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For leaders and ops team members at small to midsize nonprofits to get guidance, uplifting, and resources for philanthropy data, database, and operations.
Ops Insights #067 - 6 Strategies to Navigate Disagreements Between Operations and Fundraisers
I co-wrote this edition with my husband Doug. He’s a frontline fundraiser, always has been, and I’m in philanthropy operations, always have been. Can you imagine the many conversations we have at the dinner table? Why can’t you get your contact reports into the database? Why can’t you make it easier for us to get our contact reports in? On and on.
Even though we often “duke” it out in conversations, it has really balanced each of us. I’ve gained a better understanding of his perspective, and he’s gained a better understanding of mine. Together, we navigate to common ground to ultimately figure out what the best route or solution is. Sometimes we figure out it's best to go my way, other times his way, and many times somewhere in the middle.
Disagreements between development operations and frontline fundraisers are inevitable. Let’s talk through 6 strategies to navigate these disagreements.
Ops Insights #066 - As an Introvert Learn to Network and Find Your Voice
This edition is for my fellow introverts, like me. I spoke at the Women in Tech (WIT) Conference last week, and I thought it would be helpful to share some of that talk with you. It was a Ted Talk-style presentation, packed with numerous tips and takeaways to help you learn to network and find your voice as an introvert. Leading up to the day, I practiced and recorded myself using the Zoom AI Companion. Included is a recap for your reading pleasure. Enjoy.
Ops Insights #065 - Learn and Gain Confidence 3x Faster
I believe confidence comes with practice and it’s the type of practice you get that allows you to get confident faster. For example, early on in my career I took the long route. I dove into online documentation, courses, and tutorials all on my own for days before I attempted to do something. I read, studied, and then read and studied more before attempting to do database set-up, configuration, imports, or list pulls. For some reason I thought I had to know every little detail before diving in.
Ops Insights #064 - Always Become Very Curious
Become very curious as this is how you'll learn, grow, and evolve. If you need encouragement, take a look back at how far we've come or talk with those who have been in the profession for a long time. You'll hear all about paper files and those Rolodexes that kept contact information. And don't get me started on the evolution of online donations. Keep on learning as we need you to keep the profession thriving. Learn by taking action.
Ops Insights #063 - Save 3x Hours by Finding Unique Identifiers
This edition is for my operations peeps. I’m going to walk you through an example of how I took a process that was taking 18 hours down to 6 hours. Why? Because I want you to think of ways to save yourself hours of manual work and redirect that time to that long list of to-dos you have piling up on you. I’ll give you the background, the pause moment, how we did it and why we did it. Let’s dive in.
Ops Insights #062 - Philanthropy Operations 8 Buckets
Philanthropy Operations is an essential functional area that takes ownership of the data, CRM database, and operational processes and effectively partners cross-functionally to propel an organization's fundraising forward. Watch this 2-minute video to see if you have the 8 buckets in philanthropy operations covered to maximize your fundraising results.
Ops Insights #061 - If Your Nonprofit Was an Album
A great way to become more comfortable with all the chatter around ChatGPT is to start using it yourself. Pay attention to how others are using it and the prompts they share. The best part of this AI era is that those of us embracing it are learning openly, sharing our experiences, and helping others who may not feel as confident yet.
Here’s a quick idea you can run with: Go to ChatGPT and enter this prompt “if my nonprofit were an existing album, what would it be and why.” Let me walk you through the details.
Ops Insights #046 Interview Questions You Can Use
When looking for someone to join your team on the data, database, and operations side of the house, looking for someone who understands not just the database, but who understands people, data, and processes. You want someone who can sit as a trusted partner side-by-side with frontline fundraisers and talk about strategy and how the data and database can support the frontline strategies, but also can dive into the weeds and get things done. To find this person, let’s give you some interview questions you can use during interviews.
Ops Insights #045 Hire an Ops Professional Not a Database Admin
When looking for someone to join your team on the data, database, and operations side of the house, you want someone that understands philanthropy operations and can partner positively with the frontline. You do not want someone who only understands database administration and prefers to be isolated in the data or behind a computer.
We will talk through why you need an operations professional over a database admin and what to look for when you are interviewing.
Ops Insights #044 Become a Futuristic Fixer
This edition is for my data and ops peers who are early to mid in their career and want to grow in their role by being a trusted go-to colleague. As we kick off summer and transition into new routines, I’ve been extra observant of who is a fixer. Let’s talk about the types of fixers, why you want to become a futuristic fixer, and steps you can take to get there.
Ops Insights #043 Help Fundraisers Embrace the CRM
I’ve seen fundraisers who embrace the CRM database successfully enter their activity into the CRM, which feeds into the reports to show increased philanthropy results. Being able to show results helps the entire team articulate their effectiveness better. Let’s talk about the 3 steps to make this happen.
Ops Insights #042 Reasons I Write for You
👋 Hi, I’m Jenny. Your personal guide, coach, and mentor for nonprofit data, CRM databases, and operations → Philanthropy Operations, also known as advancement Services, Development Operations, or Philanthropy Services, is the foundational structure that supports all fundraising efforts. For me, I am extremely passionate about philanthropy operations and helping you. I write for you. As I write, I speak to two main audiences. Let’s dive into who and why.
Ops Insights #041 My Top 8 LinkedIn Posts for YOU
It’s my birthday week and I’m incredibly grateful for YOU. For being here, for reading, for learning, for engaging, and most importantly for doing the good work you do and being the good human you are. Thank you for this amazing journey we are on.
In honor of my birthday, I’m going to share the top 8 LinkedIn posts from this year that are a must read.
Ops Insights #037 When Everything is a Priority
When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. These were the words spoken as the ops team member and I were talking about all the projects on the list to tackle for the leader and team. So much to do, so little time.
Ops Insights #036 Debrief from Nonprofits Leaders Summit
Listening to the Microsoft for Nonprofits Leaders Summit was reaffirming and inspiring. We were given permission that it’s okay not to know all the AI right now and the stronger message was we have to come together to learn and be part of developing AI over the next 5-10 years. We have to step up together and take a hold of it before it takes hold of us.
Ops Insights #035 Stop the Internal Drama
As I enter the room, I immediately feel the tension around the table. I squeeze by one individual typing away on her computer while I grab the last seat in the middle. On my right, more individuals were typing away at their computers, and on my left, a few were on their computers, and others were on their phones. No one was talking to anyone, heads down plugging away, but a sense of uncomfortable tension was in the air. First red flag.
Ops Insights #033 How to Say Goodbye to the Past Year
Did your last 30 days feel like this: go, go, go; make those calls, close those gifts, process those gifts, pump out those acknowledgments, make those thank you calls …all hands on deck.. go, go, go? It’s a normal part of fundraising, but it seems each year gets more and more intense with no break during any month of the calendar year. Let’s take a moment to take a breath, and as you head into another year, try not to clear the page and jump right into another year. Take a moment… what are you feeling?
Ops Insights #032 Philanthropy Operations Areas
Philanthropy operations is an essential functional area that takes ownership of data, CRM, and processes, and effectively partners cross-functionally to propel an organization's fundraising forward. Often leaders think of philanthropy operations as only CRM database management, but it goes beyond this and primarily consists of eight key areas. Let’s dive into these eight areas.
Ops Insights #030 Addressing Burnout in the #Nonprofit Workplace
As we navigate the challenges of the nonprofit sector, it's crucial to address burnout to ensure the well-being of our teams and the success of our nonprofit missions. In the spirit of combating burnout, Stephanie and I have been running a series of posts throughout November on LinkedIn to provide awareness and actionable steps for fundraising professionals like yourself.
Ops Insights #029 4 Go-To Tech Tools
There is nothing like tech tools that make your life easier. I thought I’d share four of them that I use often to help you in your daily work. Some of these are free, and others have a cost to them, but they are worth their price for me. I’ll explain why they are worthy as when we can find tech tools that make our work easier and better, I’m all in. Let’s dive in.