Zimmerman Lehman : Free Resources - Articles for Nonprofits

Popular Articles For Nonprofits

Each of these articles has been featured in a past issue of ZimNotes, our free electronic monthly newsletter. ZimNotes features articles to help your nonprofit forge a better future. Sign up for a free subscription.

Strategic Fundraising Thinking (including economic downturn articles)

Newest Article:
FIVE KEY PRINCIPLES TO SUCCESSFUL BOARD MEMBER FUNDRAISING
The board’s successful involvement in fundraising depends on the understanding and application of these five themes. Excerpted from Nonprofit Management 101: A Complete and Practical Guide for Leaders and Professionals.

Capital Campaigns:

New Mounting a Successful Capital Campaign During a Recession: A Case Study & Lessons Learned With intelligent planning and the dedicated involvement of board members, staff members and campaign counsel, nonprofits can weather the current economic storm and complete successful capital, endowment and annual fund campaigns. In this case study, we examine a successful capital campaign that enabled a social service agency to purchase the building it had been renting and thereupon apply the money that had been spent on rent to programs for clients. (This is part one of a two-part series on how nonprofits are dealing with the recession).

CAPITAL CAMPAIGNS: TEN STEPS FOR SUCCESS
Capital Campaigns often attract donors more easily than an annual fund campaign because donors easily understand 'bricks & mortar.' There are a variety of things to consider and here are suggestions to help you succeed.

THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FEASIBILITY STUDY: ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA
Why bother with a feasibility study? Why not simply announce the campaign and raise all the money you can as fast as possible? This article provides five critically important reasons to conduct a feasibility study.

Individual Donors:

FUNDRAISING IN THE PLAGUE YEARS: A MAJOR DONOR CASE STUDY
A review of the key strategies needed to launch a major donor campaign during these financially trying times, using a current Zimmerman Lehman campaign as an example

MAJOR DONOR CAMPAIGNS: THE HEART OF ANY SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING EFFORT
Whether for capital, annual or endowment gifts, major donor campaigns are an extremely effective means of raising significant income.

A MAJOR GIFT SUCCESS STORY: THE ART OF ACTIVE LISTENING
Knowing what is important to your donors and why they support your organization is a key component to donor cultivation.

MAJOR DONORS: NOW MORE THAN EVER
This article discusses the potential of major donors and the common problem of underestimating your donor base.

Strategic Fundraising Thinking

FUNDRAISING IN THE TEETH OF THE RECESSION: LESSONS FROM WHAT OUR CLIENTS HAVE TO SAY
This article is based on interviews with staff at 19 past and present client organizations and focus on how a range of nonprofits have coped in this extraordinarily challenging time. (This is part one of a two-part series on how nonprofits are dealing with the recession).

UPBEAT NEWS FOR DOWNBEAT TIMES: WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW TO INCREASE REVENUE
Ensuring that your organization's revenues come from a diversity of sources is the best way to weather this current financial storm. This article reviews the variety of ways that nonprofits raise money.

UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT: DOWNSIZING YOUR DEVELOPMENT STAFF DURING THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN Explores what nonprofits should do when faced with increasing services needs and decreasing revenues. Should they lay off their development staff?

HOW CAN YOU FIND A GREAT DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR?
In today's competitive environment finding a good development director is challenging. This article gives small to medium sized nonprofits advice about how to compete when they can't pay enormous salaries.

WHAT THE BOARD NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT FUNDRAISING STAFF
Too few board members understand how terribly labor-intensive fundraising is. They lobby executive directors to keep their operations "lean and mean," thereby effectively cutting themselves off at the fundraising knees. Excerpted from Boards That Love Fundraising.

GETTING PEOPLE TO ASK FOR $$
Excerpted from Zimmerman Lehman's new book, Boards That Love Fundraising: A How-To Guide for Your Board, this piece discusses the fears boards have about asking for money, and how to overcome them.

GIVING MAKES YOU HAPPY& HEALTHY!
Studies show that making d donations and volunteering will bring contentment and help you live longer.

Board of Directors:

ACCOUNTABILITY, TRANSPARENCY & ETHICS QUIZ FOR NONPROFITS
With Madoff-type scandals in the news regularly, ZimNotes offers a quiz and review of best practices in the areas of nonprofit accountability, transparency and ethics.

BOARDS THAT LOVE FUNDRAISING: SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES
This excerpt from Zimmerman Lehman's new book, Boards That Love Fundraising: A How-To Guide for Your Board, details the tasks attributed to board members in fundraising for their nonprofits.

RECRUITING WITH FUNDRAISING IN MIND
Think of board recruitment as you would if you were filling a top-level position in any organization, and give it the time and focus necessary.

HOW DOES THE BOARD GOVERN AND EVALUATE ITSELF?
How Does the Board Govern and Evaluate Itself? This article reviews how to run effective board meetings and how the board evaluates itself.

HOW CAN A BOARD MEMBER BE A STRATEGIC ADVOCATE FOR YOUR NONPROFIT?
By suggesting an advocacy perspective, we are asking board members to reframe their role to promote the mission and vision of the organization at all times.

BOARD MEMBER TRAINING & JOB DESCRIPTION: A HELPFUL START!
This article offers guidelines to training new or inexperienced board members and a sample board member job description with a list of responsibilities.

RACIAL DIVERSITY ON YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
This article analyzes issues surrounding diversity on Boards of Directors, offering suggestions for improvement.

Planning and Leadership Issues:

EIGHT CHARACTERISTICS OF LEADERSHIP
This article defines leadership and outlines eight characteristics of a good leader, offering examples of both leaders and leadership style.

YOU CAN'T RAISE MONEY WITHOUT A DEVELOPMENT PLAN!
Does your nonprofit have a written development plan with a calendar that specifies the kinds of fundraising that you plan to do in the next six months to three years and the people responsible for planning and implementing your campaigns? If not, read this article.

STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR NONPROFITS
This article discusses the benefits and how to's of strategic planning.

WORKING WITH CONSULTANTS
Organizations large and small work with fundraising consultants, here are some suggestions for ensuring it is a successful relationship.

Grantwriting and Special Events:

THE STIMULUS PACKAGE: IS YOUR NONPROFIT RECEIVING FUNDS (OR SHOULD IT)?
This article examines the Stimulus Act of 2009, gives some research tools about the Act and highlights a few of the new pockets of funds for nonprofits.

SPECIAL EVENTS: A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
Special events are a crucial aspect of any nonprofit strategy to raise awareness and big bucks; the key is choosing the right event to meet your objectives.

TEN TIPS FOR GRANTWRITING
Commonsense suggestions for a successful grant application.

Policy Issues:

DOES ADVOCACY HELP WITH FUNDRAISING?
The article explores the relationship between advocacy and fundraising and sites a number of examples and studies that examine the relationship.

WHY IS PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCACY IMPORTANT TO NONPROFITS?
In order to be effective and successful in your field, it helps to know the policies, laws and regulations that impact your nonprofit organization and the communities you serve.

Online Research:

RESEARCHING MAJOR DONORS ON THE WEB (last updated, 2002)
The more you know about your prospect, the easier it will be to make the case for a major donation.