Article Archive

10 Essential Articles
- Motivating Yourself To Make A Change
- 10 Pieces of Paper That Will Help Your Organization
- 10 Ways To Make Your Executive Search Successful
- Top Ten Reasons Why Campaigns Succeed
- It’s Harder To Get The Appointment Than To Get The Gift
- More 10 Essential Articles »

About MJA
- The Synergy Provided with MJA Executive Recruiting
- Welcome to the new Mersky, Jaffe & Associates site
- Why This Article Will Not Improve Your Nonprofit
- Why You Can’t Afford Not To Hire Me
- Hiring A Development Consultant Sooner Rather Than Later
- More About MJA »

Annual Fund
- Challenge: Annual Fund Strategy
- Challenge: Annual Fund Participation
- What Does An Annual Fund Do – Besides Raise Money?
- Simple Steps That Can Improve Your Annual Fund
- Motivating Yourself To Make A Change
- More Annual Fund »

Board Development
- Assuring the Best in Nonprofit Management: The Committee on Governance and Leadership Development
- Tip of the month: Hooray for Nonprofit Consistency
- A New Year…A New Chance for Stronger, Effective and Productive Board
- Challenge: Board Development
- Nonprofit Finance Committee 101
- More Board Development »

Capital Campaign
- Challenge: Overcoming a Stalled Campaign
- A New Year – A New Campaign Strategy
- The Timing of a Capital Campaign
- Are You Ready For A Capital Campaign?
- What I Did Before Writing This Article
- More Capital Campaign »

Case Studies
- Robbing Peter to Pay Paul?
- Has Your Campaign Stalled?
- Frustration vs. Focus
- Do You Know Who Your Donors Are?
- Are Your Solicitors Well Trained?
- More Case Studies »

Current Opportunities
- Executive Director: American Friends of Beit Issie Shapiro
- Director of Development: Pew Center for Global Climate Change
- Vice President Development: Jewish Home Lifecare
- More Current Opportunities »

Development
- Assuring the Best in Nonprofit Management: The Committee on Governance and Leadership Development
- Challenge: Overcoming a Stalled Campaign
- A New Year – A New Campaign Strategy
- How Many Ways Can You Say Thank You?
- The Timing of a Capital Campaign
- More Development »

Development Audit
- The Board’s Role in a Development Assessment
- Avoiding Surprises
- Does Your Organization Need A Development Audit?
- More Development Audit »

Donor Relationships
- Can Prospect Research Be Wrong?
- Planned Giving: A Better ROI than a Bank CD
- How Many Ways Can You Say Thank You?
- Be Positive – Scaring Donors Only Makes Donors Scarce
- How to Raise More Money in Economically Challenging Times
- More Donor Relationships »

Executive Search
- A New Year – A New Chance to Make Staff Happy
- Do You Trust Your Interviewer?
- The Synergy Provided with MJA Executive Recruiting
- What is Leadership?
- Perfect Candidates
- More Executive Search »

Feasibility Studies
- The Board’s Role in a Development Assessment
- Trust The Professionals
- How Small Gifts Add Up
- Q. We just completed a feasibility study and were told we could raise $5.7 million. That’s a lot. What are the chances we could raise that much?
- Do You Know Who Your Donors Are II
- More Feasibility Studies »

Fundraising
- Don’t Wait Any Longer – Strengthen Your Nonprofit Today
- A New Year – A New Campaign Strategy
- Challenge – A Creative Use for Prospect Research
- 15 Questions You Should Ask About Your Gala
- The Downside of Your Benefit or Gala
- More Fundraising »

Fundraising Skills
- Tip of the month: Hooray for Nonprofit Consistency
- Getting The Gift Is The Easy Part
- Communication Feels Good
- Creating A Good Story
- Knowing How to Listen
- More Fundraising Skills »

Major Gifts
- Challenge – A Creative Use for Prospect Research
- Can Prospect Research Be Wrong?
- The Five Words That Really Excite Donors
- Funding Tuition Through Planned Giving
- Planned Giving in the Small Shop – A Checklist
- More Major Gifts »

Marketing
- Social Media Quality vs Quantity
- Communication Feels Good
- Q: What are the basic rules for maintaining tight and effective messaging? How long should appeal letters be? How often can you quote your group’s mission before it’s over-used? How do you get the average reader to care enough to get involved?
- What Can Tweeting Do For Your Organization?
- MJA’s Nonprofit Social Media – The Overview
- More Marketing »

Miscellaneous
- Green Tip: Holidays at the Office
- Client Spotlight: Ruppin Academic Center
- Challenge: Improve Your Work
- Green Tip: Water and Bottles
- Preventing Future Nonprofit Problems
- More Miscellaneous »

Organization
- 10 Tips For Getting Organized This Fall
- 10 Pieces of Paper That Will Help Your Organization
- Q: How can one person cultivate, solicit and steward prospects and donors as well as run a series of major fundraising events?
- You’ve Got email by Jordana of Live Organized
- How Clean Is Your Data?
- More Organization »

Planned Giving
- The Five Words That Really Excite Donors
- Funding Tuition Through Planned Giving
- Planned Giving: A Better ROI than a Bank CD
- Planned Giving in the Small Shop – A Checklist
- Characteristics Of A Successful Planned Giving Program
- More Planned Giving »

Q and A
- Q: What are the basic rules for maintaining tight and effective messaging? How long should appeal letters be? How often can you quote your group’s mission before it’s over-used? How do you get the average reader to care enough to get involved?
- Q. What goes into long-term cultivation of prospective donors over time, when the expected ‘pay-off’ may be far into the future?
- Q: How can one person cultivate, solicit and steward prospects and donors as well as run a series of major fundraising events?
- Q. What do I need to consider when fundraising during a recession?
- Q. How can I get lay leaders to participate in training for both governance and solicitation?
- More Q and A »

Staff Development
- A New Year – A New Chance to Make Staff Happy
- Nonprofit Executive Director Skills
- October 2011 Challenge: Executive Coaching
- Management vs. Leadership
- What’s the Name of Your Leadership Style?
- More Staff Development »

Strategic Planning
- You Have a New Mission and Vision – Now What?
- Focusing on Your Mission and Vision
- Q. What is the value of a formal, quadrennial, strategic planning process?
- Q. What is the best way to involve board and staff in a collaborative strategic planning process?
- Planning The Plan
- More Strategic Planning »

Volunteer Development
- Reading A Volunteer’s Mind
- Management vs. Leadership
- Nonprofit Finance Committee 101
- Ways For Nonprofit Staff To Use Committees
- Working in a Committee
- More Volunteer Development »