Blue Avocado

DECEMBER 17, 2024

If there’s one thing we’re most proud of, it’s the way we’re giving Not everyone has the time to write a Blue Avocado article. That’s why we’ve put some of Blue Avocado’s most popular articles from the past 15 years in the front of a new generation with Gold Avocado.

Budget

NonProfit PRO

JULY 8, 2025

Unlike traditional wealth-screening tools that rely on static or outdated datasets, ProspectAI uses cutting-edge large language model (LLM) technology to scan and synthesize publicly available information, including biographical details, wealth indicators, philanthropic interests, affiliations, and news articles for due diligence. The result?

AI

Blackbaud

MARCH 17, 2025

Weve created resources to help social impact organizations as they respond, from strategic planning to diversifying revenue streams to engaging new donors. This landscape is prompting nonprofits to adapt and evolve as they seek to continue to serve their communities effectively and resiliently.

Funding

Get Fully Funded

MAY 16, 2025

Now we experience and share stories every day in the form of books, news articles, social media posts, one-on-one conversations, TV shows and movies, and more. According to National Geographic , some of the earliest evidence of storytelling we have are French cave drawings that date back to 30,000 years ago!

Nonprofit

Grant Writing Made Easy

JULY 7, 2025

In this article, we break down the most prominent 2025 grant trends and show you how to future-proof your strategy, so you’re not just reacting, but adapting with confidence. Whether you’re leading a small team or juggling grants solo, now is the time to step back, assess the big picture, and recalibrate for what’s ahead.

Grants

Candid

JUNE 5, 2025

This article by Melissa Pulis, a former Candid support manager, outlines how to get started, with an emphasis on project proposal budgets. The article also points you to additional Candid resources on developing a nonprofit budget, including our free trainings: What do funders look for in grant proposal budgets?

Budget

Blackbaud

JUNE 19, 2025

This article presents insights from over 1700 participants worldwide regarding their recent performance, prevailing challenges, current fundraising strategies and opportunities, data health, and attitudes and usage of artificial intelligence (AI).

AI

DoJiggy

JULY 29, 2025

This article provides you with a variety of tested and innovative strategies to help your Key Club raise funds. The key to successful fundraising lies in creativity and strategic planning, ensuring that each event not only raises funds but also provides a memorable experience for all involved.

Fundraising

Blue Avocado

SEPTEMBER 20, 2022

Article In Brief: The Problem: While nonprofits say they support improving diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) actually doing it requires getting the board to buy-in to the need for culture change.

Strategic Plan

Get Fully Funded

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Before it officially wraps, let’s take a look at the top articles of the year on the Get Fully Funded blog. These fundraising articles have been a hit with our readers this year. So, we pack as much goodness as we can into our fundraising articles, bulleting out information so it’s easy to follow and easy to use.

Fundraising

Blackbaud

MAY 6, 2024

Always Start with the Mission in Mind Any good budgeting process should start with your organization’s mission and strategic plan. Work with the heads of each department to analyze expense history, review contracts for any automatic expense increases, and evaluate the strategic plan for any additional expenses to include.

Budget

CauseVox

FEBRUARY 5, 2024

In this article, we’ll delve into the essence of giving days, exploring what they are and how your nonprofit can actively participate. Hosting a successful giving day requires strategic planning and thoughtful execution. Strategic planning is key—align this space seamlessly with your overall strategy.

Strategic Plan

Blue Avocado

AUGUST 8, 2022

Article In Brief: The Problem: New ideas for expanding impact tempt nonprofits to expand their target population, chase new grants or donors, and/or enlarge mission without realizing organization growth. The Solution: Nonprofits […].

Grants

Blue Avocado

OCTOBER 6, 2022

Article In Brief: The Problem: As nonprofits emerge from the effects of COVID-19, a return-to-normal mindset will not enable nonprofits to succeed going forward in a changed world. Why it Happens: Surviving the pandemic required a prolonged sprint to pivot to online platforms, finds new sources of funding, and more.

Nonprofit

Candid

JULY 6, 2021

As technology continues advancing , we see more articles discussing how automation takes pressure off of staff members and how organizations need to increase their use of software to optimize their communications with supporters. . How often do you read about the wonders of automation for nonprofits?

Nonprofit

Blue Avocado

SEPTEMBER 27, 2022

Article In Brief: The Problem: Nonprofits struggle with innovation despite creativity and a passion for changing the world being part of their make-up. The Solution: The secret to nonprofit innovation is partnerships built through strategic networking. Everyone wants to innovate, but very […].

Nonprofit

Blue Avocado

MARCH 13, 2023

Using the example of an educational nonprofit, this article presents five steps nonprofits can take to implement strategic inquiry including building board support, listening to community, research, broadening networks, and sharing the journey.

Nonprofit

Blue Avocado

SEPTEMBER 24, 2024

This Article is Certified Gold Avocado Gold never goes out of style — and neither does good advice. First published in 2011, this Gold Avocado article is a downloadable template — designed to take the guesswork out of creating an accounting practices manual and make it doable in as little as 30 minutes!

Template

Blackbaud

MAY 28, 2024

Charged with making informed financial decisions that align with the organization’s mission and strategic objectives, this role requires a keen understanding of both internal dynamics and external factors impacting the organization. The imperative for transparency and accountability has never been greater in the nonprofit sector.

Finance

Dr. Richard Huysmans

MARCH 15, 2021

Download as PDF Over the last 6 months I’ve been running 3 writing groups focused on social media, thesis, and journal article writing. Here’s what I’ve learned: Writing is annoying, but it is so rewarding. Unsurprisingly people join writing groups to get better at writing. That could be focused on the writing itself or it could […]

Media

Candid

JANUARY 25, 2024

Last year, we shared our crowdsourced list of red flags that funders look for in grant proposals—the things that immediately reveal the weak points in an application and raise questions about the organization’s credibility. Not surprisingly, the question we got most in response to that article was: What are green flags for funders?

Proposal

Blue Avocado

JANUARY 23, 2024

Another aspect of utilizing your advisory committee is involving them in organizational strategic planning. Solicit their knowledge to help you identify gaps in the work you are doing and strategize how to fill them. Footnotes Check out this article for how to use feedback to create community-centered services ! ︎

Policy

The NonProfit Times

APRIL 29, 2024

This requires embracing opportunities for skill development, whether through reading books and articles, attending conferences and workshops, or participating in online courses and webinars. Invest In Training and Workshops Some of the best resources available in any industry are training programs, webinars, and workshops.

Mentor

Qgiv

JULY 14, 2021

Your strategic plan should point to the need for the main component of your project. A strong case for support begins with highlighting the main initiatives in your strategic plan and details not only how the project will impact your organization, but how it impacts the community. A Clearly Defined Project.

Readiness

Grant Professionals Association

DECEMBER 21, 2023

This article dives into how mastering ethics, collaboration, grant research, strategic planning, building relationships, and prospecting for foundations can be a game-changer in your professional life. Strategic Planning for Success Learn how to develop compelling grant proposals with a strategic approach.

Training

Candid

MAY 31, 2023

This series features seven quick guides to support your professional success, including How to Find New Donors and Get Them to Give Again and How to Run a Strategic Planning Retreat. Please visit this knowledge base article, How can I access Candid’s eBook collection? , Happy reading! to help you get started.

Nonprofit

Grant Consulting Services

APRIL 25, 2024

Defines Accountabilities It defines clear lines of accountability and timelines for achieving expected results on the agreed strategic initiatives. Provides a Framework for Ongoing Decision Making Since all decisions should support the strategy, the strategy and the strategic initiatives are the reference point for decision-making.

Grants

CauseVox

JANUARY 3, 2025

What is a Nonprofit Fundraising Plan? A nonprofit fundraising plan is a document that strategically organizes all of your fundraising activities over a certain period of time (usually one year). Look at the Big Picture Does your organization have a strategic plan?

Fundraising

Blue Avocado

NOVEMBER 14, 2022

Article In Brief: The Problem: The term nonprofit organizations has outlived its usefulness to describe the work that charitable organizations in the independent sector do, argues the author, former co-leader of the Fanning Institute’s nonprofit leadership development and capacity building practice.

Nonprofit

Blackbaud

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

In this article, we share a glimpse of what 1500+ participants globally told us about their recent performance, current fundraising strategies and opportunities, use of technology and CRMs, and attitudes and use of artificial intelligence (AI). Only a few are prioritising and truly embracing AI—as we will explore later on in this article.

AI

CauseVox

APRIL 29, 2021

It’s a time to focus on evaluating what fundraising approaches from 2020 worked and be honest about what didn’t pan out as planned. With this knowledge, you can begin creating a plan for the future. But planning for the new year isn’t just about brainstorming. See this article for more tips on calculating your ROI.

Calendar

Grant Professionals Association

MAY 1, 2024

The Imperative: Listen and Learn As grant professionals, we’re inundated by articles, webinars, and marketing messages about AI’s role in prospect research and analysis, proposal and report writing, and more. This may produce fear of dire outcomes – such as, “there’s no more need for us”.

AI

CauseVox

MAY 27, 2021

Before you step into a new area, you really need to engage in a strategic planning program, like my Eight Weeks to Your Strategic Plan program , to make sure it’s actually the right move for you. See the story at the beginning of this article as my best example of when this has gone well.).

Fundraising

Community Boost

JULY 3, 2024

You can follow the tips in this article to boost your brand’s visual presence, and you can also start having internal conversations to assess the overall health and suitability of your brand with regard to your organization’s goals and objectives.

Nonprofit

The Fundraising Coach

MARCH 21, 2023

Caliopy is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Philanthropy Without Borders, a firm with expertise in ethical storytelling, donor engagement, and strategic planning. This article was originally published on her blog. My articles on feedback gathering , interviewing , and editing are good places to start.

Ethics

Tech Soup

MARCH 16, 2015

Naples, Florida: Strategic Planning. Beyrouth, Lebanon: SkillPill: Creating Wikipedia Articles. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Bagels and Bytes — Allegheny. Portland, Oregon: NTC Round-Up: Mini-Presentations from the 2015 Nonprofit Technology Conference. Tuesday, April 7, 2015. Wednesday, April 8, 2015. Monday, April 13, 2015.

Conference

Assel Grant Services

MARCH 3, 2024

“As a grant professional, I bring some specialized expertise to the strategic planning table.” If you expect me to help you meet the organization’s fundraising goals, invite me to be an active participant in strategic planning.” Here are some of the top pet peeves grant professionals deal with.

GPC