of power or authority; it means that you have the capacity to identify and influence needed change in your organization. Learn how you can build your capacity for leadership regardless of where you sit on the organization's hierarchy.

Using the work of Jim Collins in his book Good to Great, this week's #FundraisingFriday talks about how to develop your team to maximize your organization's effectiveness today and for years to come.

Do you see others in your community getting 6, 7, even 8 figure gifts and wonder how you can get one too? It takes a lot of work, patience and luck. Learn what you can do to increase your chances of receiving one of these transformational gifts for your organization.

Most of the fundraising appeals I receive in the mail miss their mark. Learn the 3 things that all effective fundraising appeal letters should include. Same goes for email, by the way!

Are your board meetings bored meetings? Your agenda might be to blame. Add these three elements to your board agenda to get and keep board members engaged as they help you move your mission forward.

Tips on how to fit within the character limit for grant applications.

Last week we talked about the importance of retaining donors. This week hear a case study of an organization to whom I made a first gift who has done a phenomenal job of stewarding that gift, making me -- and most of their donors -- much more likely to make subsequent gifts.

Last week we talked about the different stages of conflict. This week we talk about communication strategies that will help you resolve a conflict or, hopefully, not make it worse!

Its another #FundraisingFriday​ take over! Ron Wastyn, professor of organizational leadership and Randy Richards, retired management professor from St. Ambrose University, talk about the most important challenges facing today's nonprofits as we emerge from the pandemic. Learn how you can build a more resilient nonprofit culture.

It's a #FundraisingFriday take over! Ron Wastyn, professor of organizational leadership at St. Ambrose University, discusses that the way we select people to lead is often problematic and begins with the false premise that just because someone does well at their particular job they will make a good leader.