Jump Higher or Leap Farther?

Over 20 years of helping United Ways with their strategic planning has taught me many lessons. For example, it is nearly impossible to predict the future, so developing a strategic plan for more than the next three years is merely guessing at what the future holds. More recently, I have learned the lesson of jumping vs. leaping.

Campaign, Donors, Fundraising, Strategic Planning, VolunteersGaryJune 8, 2016strategic plan, Strategic Planning Process, workplace campaign, Volunteers, donors, issue focusComment

Honoring & Supporting Moms This Mother’s Day

A donation has been made in your honor this Mother’s Day to help Bay Area mothers living in poverty provide for their families. We are touched by this generosity and hope you are, too. On behalf of the community we serve, thank you and Happy Mother’s Day.

Communicating, Community Impact, Donors, Fundraising, Giving, Holidays, Issues, Marketing, Stories, ResultsKaseyMay 4, 2016Mother's Day, issue, card, donation, poverty, bold goal, social media, story, impact, awareness, inform, engage, community, issue focusComment

Are You Living Healthy?

Recently, a friend of mine was told by his doctor that he needed to live a little healthier.

Campaign, Communicating, Community Impact, Donors, Fundraising, Issues, Marketing, Resource Development, ResultsGaryApril 14, 2016issue focus, resource development, community impact, marketing, workplace campaign, measurementComment

Real Quotes From Real Donors – The Sequel

In the course of helping United Ways adopt an issue focus, we have conducted surveys with thousands of local United Way donors.

Donors, IssuesGaryMarch 24, 2016Donors, researchComment

Too Complicated?

Nearly every United Way struggles with the challenge of trying to explain to their donors and community what exactly it is that United Way does. Even the tallest buildings in the world are not tall enough for most United Ways to be able to finish their elevator speech before reaching the top floor.

Communicating, Donors, Marketing, Market & CommunicateGaryMarch 9, 2016Communication, marketing, elevator speech, simpleComment

Doing It Right! United Way of Wayne and Holmes Counties (Wooster, OH)

Adopting an issue focus transforms a United Way from a focus on workplace campaigns and raising money, to a focus on community impact and making meaningful change.

Community Impact, Communicating, Doing It Right!, Donors, Fundraising, Issues, StatisticsGaryFebruary 25, 2016poverty, community impact, bold goal, 2-1-1, donate, issue focus, Direction-Setting ProcessComment

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