Every fundraiser that I’ve talked with is experiencing a lot of stress. Most anticipate a drop in contributions in the coming months. And most are wondering what they can do. My simple advice is: Talk…
This post is a follow-up to one I wrote on laughter a few weeks ago. You can find that post in the blog section of my website. For starters, it’s important to understand that the…
“She what?!?!?!” Those were the first words out of my mouth as I grappled with regaining my composure. How? Why? No way. Really? Oh, my god. I know this person… I thought. When I served…
“After all I’ve done for him. How could he say such a thing! ‘Failure of leadership?!?’” !*&?#^%3!” These are some thoughts going through Jill’s (not her real name) mind as she reads to me from…
Core values determine how a company acts in the world, from the formation of its vision and mission to the way it constructs and delivers its products and services. They are not something toward which…
A number of clients called me this week, all asking for support on developing contingency plans to deal with the impact of the coronavirus. In particular, “What do we do about scheduled stakeholder events, board…
Finding a great consultant can feel daunting. Being one myself, I admit that the number of us can seem endless and the approaches are quite varied. But if you go at it methodically, you can…
The other day I met with a client in the restaurant of a hotel. After the meeting, I realized that I had left my sweater on the back of the dining chair. The next day…
For many not for profit boards, the first response when faced with raising philanthropic support is: “We need to have a fundraiser!” Though some fundraising events are extraordinarily successful and raise a lot of money,…
David Hirsch talks to special father Jim Mueller. Jim and his wife Margot are parents of three children, Jessica, Lili and Luke, who was born as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Jim tells David of his journey raising a special needs son and how it helped enrich his and his family’s life. Sadly, Luke passed away in December of 2016 but the Mueller family moves forward and Jim shares with us his many insights he learned from being Luke’s father.