CDS Global Nonprofit
The Number One Thing That Will Push Your Board’s Success!
By Brett Ridge | May 10, 2013
We talk a lot here about the importance of laying out expectations and roles with Board Members. And there is no question that it is super-important to do so. If they don’t understand their role as a volunteer and your role as a staff leader, you are signing yourself up for (at best) a sub-par, ineffective Board Member and at-worst an adversarial boss. But let’s step back for a moment and get even more basic, because there is something that will help you get the most out of your Board more than any other single trick. Are you ready…this is…
Topics: Fundraising, Governance, Leadership | No Comments »
Value Your Volunteers By Making Their Time Count
By Brett Ridge | April 24, 2013
I saw a recent Tweet from fundraising consultant/speaker Stephen Pidgeon (@StephenPidge); “I don’t want to give money to a charity. I want to change the world with my money.” What a great way to put what so many more people are thinking these days when it comes to not only their money, but also their time. As we celebrate the 39th National Volunteer Week, it’s important to remember that generally your volunteers have the same thoughts. They want to help because they want to change the world around them for the better. Now, it is true that in the past,…
Topics: Fundraising, Governance, Leadership | No Comments »
Remember, You Are In Business!
By Brett Ridge | April 19, 2013
Last week’s Association Of Fundraising Professionals International Conference served up a number of great reminders to me….not all intentional….but all poignant none-the-less. The most striking thought that I had was simply this; we ARE an industry. Whether volunteers and staff always understand that fact or not, we ARE professionals with real jobs and we have those jobs because we have specialized skills. Not everyone can do this. As I moved around the floor of the AFP Marketplace I was struck time and again by the intelligence and depth of knowledge of the people who I talked to; both the fundraising…
Topics: Fundraising, Governance, Leadership, Security and Oversight | No Comments »
From Millennials to Legend, a Few Top #afpICON Highlights
By Xochi Adame | April 12, 2013
This week I attended AFP’s International Conference on Fundraising (afpICON). Since it was my first time attending this event with our nonprofit team, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect – except to know that afpICON was perhaps the largest of all the annual nonprofit conferences. I have to say, this turned out to be a truly amazing conference. And thank you to all the amazing #AFPeeps who made me feel right at home! Making new friends is by far the best takeaway. This year’s show, held April 7-9, boasted an all-star speaker lineup that included Grammy-award winning musician John…
Topics: Fundraising | 2 Comments »
Board Expectations Should See The Light Of Day Right Away
By Brett Ridge | April 4, 2013
So you’re at it again; sitting down to lunch with a prospective Board Member and you’re ready to recruit them hard. You just know that with all of their business and social connections, their specific vocational expertise, and their desire to make a difference in the world around them; they are going to be great. And you’re probably right. But make sure this meeting is about more than an advertisement for your organization and why they should be chomping at the bit to join your Board. To be sure, it is important to connect them to your mission as soon…
Topics: Fundraising, Governance, Leadership, Security and Oversight | 1 Comment »
April Welcomes National Autism Awareness Month
By Elizabeth Howell | April 2, 2013
April welcomes in National Autism Awareness month. April 2, 2013 recognizes the sixth annual World Autism Awareness Day! Each year, autism organizations around the world celebrate this day with unique fundraising and awareness-raising events. I think one of the most notable (and coolest!) ways this celebration was recognized was by a special blue lighting of the Empire State Building on the evening of April 2nd last year. While I had often heard of autism it was truly an unknown to me until Autism Speaks joined CDS Global as a valued client this year. The work and dedication of Autism Speaks…
Topics: CDS Global Information, Fundraising | No Comments »
Our Final Four Picks for AFP International
By Clare Corriveau | March 28, 2013
My NCAA tournament bracket is not looking so good this week. Who knew all those 15 seeds would be making a name for themselves on the national stage? But that’s what March Madness is all about, right? Anything can happen. Teams play better then they’ve ever played all in an effort to be the one cutting down the net at the end of it all. It’s a great environment for players to recharge, get invigorated and feed off of the energy of the players around them. Conferences like AFP International provide the same environment for nonprofit organizations. It’s not often you get the…
Topics: CDS Global Information, Fundraising | No Comments »
The Direct Push Your Fundraising Strategy Needs
By Clare Corriveau | March 25, 2013
Direct mail still holds an important place in a nonprofit’s multichannel fundraising strategy. In fact, did you know that 37% of donors, including Gen X & Y, who give online were prompted to do so via direct mail? The internet was the means to the donations, but direct mail was, and is in many situations, the medium to carry the water on the appeal. Direct mail isn’t dead – it’s just necessary. Last week, we sponsored a webinar hosted by Fundraising Success called Pulling It All Together: A lively discussion on direct mail’s part in a multichannel fundraising strategy where speakers Karin…
Topics: CDS Global Information, Fundraising | No Comments »
#SXgood FTW: SXSWi 2013 Curmudgeons, Fails and Appetite
By Xochi Adame | March 15, 2013
If you’re like me, and didn’t stay for music (Interactive alone is more than I can handle. #lightweight), you’re heavily immersed in recovery, deconstruction and postmortem presentations. This year I attended with a specific “social good” focus – and it rocked. True, as VolunteerMatch’s Robert Rosenthal remarked, sessions have been drastically scaled back across the board, leaving less to choose from among philanthropy, nonprofits and social change – a definite drag. But what’s evident to me as a n00b in this SXgood scene is the overwhelming hunger for more. The SXgood community is obviously discontented – and this is a good thing. If the…
Topics: Technology Advantages | 4 Comments »
Pulling it All Together – SXSWi and an Upcoming Webinar
By Clare Corriveau | March 13, 2013
It’s been a busy past week here at CDS Global, specifically here at our Austin, TX office. SXSW has rolled into town and we’ve been soaking it all in. Between employees volunteering for the ongoing SXSW festival (as well as multiple state rodeos), attending amazing sessions at SXSWi, to sponsoring the ice cream social in BeaconFire’s Beacon Lounge yesterday afternoon, we are feeling energized, informed (maybe a bit exhausted and dehydrated), and more dedicated than ever. And as the case for every good cause, we’ve got to keep moving and keep the information coming. Next week we’ll be sponsoring a…
Topics: CDS Global Information, Fundraising | No Comments »
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