I attended the annual Association of Fundraising Professionals Awards Luncheon at the Hilton Portland a couple of week's ago. It was definitely attended by the "who's who" of Oregon's nonprofits and philanthropists. Thank you to James Phelps, for inviting me to attend the event. Joining us at the event: Rick Young of Portland Gay Men's Chorus; Sharon Wade Ellis of the Native American Rehabilitation Association; Susan Parsons of NAO; Catherine Hayes of Young Audiences of Ore

Capital campaigns are a specialized branch of fundraising and for good reason. They are typically longer-term, high-target fundraising activities and require strong community support with plenty of planning and momentum. It is not uncommon for organizations to discover that their capital campaign is in need of more work than they anticipated. Whether you are just getting started, or find your capital campaign stalled halfway to the finish line, a fresh outside perspective can

#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. It was launched in 2012 as a global movement to celebrate and invigorate philanthropy across all sectors of the non-profit community. There are many resources available to use to prepare your campaign including a plan I have created: Think big! Start small! Toolkit: www.givingtuesday.org Sign up and join Download toolkit Browse ideas and case studies Reference additional resource

Nonprofit organizations can thrive or flounder because of a single aspect- their board of directors. What may surprise you is that there is something far more important than who is on the board, and that is how the board is functioning. Without guidance, many well meaning board members will remain disengaged - their talents wasted. The fact of the matter is that each person has a reason they're on the board of directors. Maybe the nonprofit touched their family in some way.

You may wonder when it might make sense to hire an interim development director instead of a permanent development staffer, or how an interim development director can help sustain and enhance your development needs. Here are some of the reasons organizations decide to hire an interim development director: To reassure donors during a transition or vacancy in the development office that fundraising efforts will continue. If time is needed to do a search for a permanent developm