Start donor relationships off right with prompt, polite, thank-you notes

Don’t forget how hard it can be for someone who’s new to your mission to connect—or even to get a basic understanding of what you do.

I recently met someone who works at a nonprofit that was founded four years ago. She described their vision, mission and programs, many of which have a fee-for-service component. “We’re just over two years away from sustainability,” she said, describing their financial situation. Later in our conversation, she used another term I generally associate with start-up businesses, which got me thinking about the parrallels between a young nonprofit’s ability to build a sustainable income stream and a start-up business’s.