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Empowering Next Generation Leaders through Crowdfunding
Just about all nonprofits struggle with fundraising, and nowadays many are also concerned with enlisting the support and engagement of the next generation of donors: millennials. Well, what if I told you that you can solve both these challenges simulta …
Nonprofit Leadership Tips from the Basketball Court
As a former all-American and professional basketball player turned nonprofit leader, I see tons of similarities between life on the court and as an executive director of a small nonprofit. Everything I learned playing the game comes in surprisingly han …
Some Say Fundraising Is Just Sales: They’re Wrong!
Early in my 30-plus year career in the philanthropic arena, I was looking for a major gifts officer for a reproductive health clinic in Los Angeles. Of the many résumés I received, one was from a candidate with ten years of solid experience—but for eig …
Fundraising for “Friends of” Organizations
As a lifelong animal lover and longtime advocate, I knew I liked the sound of a nonprofit called “Friends of Oakland Animal Services”—after all, I live in Oakland and I love animals! Sold, right? But while I figured this was an organization I’d likely …
Ask Rita: Employees Who Cross Jurisdictions: Which Law Applies?
Dear Rita: Our Northern California nonprofit provides job coaches to clients in the community. Our job coaches work in different cities during the course of a week and potentially in the same day. I know some of these cities have their own minimum wage …
Why You May Need to Delete Half of Your Email List
When Facebook changes its news feed algorithms, it’s all nonprofit communicators talk about. But much more important changes are underway elsewhere: Over the last few years, big email providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo! have been changing the lin …
Letter from the Editor
Welcome back to the third issue of Blue Avocado 2.0—the first to launch alongside our newly redesigned website! We know you’ll love this issue, chock full of the tactical, practical, in the trenches tips and tools you’ve come to depend on from us. Asid …
Volunteer Management: How to Get it Right
How essential are volunteers to achieving your nonprofit’s mission? In our recent study, we learned that the lack of understanding about the essential nature of volunteers and the staff who lead them (called Volunteer Engagement Professionals–VEPs) un …
Ask Rita: How Do I Prevent Sexual Harassment at My Nonprofit?
To Rita in HR: We’re a relatively new nonprofit that has taken note of the #metoo movement. This has increased our awareness, but has also led us to ask ourselves, “How do we prevent sexual harassment and assault from happening at our nonprofit, and ho …
Scarcity or Abundance? An Experiment in Collaborative Fundraising
As a recovering lawyer, I wasn’t professionally trained in development when I became an executive director three years ago, yet my Board expected me to get to work fundraising…fast. When I began exploring the field, I quickly learned there are a lot …
