Have you ever sat through a board retreat and thought, "What a waste of time!" You're squished in a windowless room, squirming in a chair that feels like granite, and longing for the next break. Worse yet, the facilitator is boring, the content is useless, board members are texting, and the food is stale!

If you're in the process of planning a retreat, don't settle! It's possible to put together an amazing day that's engaging, meaningful, memorable, and fun. All it takes is a little planning and ingenuity.

Listen in to the following checklist to make sure you have all the essential elements in place to ensure the retreat is a resounding success.

In the world of nonprofit fundraising, meeting with a donor for coffee (or any in-person meeting), whether they are a potential supporter or a current contributor, is one of the most crucial interactions you'll have.

This isn't just a casual coffee chat; it's a pivotal meeting that can define a donor's impression of you, your organization, and may determine whether they make moderate gift, a significant one, or none at all. The stakes are high and coming prepared can greatly increase the likelihood you'll leave with a smile and the outcome you desired.

To learn more about how to raise money in face-to-face settings, listen in!

Have you ever sat through a board retreat and thought, "What a waste of time!" You're squished in a windowless room, squirming in a chair that feels like granite, and longing for the next break. Worse yet, the facilitator is boring, the content is useless, board members are texting, and the food is stale!

If you're in the process of planning a retreat, don't settle! It's possible to put together an amazing day that's engaging, meaningful, memorable, and fun. All it takes is a little planning and ingenuity.

Listen in and use the following checklist to make sure you have all the essential elements in place to ensure the retreat is a resounding success.

Have you ever sat through a board retreat and spent more time watching the clock, daydreaming, and checking texts than listening to the facilitator? Are your board members cringing at the thought of attending another retreat?

Did your last facilitator stand behind a lectern and drone on like a record playing in slow motion? Were they unengaging? Was the content dull and irrelevant? Did the outcomes of the day grow stale and ultimately have little impact on your board?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, it's time to find a new facilitator. But how do you choose? Listen in to this checklist of attributes you can use when scouting for the "best" board retreat facilitator.

Nonprofits play a critical role in addressing societal issues, but their effectiveness often hinges on the strength of their leadership, especially the board.

One way to enhance the performance of a nonprofit's board of directors is by organizing retreats. They can improve engagement, performance, governance, fundraising skills, all of which can propel the organization to the next level of impact.

This is all the more reason to hire a high-quality retreat facilitator. And though you may feel it's risky to hire a facilitator from outside your region, it may also be a game-changer. Sure, it's nice to keep things local, but sometimes you get what you pay for . . . which, in some cases, can mean mediocre results.

Retreats and planning sessions are too important to skimp on. Listen in and learn seven compelling reasons why you should consider looking beyond your region or state when searching for your next retreat facilitator.

In today's rapidly changing world, clinging to the traditional five-year strategic plan is not just outdated—it's impractical. Organizations need to adapt quickly to survive, and a long-term plan often becomes a liability and burden rather than a guide and roadmap. Instead, a one-year strategic plan, monitored monthly and updated annually, proves to be a far more effective and cost-efficient approach to planning.

To learn more, listen in!

The nonprofit world is a quirky one. Many nonprofits are founded by passionate people with little or no nonprofit experience. Many board members have little or no nonprofit experi­ence, and many staff members have little or no nonprofit or business experience.

The result is often a lot of wasted time and effort. Mistakes are made, resources are poorly allocated, and problems are ignored. People get involved and things get done, but no one is sure what should be done, how it should be done, or who should be responsible to do what.

A nonprofit can avoid many of these common pitfalls by building a "value network." A value network is nothing more than a network of people, organizations, and resources that can help a non­profit run more efficiently and effectively—and build capacity—by providing information, knowledge, skills, experience, influence, and money.

This podcast will help your board and team build its value network and increase the organization's impact along the way.

First Things First and Tom Iselin. This audio clip provides a brief overview of our services, experience, credibility, and fees.

For more detailed information, visit www.tomiselin.com, or call 858.888.2278. 

With gratitude, 

Tom~

This is an audio clip of Tom Iselin's business bio. It's intended for those who want to learn a little bit more about me and how I got into the nonprofit world. 

For more detailed information, visit www.tomiselin.com, or call 858.888.2278. 

With gratitude, 

Tom~

Do you send out appeal letters or emails for your year-end campaign? Just sending an email or an appeal letter, with no announcement or personalization, will yield a response rate of 1-3% . . . maybe 5% if you're lucky.

However, if you send make an announcement notification BEFORE you send your appeals, either by phone or email, to donors who have a connection to your nonprofit, more than 50% will make a gift. Done well, this figure can skyrocket to 70%. Seriously. 

Tune in and listen to more details and tactics now.

Why Does Notification Work?

When you call first, you're priming donors with a "personal" announcement that they will be receiving something from YOU. Making it personal means the donor will feel more obligated to respond. Why? People don't like to blow off other people when asked a favor.

Imagine watching a movie like Star Wars, Jaws, or Top Gun with no sound. They would be dry, listless, and yes, dull. In many movies, the sound makes the movie. It elicits emotional responses that can lift us up, make us cry, and give us goosebumps. 

When reading a brochure or an appeal letter, there is no sound; it's like watching a silent movie. The emotional power of the stories and information is weak. 

I this 7-min podcast, learn how you can use SOUND to make a greater impact on your donors and raise more money!

What good are your appeal letters if no one reads them? In this podcast, learn what makes create content and how to increase the response rates of the appeals you send out -- especially your yearend holiday appeals.

12 minutes. Listen Podcast host Erin Brinker interviews Tom on her show called: On The Brink! KCAA 102.3 FM, 106.5 FM, and 1050 AM in the Inland Empire-East LA. Tom provide straight-talk answers to a handful of Erin's poignant questions about things like nonprofit overhead, wasteful spending, marketing, and more.

Face it. You are competing for funds in a fiercely competitive environment with limited resources. Many large universities and institutional nonprofits have hundreds of people raising money for them and operate multimillion dollar marketing budgets.

It's you (David) verses Goliath. How do you compete?

One of the simplest things you can do is to invest in marketing. Most small to medium-sized nonprofits have little to no marketing budgets because they (often board members) view marketing as an expense instead of an investment.

This 5min podcast will show you 1 simple secret you can use to ensure you're marketing materials are first class, but can cost you little to nothing.

Here's a list of 7 uncommon factors to look for!

Strategic planning is the backbone of any successful nonprofit organization, providing a roadmap for future growth and impact. However, navigating the strategic planning process can be challenging, requiring skilled guidance to ensure clarity, collaboration, and actionable outcomes.

When seeking to hire the best strategic planning facilitator for your nonprofit, there are several key factors to consider. Here are seven essential (but uncommon) considerations for CEOs and Board Chairs to keep in mind when searching "Near Me" for the best facilitator to lead their strategic planning sessions.

Stop using "I", "Me", and "We" when asking for money. This short podcast shows you how to quickly change how you position your asks so the focus is on connecting the donor -- and the donor's gift -- on the needs you fill . . . not the needs you have!

There are many ways to raise money - grants, galas, email, letters, and phone calls . . . but the most effective way is asking for money in a face-to-face setting. In fact, this podcast will show why it's the most effective tactic over all others. 

Competition for donors is tough. The problem is that most nonprofit are focused on acquiring donors when they should be thinking about how to retain them. In this podcast, learn how to create loyal and generous fans by thanking donors in ways that stand out and separate you from the competition. 

Learn 3 of my favorite ways to raise money from donors during the month of December. Time is running out -- do what works!!

This is a brief podcast on how to create an engagement form that your board members can fill out when they join your board, or annually, to get board members more engaged in the work of your organization, based on their gifts and skills -- and interests! A free template is made available by writing Tom at tomiselin@gmail.com. 

Engage more members in your fundraising efforts by urging them do what THEY want to do, not what you want them to do!

The best way to raise money from donors when you first meet them is NOT to ask them for money. Rather, make a non-monetary ask, first -- a "connection" ask. Ask them to volunteer, observe your programming, provide advice, watch a performance, or attend a "friend-raising" event. 

This podcast addresses this common problem and provides suggestions on ways you can raising more money by taking a softer, more patient approach. Enjoy!

There are many positive things you can do to engage board members and volunteers to support the fundraising efforts of your organization. However, some organizations require their board members to raise money. The problem? Forcing people to ask for money often results in tragedy. Learn why!

Sometimes your smallest donors hold the largest promise of major gifts, but you'll never know unless you reach out to them!

Does your board have a "Give or Get" policy? Should they? This podcast, or shall I say rant, discusses the downside of having such a policy and why it's more effective - and practical - to establish a "Give and HELP Get" policy. If you do, your board will be much happier, and you'll probably raise more money from them and your donors.

Let's be honest

Do you have board members that . . . Blow off meetings? Don't read meeting materials? Don't make a personal donation? Are nowhere to be found to help organize events? Can't recite the mission or vision? Don't help steward donors? Rarely see your programming? Don't personally know the staff? Say they're "just volunteers" or "too busy" to participate? Couldn't share any institutional knowledge to save their life? Believe that the ED and staff are getting paid so they should do all the work?

Well, if we had the courage, here's what we'd like to say to the slackers on our boards:

"Your absence and lack of involvement are completely unacceptable and are a liability and disgrace to this board. If you cannot commit to full participation immediately, you need to resign."

"The board's effectiveness is compromised by inactive members. Your inaction speaks louder than words. Either step up and fulfill your obligations or step aside so we can bring in members who will actively support our mission."

This podcast covers 6 fundraising principles will help you understand what attracts donors to nonprofits. These principles are important to learn because knowing what attracts donors to nonprofits will help raise more money and develop more loyal and generous donors.

In this brief podcast, learn why it's important to think about how much time you're spending on grant writing compared with other types of fundraising tactics such as face-to-face fundraising.

Tom shares his "Grant From Hell" story, which will get you thinking about the efficiency and effectiveness of your fundraising efforts.

In the 1980's, I had it all -- then almost lost it all in a blink of an eye. Listen to this podcast and learn about the transformational experience I had that turned a self-centered stock options trader into a selfless social entrepreneur that's passionate about helping leaders like you build high-performance nonprofits. 

Welcome to The Fundraising Coach. My name is Tom Iselin and I started this podcast because I know how insanely difficult and competitive fundraising can be. 

I'm not some professor spouting fundraising theory; I have founded and have helped build some of the nation's most notable nonprofits in their sectors from the ground up . . . and I've raised millions to fund them.

I've been in the fundraising trenches just like you. I know what's like to be short on staff and resources, and I know what's like to work with disengaged board members.

The Fundraising Coach will teach you the same tactics and strategies I've shared with thousands of non­profits to help them raise hundreds of millions of dollars. You'll learn everything you need to become an expert at raising money and building a high-performance, winning fundraising program.

I'll be interviewing industry experts, and I'll have specific "tactical" shows from my playbook that will help you raise more money than you ever thought possible.

So tune in . . . and RAISE MORE MONEY!