70% of nonprofit organizations have less than $50,000 in annual income. So why do volunteer board members struggle to find information that feels relevant to groups their size?
Most fundraising training is designed for organizations with a big staff to manage contacts, develop strategies, and implement programs. Where can board members with no or very few staff turn to learn about fundraising?
Well, look no further!
We get you, we are here, and we invite you to join us!
The Board Doctor has teamed up with two highly-respected fundraising consultants to develop the Level Up Nonprofit Accelerator (LUNA) – a program of learning, resources and networking specifically for board members and staff of organizations with less than $250,000 in philanthropic support annually. We chose the LUNA moth as our avatar to symbolize transformation and new beginnings. Just as a caterpillar metamorphizes into a beautiful winged creature, so too can our organizations transform and grow to achieve our missions!
The LUNA Program
LUNA is a six-month program that combines live presentations, video recordings, readings, and week-by-week assignments that guide participants toward the ultimate goal of putting their boards and their fundraising programs on the solidest possible foundation for growth. Instruction is interactive and delivered in three sections:
- Module 1: Governance 101
- Module 2: Setting the Stage for Fundraising
- Module 3: Hit the Ground Running
- Capstone Project: Putting Learning Into Action
The LUNA Experience
The LUNA Experience is an online community that supports participants in the Level Up Nonprofit Accelerator program before, during, and after their time in the course. Powered by a platform called Circle, the LUNA Experience features free resources, a member forum, and access to the instructors through direct messaging and scheduled office hours. Also included is section-by-section links to The Board Doctor’s Annual Checkup: A Board Governance Self-Assessment, together with a robust resource library.
Resource Library
Over the years, Cathy has gathered and curated an enormous treasure trove of articles/blogs, handouts, and sample documents related to the well-functioning of nonprofit boards of directors. Members of the LUNA Experience will never again craft a policy document from scratch or wade into thousands of search results on the internet. We’ve got it all for you in one central location! Organized according to the 10 sections of The Board Doctor’s Annual Checkup, members will find tools for getting a head start on each of the 100 items from board responsibilities to committee descriptions to staff evaluation forms and more.
Meet Cathy’s LUNA Partners
ELLEN BRISTOL
Ellen Bristol calls herself a performance-management geek and a data nerd. She launched Bristol Strategy in 1995, after a 20-year career selling mainframe computers for Fortune 50 companies. She soon fell in love with the nonprofit sector and found her mission: repurposing the disciplines of high-performing sales teams to benefit nonprofits. Ellen is the designer of the Leaky Bucket Fundraising Assessment, the only popular long-term study of fundraising-team productivity, and Fundraising the SMART Way™, the methodology for managing the fundraising team, using the continuous improvement model.
Bristol Strategy has an unconventional focus: we study how the fundraising team does its work, whether that team is big, small, or all-volunteer. We guide our clients to clarify their value propositions, understand what motivates donors and other funders to invest, and establish simple methods for tracking progress and reporting on results. Tools such as these de-mystify the work of fundraising. Ellen is a sought-after speaker, author of two books on fundraising and one on strategic planning, and will soon launch several software products that drive productivity in the fundraising shop.
GLENN KAUFHOLD
Glenn has been a successful nonprofit leader for nearly 40 years, bringing to his work a unique blend of experiences in development, communications, marketing, administration, and organizational governance. He created GKollaborative in 2010 to provide strategic advising to a host of small- to mid-size organizations.
Before starting GKollaborative, Glenn held senior level positions at Miami Dade College Foundation, Florida International University, City University of New York School of Law, Boston University School of Dental Medicine, and Fenway Health. Throughout his career, Glenn involved in the start-up of for a number of new initiatives. These include the Sorensen Center for International Peace and Justice and the Court Square Law Project, both at CUNY School of Law. His very first start-up venture was the Special Athletes/Special Smiles oral health initiative, created in partnership with Boston University and Special Olympics International. He is a regular teacher on a variety of topics related to nonprofit effectiveness, and serves as the Co-Chair of PhilanthropyMiami, Miami’s center for nonprofit excellence.
HOW TO JOIN
The second cohort of Level Up Nonprofit Accelerator will kick off January 12, 2024. If your organization brings in less than $250,000 in philanthropic donations annually, has secured or applied for 501(c)(3) status or has a fiscal sponsor, has at least three unrelated board members, can clearly articulate your mission, and shares LUNA’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice, then click through to register your interest today. Cost is $3500 per organization. A limited number of scholarships are available from an anonymous donor, so act quickly by going to the LUNA website and completing the simple application..
Those wishing to explore the LUNA Experience community to access the resources there can check it out for free. Members-Only spaces are available for subscription at $35 per month or $100 per quarter.