Education, advice and insights from ACN’s member consultants on developing or growing a nonprofit organization.
5/21/22: How to Tell Your Nonprofit's Story with Bar ChartsOur brains can process well-designed visual information at lightning speed but numbers, not so much. Using visual elements like bars, pie slices, and sloping lines to illustrate our data can make it clear and compelling for our audience. Nonprofits are most familiar with the humble bar chart. But there are many more visually engaging ways to capture your audience’s attention and use your data to tell a memorable story about the problems you’re addressing and the difference you’re making. |
3/7/22: Planned Giving – What Are You Scared Of?Yes, planned giving can provide tax benefits. But most importantly, it is allowing the donor to be remembered generously and positively. Their legacy makes them a hero... the best gift we (the fundraisers) can give to the donor. |
2/8/22: What is your audience thinking?When you listen to your people, you can learn what motivates them, how they connect to your mission, and what gaps they have in understanding your work. It gives you context for all that data you’ve collected. |
1/11/22: Nonprofits: It’s Time to Re-Energize Your Workplace as Folks Transition Back to the OfficeAs nonprofits re-define their return-to-work policies, many are also rethinking their physical spaces. While nonprofits typically have limited budgets for remodeling, even small investments can boost productivity, attract and retain employees, appeal to clients, and bolster your mission. Here are few ideas to consider. |
1/6/22: ACN Year in Review 2021 The pandemic may have dragged on in 2021, but we at ACN continued to keep our members connected and supported by embracing virtual opportunities—and grew our organization at a record pace. Read more |
12/10/21: From Giving Tuesday to Giving 365 Was your organization’s Giving Tuesday everything you’d hoped? If not, don’t be glum. Here are a few tips to boost giving to your nonprofit all year round. Read more |
11/8/21: They’re Not A Frill If You’re Using Them Right: How to Get More Done Using Volunteers Very few nonprofit organizations use volunteers well. But people who have come to offer their skills and labor to your organization are also people who volunteer give more money than people who don’t, The key to using volunteers well is the Big MAC: Meaningful Work, Autonomy, and Collegiality. |
10/12/21: Time To Get Serious About Succession Planning Planning for the departure of one leader and the hiring and establishment of a new leader is critical to an organization’s long-term success. Compasspoint’s 2011 report on nonprofit leadership indicates that 67% of CEOs/ED plan to leave their jobs within five years, 10% anticipate leaving within one year, and 7% have already given notice. Yet, Boardsource reports only 27% of nonprofit organizations have a succession plan in place. |
9/7/21: Creating a Diverse, Equitable & Inclusive Board Because social change is complex, creating an effective team representing diverse constituencies, proved essential, researchers found. Future Generations University refers to the three groups that must be included in a partnership for social change as the “Bottom-Up,” the “Outside-In,” and the “Top-Down.” A Model for Creating a Diverse, Equitable, & Inclusive Board 9/6/21: ACN Welcomes New Board Members, Diversity, equity and inclusion is a top priority for the ACN Board of Directors as it begins its new term. ACN has great potential to boost its membership by appealing to a more diverse group of consultants, said new board president Shailushi Ritchie, founder and CEO of Sevah Consulting. ACN Welcomes New Board Members,Looks to Tackle Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in FY22 | ![]() |
7/16/21: Annual Member Meeting Recap We were thrilled to see members, board members, committee volunteers, sponsors, speakers & nonprofits at our 32nd Annual Meeting Friday, June 18. One of our key updates was that we have broken our membership record! Read: ACN 2021 Annual Meeting Recap |
7/12/21: Four questions To Up Your Content Game Your online content can further your mission by attracting new members and inspiring constituents to action. Based on a recent national survey, here are 4 questions you can ask to decide if your nonprofit needs to level up its content strategy. | ![]() |
6/3/21: Strategic Visioning: The Time to Think Big is Now Visioning is more creative and comprehensive than a revision to your vision statement. It is the precursor to every strategic plan, feasibility study, and every large-scale campaign. It enables organizations and groups to agree on compelling goals, breakthrough strategies, and aligned action. Learn and try a simple visioning exercise you can do with your team. Read: Strategic Visioning: The Time to Think Big Is Now |
5/2/21: Fundraising: Busting the Myth of Donor Fatigue The problem isn’t how often we communicate with donors but what we say – or don’t say – to them. |
Webinars You can also find more tips in past Webinars. Our ask a consultant series and other online events featuring ACN experts on equity, messaging, remote fundraising and more have been recorded and are available to review. |
Are you looking for a topic or specific post? Enter search term below to search our blog: | Interested in being an ACN Guest Blogger? |
All Posts