Networking For Nonprofits

You’re on the board of your local nonprofit managing the Executive Director transition. You’ve found a strong candidate. Smart. Steady. Mission-aligned. But they’ve never been an Executive Director before. That gives some board members pause. The question that comes up is, "Can we risk someone learning on the job?" Here’s a better question, "Can we afford to miss a great leader because they need different support?" Every experienced ED had a first. Don't be scared off by that alone. And the support that's most helpful is very much doable. Here’s how to help your first-time ED step in with clarity and confidence: 𝟭. 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿. But not with a handoff document and a few meetings. Narrow the focus. -> What needs to stabilize -> Where the organization could build momentum -> What progress would look like one year from now 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹: Help your new ED prioritize, not just onboard. 𝟮. 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀. New leaders often spend months learning who holds influence, what expectations are unspoken, and where past tensions might still linger. Shorten that learning curve. ->Where trust already exists, and how it was earned -> Which funders are long-term champions, and why -> Who they need to meet before their first public appearance. Context builds confidence. 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹: Build early confidence through shared understanding. 𝟯. 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁. First-time doesn’t mean unqualified. But it does mean they’ll need a partner in the learning process. -> Set regular check-ins focused on learning, not grading -> Establish a clear board contact -> Clarify expectations about communication, decisions, and pace 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹: Reinforce trust and shared responsibility. 𝟰. 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱. Your ED needs one unified board, not a few champions and a few skeptics. -> Are you clear on why you chose this candidate? -> Have you addressed hesitations directly, before day one? -> Are you ready to lead 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 them, not just evaluate from a distance? If you’re not aligned, it will show. And your new ED will feel it. 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹: Get to and present a consistent, united board presence from the start. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁-𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀, 𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗘𝗗: -> A deep connection to your mission and community (A first-time ED has a steep learning curve. But knowing the community, the mission, and the people is a huge lever for success). -> Is a relationship builder -> Operationally savvy (programs, finances, people, systems) -> A bias toward action and a willingness to ask for help -> Sees the board as a strategic partner -> Big-picture thinking and can set priorities, manage resources, and execute on plans 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹: Hire for character, clarity, and capacity, not just experience. ----- Every leadership transition is risky. Known risk is solvable. Hire for that.

On this #EarthDay let’s not forget that as we build faster networks with more features and capabilities to meet the demands of today’s (and tomorrow’s) ever-connected world, we must also keep sustainability front and center in everything we do. After all, more than three-quarters of customers we recently surveyed said energy efficiency is key for selecting IT vendors, and nearly every single RFP we receive includes environmental questions. So as genAI use cases consume unprecedented energy and stretch network infrastructure to new power-hungry heights, we as an industry need to innovate with #sustainability at the heart.   It’s why we’ve engineered silicon to be up to 73% more power efficient than its previous generation. Why we’re designing network equipment that can automatically shut down during off-peak hours to conserve energy. Why we’re exploring liquid cooling technology for our data center equipment that’s more efficient than traditional air cooling. Why we’ve eliminated plastic packaging for new products under 70 pounds. And why we keep developing #AI technology that can automatically fix network issues to save truck rolls.   Those are just a few examples of the work we’re doing, and we know we have more to do. But Juniper Networks plays a huge part in keeping the world connected, and I’m proud of the intentional progress we’ve made toward hitting net-zero emissions by 2040 and minimizing our footprint on the planet.   It’s not just good for business. It’s the right thing to do.

How I get new individual donors (my entire strategy) People think to get new major donors, you need:  - huge brand - big marketing department - gala with celebrity co-chairs and host committee - paid ads - lots of media Here’s my 4-part method (that includes none of that 👆) that’s helped me and my clients raise $66M and counting from individual donors. (Nothing wrong with any of that stuff, it’s just all very difficult to manage, expensive and time-consuming - and good for you if it works for you!) Part 1/4: Referrals ➡️ Ask current donors ➡️ Ask board members ➡️ Ask email subscribers to share the email with a friend I tack a referral ask onto every conversation that I think “goes well” If the donor is all in, then they are likely to intro us to someone else. Easy. Btw, this usually creates more work for me with all the new intros, so I don’t have as much pressure for parts 2-4 to work right away. Part 2/4: Zero-Cost Intimate Gatherings (hosted by donor, board member) What the nonprofit does: (Me)  - Guide the host on the right “who” to invite  - Advise the host on how to share from their heart What the donor or board member does: (Them)  - Plans, executes, and pays for the whole thing  - Invites their network to their home It’s personal. It’s intimate. More people /= better.  We’re going for the RIGHT FIT people. I do this 4x a year. Bada-Bing Bada-Boom.  New major donor pipeline. Part 3/4: LinkedIn: Organic Posts & Outbound Outreach I write about the nonprofit like it’s my job. - My first-hand experience blog-post style on a “vision trip” - Most compelling impact stats and “story of 1” with photos  - Big picture thought leadership stuff I do this 2-3x a week. I connect with people who: 1. Look like the ideal donor profile 2. Mutual connections with my current donors and board members Ideal donor profile: (for example)  - CEO or C-suite of mid-size company  - Generous (volunteer history)  - Cares about [issue or cause] If I need more donors, I’d send 50-100 connects a day. Part 4/4: Convert Raving Fans I look at all the people involved  Who haven’t donated in the last 6-12 months ✅ Event attendees  ✅ Volunteers  ✅ Email subscribers who clicked  ✅ Social media commenters and followers I reach out, gauge interest, and ask them to donate. I do this 1x a week. That’s it. This 4-part method is what I teach my clients with templates and coaching along the way. My client shared with me last week she did this method, and here’s the update: - Donor-hosted event 1 month away with a $250,000 goal, they’ve already raised $150,000 for - the host is giving $50k with new people attending  - Got 20 meetings with new people connected to current supporters and interested in getting more involved (she did 100 outreach connects total) All this in just 6 months. This is an organization with a $1M budget in Indiana, and the ED is the sole fundraiser. If you’d like help with this, let me know. 

I had coffee chats with EDs of 53 nonprofits that collectively raise $200M+/year. These are the secrets that I learned: 1. Invite funders for a site visit, always. 2. Search for funding by looking at peer organization’s funders. The highest signal that a funder is interested in your work is not that they claim to "value" a category that you belong to, but rather that they’ve funded an organization with the same programming. 3) Donor fatigue is a myth, sort of. Atypical appeals / capital campaigns don’t usually cannibalize regular giving, if the campaign is transparent. 4) Seek funding from: 1) previous funders, 2) funders of peer organizations, 3) local foundations with relevant priorities 4) national foundations with relevant priorities 5) everything else. In that order, or you're being inefficient with capacity. 5) Don’t avoid hiring, but hire carefully. EDs of small orgs can’t grow impact by doing more in the same amount of time. Quality of work inevitably drops, and the org risks over-reliance on a single individual. 6) Government agencies don’t fund organizations they believe in — they fund organizations they trust. Working with local, state, fed agencies requires long-standing relationships, much, much more than private foundations. Foundations expect some experimentation/failure when funding, agencies expect guaranteed results. 7) Send handwritten letters to funders It's the most underrated and underutilized stewardship strategy in 2025. Easiest way to implement this is have a volunteer write on a blank piece of paper and mail it out with each new outbound grant application. If there’s more capacity, thank historical funders with notes. I talked to one org that had a ~25% success rate with unsolicited requests to funders no formal application process with handwritten notes, and another org with a 60%+ win rate with normal grant applications when they did this. With individual donors, orgs can expect to see ~30% lift in average check size with handwritten notes. This is my first post, let me know if I should post more! I have the privilege of meeting with more EDs / development directors than probably almost anyone else on the planet, so I thought I'd share these insights in a space where evidence-based development strategy is so hard to find.

Your board members open doors. Your fundraisers walk through them. A donor was giving $50,000 annually to a nonprofit. We knew he had significant capacity and passion for the mission, but we couldn't get a meeting with him to deepen the relationship. We tried everything to get a meeting: emails, letters, skywriting “Call me?” over his house. Nothing worked. Then we put a list of our top prospects in front of the board. A board member saw the name of the donor we were trying to meet with and said, “I know him. I think I can help.” She called him and shared why she gives her time and money to the organization. She shared why this mission matters to her. The donor agreed to meet with us. The board member joined the development team for a series of meetings with the donor. When the time was right, we asked him for $5 million. The board member was at the meeting but did not do the ask. That came from the development team. The donor said yes. Without this board member, that gift would have never happened. She shared her story. She opened the door. The development team walked through it. If your board stalls at the ask or freezes when asked to help raise money, there is another way. Board members can help fundraise, but they need direction and a simple strategy, and they don’t need to be the one asking for money. Fundraisers are experts at holding the strategy, managing timing, structuring the ask, and stewarding the relationship. Unresolved lane confusion between board and staff kills momentum. Most board members are not trained solicitors. But they can be your trust builders. Your connectors. Your testimonials. When you clarify those lanes, board members make more moves. Staff can do their jobs better. And donors feel it. Board members do not need to be closers to be powerful in fundraising. They need a clear role, a strategic list, and permission to lead with their own story.

If I had to rebuild a nonprofit prospecting strategy from scratch today, I wouldn’t start with cold emails. I’d start with: Search. Because most nonprofits aren’t missing opportunities because of weak pitches. They’re missing them because they can’t find the right people. Here’s exactly how I’d use LinkedIn Search to uncover the decision makers who control corporate partnerships: 1. Think roles, not titles Stop typing: “Corporate Social Responsibility” Start typing: “(Head OR Director OR VP) AND (Community Engagement OR Corporate Partnerships OR ESG OR Social Impact)” Decision makers hide behind different job labels. Search for functions, not vanity titles. 2. Filter like a sniper, not a tourist • Use Location to target the cities where you already have donors or programs • Add Company Size to focus on those with budgets that match your ask • Select Current Company when you know the exact corporation you want to court Precision beats volume every time. 3. Reverse-engineer their networks Before you connect, click “People Also Viewed.” That sidebar is a hidden map of colleagues with overlapping influence. One warm intro can be worth ten cold messages. 4. Save searches, let LinkedIn work while you sleep Set up saved searches with weekly alerts. Now the platform tells you when new decision makers change roles or when fresh companies fit your criteria. You’re building a living pipeline, not a one-time list. 5. Personalize the first touch Skip the “Hi, can I pick your brain?” Lead with: • A mission-aligned stat (“Our program diverted 2M lbs of plastic last year…”) • A micro-ask (“Could we explore a 15-minute call about employee volunteer programs?”) Relevance opens doors. Flattery doesn’t. 6. Track, test, and tighten Your search terms are hypotheses. Watch which filters produce replies, double down, and drop the rest. LinkedIn is a lab, treat it like one. Smart nonprofits don’t just wait for introductions. They engineer them. Connect with me and comment “Search” and I’ll send you the exact step-by-step resource our paying clients use to find corporate decision makers on LinkedIn. With purpose and impact, Mario

Fundraising is not just about raising money — it is about building trust, relationships, and sustainable impact that keeps NGO work alive in communities. Strong organisations don’t depend on one source of funding; instead, they use a mix of strategies that work together to ensure continuity and growth. Here are key fundraising approaches used by impactful NGOs: 1. Community & Individual Support This is where impact begins — from people who believe in the cause. It includes: Regular supporters and monthly giving programs Online fundraising campaigns Community-based contributions Small local donations that grow into big impact over time 2. Partnerships with the Private Sector (CSR) Many organisations grow faster through collaboration with companies that invest in social impact. This brings: Long-term funding relationships Strong visibility for both sides Shared value between business and community 3. Grants from Development Partners Grants remain one of the most structured funding sources for NGOs. They are usually provided by: International development agencies Foundations and philanthropic organisations UN bodies and embassies Government-funded programs Success here depends on clear ideas, strong proposals, and measurable impact. 4. Campaigns & Public Engagement Funding can also come through creative and engaging public activities such as: Crowdfunding campaigns Charity events and fundraising drives Awareness and advocacy campaigns Social media storytelling that inspires giving 5. Income-Generating Projects Some organisations build their own financial sustainability through social enterprise models like: Agricultural and farming projects Training and consultancy services Community-based business initiatives 💡 The strongest NGOs are those that diversify their funding sources — because sustainability is built, not wished for. #FundingOpportunity #GrantFunding #NGOFunding #ClimateAction #Sustainability #CommunityDevelopment #SocialImpact #EnvironmentalProjects #SDGs #ClimateFinance #GreenGrants #InternationalDevelopment #CapacityBuilding #ResilientCommunities #DonorFunding #ProjectFunding #InnovationForImpact #SustainableFuture #GrassrootsImpact #DevelopmentSector

Nonprofit Executive Directors -- you've got to help your Board help you. Even the most high-functioning, engaged Board can't intuit your needs or help you in a vacuum. Some ideas to try: 💡 In your monthly operational updates, include a specific ask of specific committees, the whole board, and/or specific board members (one that is in line with their duties and responsibilities, of course). 💡Ask individual Board members where their sweet spot is when it comes to networking and fundraising -- maybe it's tabling at events, writing thank you cards, taking donors out for coffee, or even cold calling-on local potential brand sponsors -- and then give them the tools they need to succeed (training, donor pitch decks, social media toolkits, email templates, etc.) 💡When you encounter a major challenge, don't just try to muscle through it on your own -- tell the Board how they can help. Asking for help is part of strong leadership. And in the midst of all the 💩 coming out of the White House right now, a team effort is more important than ever. 💡Be open and transparent in your 1:1s with the Board Chair -- create a thought partnership with them. Hire a coach for joint coaching if this relationship needs strengthening or reinvigorating. 💡Be very clear and honest about what needs more budgetary investment, where you may have to go significantly over budget on expenses, etc. -- they cannot properly fulfill their duties or support you if you're always trying to paint a rosy picture to "keep them happy". 💡Aim to have a 1:1 with each Board member twice per year. Getting to know them (and they you) will better help you harness each other's strengths and interests and shore up each other's blind spots. 💡Thank your Board members regularly and authentically for their time and efforts, and tell them what is working and what have been the effects of their work. This will strengthen your relationship with them and help them better understand (and strategize on their own) where to invest their time and $$$.

Your third development director in two years just started last week. Your major donors are about to stop giving, and they won't tell you why. Let me walk you through what's happening in Mr. and Mrs. Smith's living room right now. They're looking at the welcome email from your new development director. It's the third "nice to meet you" message they've received since 2022. They're wondering if they should even bother responding this time. Here's what happened to us this year: We gave a mid-level gift to a nonprofit we've supported for two years. In January. They never acknowledged it. Never thanked us. Radio silence. In August, they introduced us to their new development officer. We replied immediately, wanting to have a conversation and build a relationship with this person. They never responded back. Now we're considering decreasing our giving or stopping altogether. Not because we don't believe in their mission, but because we're wondering: if they can't manage their revenue generation side, how are they actually leading on the program side? This is exactly what Mr. and Mrs. Smith are thinking about your organization. Last year, they built a relationship with Sarah, your previous development director. They shared their passion for your mission, explained their giving philosophy, and even introduced you to two other potential donors from their network. Then Sarah left abruptly. No transition meeting. No introduction to her replacement. Just a generic email from your ED saying "we're excited to announce our new development team member." The replacement lasted eight months before moving on to "pursue other opportunities." Your donors aren't going to tell you this directly. They're just going to quietly reduce their giving and eventually stop responding to your calls. Your turnover problem isn't just costing you staff replacement expenses. It's destroying the relationships that fund your mission. Every time a development director leaves, they take institutional knowledge, donor relationships, and cultivation momentum with them. Stop treating development positions like they're replaceable. Start treating them like the mission-critical relationships they manage. Because in fundraising, donor relationships are built on trust, and trust requires consistency you can't provide with constant turnover.