In this challenging public health crisis, our community has been impacted in many unexpected ways. Nonprofit communications should be carefully considered to have the best results. Donors Want to Know Three Things: How has your organization been impacted? What you are...
Intern Spotlight – Elyse Bax
Meet Elyse Bax! Elyse is a graduating senior at Calvin University, receiving her Bachelor's degree in Organizational Communication next month. We are excited to share that Elyse recently began a career as a Special Events Coordinator at an area nonprofit! Three...
Keep Calm and Keep Moving: Funding Resources and Support
Even as we move through another work week in our “new normal,” it’s ok if you feel like things still really aren’t normal at all. When we are not quite sure what the future holds, it can be difficult to adjust and feel comfortable even when we establish a daily work...
Balancing Annual and Capital Needs in Times of Uncertainty
Fundraising can be very challenging during times of economic uncertainty or natural disaster. It may appear that donors are moving their dollars to immediate crisis needs versus making their regular annual gifts to their favorite organizations, but what we have seen...
Keep Calm, Keep Moving
As the world changes rapidly around us, we are reaching out today to provide another update and encourage you to keep moving forward. In our last communication, we likened this time to an uphill bike ride – it’s important to keep pedaling, even if at a slower pace! At...
A note about Coronavirus
We take the health and safety of our clients and the people they serve very seriously. As such, we are closely monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and taking necessary precautions. We are following the advice of the Kent County Health Department and the...
Presenting Fundkit: A new video training platform for fundraisers
For the past 13 years, Kennari Consulting has been helping nonprofits plan for and fund their futures through campaigns, annual giving programs, grants, program development, and more. But we know that our services, as they stand, can’t reach every nonprofit. So, we...
Roundtable Roundup: Training Table Hosts & Event Follow-Up
Many nonprofits are in a place where having a table-hosted style event make sense for them as a donor acquisition tool. However, some of these nonprofits are missing out on the opportunity that comes from gathering your table hosts in a room prior to the event. Last...
Roundtable Roundup: Monthly Giving
Monthly Donors, also called Recurring or Sustaining Donors, can be a significant source of income and a reliable source for ongoing funds. Monthly giving is growing, both from traditional donors and especially from the younger generations of donors. Why should you...
Roundtable Roundup: Board Self-Assessment
The broader purpose of a board self-assessment is to create and maintain a healthy board by assessing members’ perceptions and status of their servitude. More specifically, the assessment should ensure non-profit compliance, evaluate best practices, identify where...
Michigan Nonprofit Association – Compensation and Benefit Report Summary and Analysis
Michigan Nonprofit Association - Compensation and Benefit Report Summary and Analysis The Michigan Nonprofit Association is a statewide membership organization committed to supporting nonprofits through resources, advocacy and training. The 2019 Compensation and...
Roundtable Round Up: Thanking Your Donors
Plan your thank you like you plan your ask. As fundraising professionals, we all know that donors need a thank you when they make a gift. But what we don’t always spend enough time on is how to make that thank you special to the donor. At Kennari Consulting, we...
Roundtable Roundup: Storytelling
What’s your story? Or rather – what’s your organization’s story? Are you utilizing storytelling in your fundraising? If not, you’re missing an opportunity to help donors get closer to your organization and the people or causes you serve. Here are a few simple...
Intern Spotlight – Jared Schmatz
Meet Jared Schmatz! Jared is a Junior at Cornerstone University and is studying Business Management. He is looking forward to applying what he learned at Kennari to other student organizations he is involved with at Cornerstone. 5 Lessons I Learned From My Summer...
Roundtable Round Up: Best Practices for Successful Year-End Appeals
It is still true that the month of December makes up the majority of your annual giving. In fact, according to the 2018 Blackbaud Charitable Giving Report and Charity Navigator, December and November combined bring in 25% of your annual gifts! Until we see a few more...
Giving USA 2019 – Summary and Analysis
Giving USA is the longest running annual philanthropy report published by the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. This report is trusted by nonprofits across the country and helps them make decisions about fundraising for their organizations. It...
Training Table Hosts to Maximize Event Potential
Table hosted events continue to prove they can be a meaningful piece of an annual development plan. They can be a powerful tool in bringing donors closer to your mission. A table hosted event is pretty much just how it sounds – several engaged volunteers or donors...
Roundtable Round Up: Professional Development for You and Your Staff
Professional Development is a key part of success for organizations and their individual staff. The primary reason employees leave organizations for other jobs is NOT because of pay. Though compensation is important – and should be competitive – there are many other...
Roundtable Round Up: Your Community Foundation at Work
Your local community foundation is a tremendous resource for your organization. Specifically, in our last Roundtable, we had the privilege of hearing from Shaun Shira and Jonse Young who work at the Grand Rapids Community Foundation. In this blog post, we will answer...
Roundtable Round-Up: Best Practices in Developing Evaluation Plans
Now more than ever, grantmakers are focused on ensuring that every grant dollar has the greatest impact possible on people and communities. This means that the most competitive grant applications should incorporate strong evaluation plans, complete with goals,...