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For the Greater Good: Heather Starzynski Helps Rutland Neighbors Build a Foundation From Which to Launch

As the days become colder in New England, the phrase “right at home†may conjure up a warm, comfy, and secure place, where we scrub off the day, slip into our oversized loungewear and thick socks, and hunker down under ...
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For the Greater Good: Arwen Turner, Leadership is in Her Nature

For Come Alive Outside, the nonprofit whose mission is to “…connect folks back to nature to increase health and wellness,†it would be difficult to find an ambassador more upbeat, empathetic, and creative about enjoying nature than the organization’s executive ...
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Hope for the Best … But Take Charge of the Rest

As a Baby Boomer who endured two career disruptions in under a decade, I know that hoping for the best only goes so far … and taking charge of the rest is the key to success.    On 9/11 I watched ...
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For the Greater Good: Saluting Vermont’s Nonprofits

For most of my four decades in Vermont, I worked for large marketing agencies and nonprofits based in New York City and Washington, traveling from Rutland throughout the country. For most of 2020 and 2021, I hunkered down here, a ...
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Securing Corporate Funds: What Gives? – Part 2

How far that little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.William Shakespeare When I was working in marketing firms representing large corporate brands, nonprofit fundraisers routinely pitched me for funds.  As the gatekeeper for ...
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Securing Corporate Finds: What Gives? – Part 1

It is one light which beams out of a thousand stars. It is one soul which animates all men.Ralph Waldo Emerson Most fundraisers – executive directors and board members included – know the benefits of securing corporate funds.  Among them:  ...
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Glass Half Full or Half Empty? Why Donor Stewardship is Essential, not Optional

I cannot cause light; the most I can do is try to put myself in the path of its beam.Annie Dillard Many fundraisers – and that includes executive directors and board members as well as development staff – are very ...
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Cultivating Major Donors – Talent is as Talent Does

There are two ways of spreading light, to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.Edith Wharton Year after year, giving by individuals is always the largest source of charitable giving; in fact, many fundraising experts advise that 80% ...
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The Strategic Plan: Organizational Wellness, or “Oh, Well …”

Given what the world has experienced over the past year, all nonprofit leaders should embrace the strategic planning process as an organizational wellness activity – regardless of budget, revenue model, organizational life cycle, or size.  Like many wellness activities, getting ...
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Now, More Than Ever, You Need a Plan

During the years I spent as a full-time fundraiser, my friends often claimed they "would rather eat glass†than ask anyone for money. It’s no wonder there are reams of articles and books as well as workshops on how to raise ...
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