by Dawn Franks | Mar 4, 2020 | Dawn's Blogs, Donors, Giving, Nonprofits
The conversation went something like this: “I’m sure you’ve heard they have a new Executive Director. What do you think is happening over there? Do you think they will survive?” The answer is yes, they will survive. In fact, my guess is they’ll still be going strong...
by Dawn Franks | Feb 19, 2020 | Dawn's Blogs, Donors, Giving, Nonprofits
How do nonprofit organizations you support get better at what they are doing? How do they learn their way into new, better, or improved services? The big question is how do you help them change the world? Can you expand your services? A state agency asked the local...
by Dawn Franks | Dec 18, 2019 | About Your Philanthropy, Dawn's Blogs, Donors, Nonprofits
The world of private philanthropy is often an enigma in the eyes of nonprofit leaders. We create confusion and frustration for nonprofit organizations. We are a puzzle. We speak in riddles and leave breadcrumb trails of paradox. Nonprofit staff spends countless hours...
by Dawn Franks | Nov 20, 2019 | Dawn's Blogs, Donors, Nonprofits
It started this way, “The questions that loom large as you navigate a college education are: What’s next? What career, what advanced degrees, where to start?” That was the opening paragraph of a very short piece I contributed to my alma mater for A Patriot’s Guide to...
by Dawn Franks | Oct 15, 2019 | Dawn's Blogs, Donors, Giving, Nonprofits
How many special event fundraisers have you attended – this year, last year, the last decade? I’ve been to so many that it would take all the fingers and toes of a roomful of friends to count them all. None stand out; they blend together in my...
by Dawn Franks | Oct 2, 2019 | Donors, Giving, Nonprofits
What keeps you reading when you open the envelope and find a fundraising letter? Do you scan for the client numbers – people served, sheltered or fed? Do you look for program costs – how much the program costs per client? Or do your eyes catch the story and pictures?...