David Fry

Nonprofit competition impacts new and existing nonprofits

After decades of working with and for nonprofits, there’s one major takeaway regarding nonprofit competition.  It’s not to be taken lightly.  As I shared in a recent article, there are nearly 1.85 million existing nonprofits in the United States today.  More concerning is there are 50% more charitable nonprofits today than there were just 12 years ago. As I frequently mention to potential clients, the competition keeps growing, so it should be a major consideration.... Read More

Who will step up to advance small nonprofit capacity?

Lilly Endowment Inc. probably hasn’t received the societal praise it deserves when considering its history of capacity building among nonprofits. Their foresight and leadership have been a welcome catalyst to growth and change. I think it’s time for leaders in many smaller organizations to aspire to a similar type of transformation. Will a funder out there be willing to be the catalyst for their next steps?... Read More

Nonprofit Leader? How Much You’ll GRASP is TBD.

Nonprofit organizations are not unlike individuals, they are constantly looking to the future and often stressed about how their “lives” are going. What could they do differently to improve? A great deal is externally focused when the answers they need may be internal. In fact, the answers are already there, but how much you will GRASP is TBD.... Read More

What happened to our purpose? Ten questions to ponder.

Purpose is foundational; it doesn’t matter if you are a business, nonprofit, or individual. I recognize that my life has been driven by purpose at varying levels.  I’ve lost it, had it shaken, and found a new purpose a few times. I’ve talked about it, wrote a book about it, and now you’re reading about it. On a larger scale, our individual inability to deal with many of today’s societal issues can be rooted in the lack of such purpose. So, what can we do about it?... Read More

Do NOT Read Until 2055

So maybe you didn’t read the headline, or it piqued your curiosity.  Granted, it’s a bit like some of the “clickbait” stories we see pop up in our news feeds.  However, in this instance, the headlined instructions are appropriate since one of its intended audiences is a younger generation... Read More

Who deserves your money?

Let's face it; whether you are a business or an individual, you work hard for your money. When it comes time to consider making a gift or grant, there are several vehicles and seemingly worthy recipients. How do you sort through the myriad of requests and reward the organization that will have the best outcome and amplifies the impact of your gift?... Read More

Which side are you on?

We've been asked to "choose a side" since childhood. It may have been on the playground or in a friendly relationship. What happens when neither of those sides is what we seek, support, or can be trusted to be accurate? It calls for critical thinking, consideration of unbiased perspectives, and greater objectivity. Our society could use more of those qualities in today's discourse and deciding where to expend our valuable resources.... Read More

How are the Colts, Pacers, nonprofits and you related?

The connection between you, the Colts, Pacers, and nonprofits might not seem obvious, but recent moves and sub-par performances bring it to light.  What are their commonalities? Coaches. Both the Colts and the Pacers have several, and nonprofits and individuals can often benefit from them as well.... Read More

Choose your words carefully

Words.  There is much spoken, written, and recorded about the use of words.  The ones you choose may be right, wrong, motivational, discouraging, instructional or otherwise.  Words are written as lyrics, poems, stories and more but there’s one common denominator. ... Read More

Business donations not low-hanging fruit

Not-for-profits will typically target businesses first when trying to raise funds for an event or project. That may be advantageous if seeking a major sponsorship. However, I tell groups business donations are not the donations on which they need to depend or be seeking on a long-term basis. ... Read More