Episode 15 | Fundraising FREEDOM Step 4: Enhance Your Brand

Today we are on step 4 of Mary’s Fundraising FREEDOM process, Enhance Your Brand.  There are so many organizations that lean on their staff for branding.  They hire marketing people to design a logo or to make sure that your message is en pointe.  However, in this step, I want your volunteers to have a…Continue reading Episode 15 | Fundraising FREEDOM Step 4: Enhance Your Brand

Episode 12 | Fundraising FREEDOM Step 1: Focus Your Vision

In today’s episode, we are jumping into Mary’s Fundraising FREEDOM process with step 1, Focus Your Vision.  For today, we are talking about vision as it pertains to finance.  Is it $100,000, $1,000,000, or $10,000,000?  Whatever it is, I want you to focus your vision on the dollar amount you want to accomplish that you’ve…Continue reading Episode 12 | Fundraising FREEDOM Step 1: Focus Your Vision

Episode 11 | Strategic Planning Steps 7 & 8: Tactics and Plan to Execute

After completing steps 1-6 of the Strategic Planning process, you should have tactics all over the place.  At this point, you are ready to formulate and pull together your one-page strategy.  You already have your strategic objectives finished, now all you have to do is gather the tactics you and your planning team have put…Continue reading Episode 11 | Strategic Planning Steps 7 & 8: Tactics and Plan to Execute

Episode 10 | Strategic Planning Step Six: Establish Your Measurement

On today’s episode, we are discussing step six of the Strategic Planning process, Establish Your Measurement.  How are you measuring the progress of the objectives and initiatives of the organization?  Starting with the end in mind and setting quantifiable goals is great, but you must also create targets and get those numbers on paper.  One…Continue reading Episode 10 | Strategic Planning Step Six: Establish Your Measurement

Episode 9 | Strategic Planning Step Five: Tighten Your Focus

Today we are diving into step 5 of the strategic planning process, Tighten Your Focus.  This is where you start to drill down deeper and get your arms wrapped around your strategic objectives and initiatives.  There are four key areas that move from internal to external – capacity, internal process, financial stewardship, client and stakeholder…Continue reading Episode 9 | Strategic Planning Step Five: Tighten Your Focus

Episode 8 | Strategic Planning Step Four: Assess Your Organization

On today’s show, we are talking about Step 4 of the strategic planning process, Assessing Your Organization.  This step is important because it allows us to hit the pause button and really talk about ourselves and the organization as a whole.  This allows to get all the players in the same room and discuss what…Continue reading Episode 8 | Strategic Planning Step Four: Assess Your Organization

Episode 7 | Strategic Planning Step Three: Realize Your Future (Mission & Core Values)

On today’s episode we are talking about the second half of step 3, Realize Your Future, which relates to your Mission and Core Values.   Last week we talked about the first half of step 3, which is focused on your vision.  The difference between your vision statement and your mission statement is the vision is…Continue reading Episode 7 | Strategic Planning Step Three: Realize Your Future (Mission & Core Values)

Episode 6 | Strategic Planning Step Three: Realize Your Future (Vision)

Step three of strategic planning is one of the most critical steps in the process because it can make or break your fundraising efforts and your organization as a whole.  Clarity attracts and confusion repels.  Everyone has people in their lives who communicate so clearly and effectively that you will follow them wherever they go. …Continue reading Episode 6 | Strategic Planning Step Three: Realize Your Future (Vision)

Episode 5 | Strategic Planning Step Two: Take a Look at Your World

In strategic planning terminology, take a look at your world means to do an environmental scan.  What’s happening out there has an impact on your organization.  This is not to come up with a list of excuses of why you can’t get something done, but rather to help you make better decisions for the future…Continue reading Episode 5 | Strategic Planning Step Two: Take a Look at Your World