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When DBD is given the opportunity to be considered to conduct a capital or comprehensive feasibility study, we make it clear from the start that we will not perform a study for you, but we would be honored to perform a study with you!

While I could try to explain this more, I am honored to share with you the first-person perspective of a recent client/partner, Robert P. Kirschner, Chief Philanthropy Officer & Senior Vice President at the YMCA of Greater Cleveland.

Have you ever wished that property abutting one of your current locations would come on the market? What if a for-profit service provider in your community wanted or needed to exit a facility that was perfect for a service expansion? What if the undeveloped parcel that fits your long-term strategic plan suddenly became available after years of cultivating the owners?

Would you be in a position to close? The timing doesn’t always line up, and it’s possible that you wouldn’t be. But instead of walking away, consider the often-overlooked source of bridge funding: the friendly buyer. The friendly buyer purchases and holds the real estate with the intention that at some future date, your organization can and will purchase from them.

Here are three scenarios that we’ve seen play out in real life.

The origin of the phrase “getting down to brass tacks” is most often attributed to the haberdashery trade where “…in order to be more accurate than the rough-and-ready measuring of a yard of material by holding it out along an arm’s length, cloth was measured between brass tacks which were set into a shop’s counter.”* This technique allowed for more accurate measurement and a much more efficient process in custom hat-making.

As we come to the end of 2016, we’re taking a look back at the posts that inspired the most conversations on the blog and with our clients. Today’s topic? Asking for a Gift.

Bo Schembechler Source

If you know me, you know this is my favorite time of the year: FOOTBALL SEASON! Football is a game with four quarters. The fourth quarter can be a critical time in not only the game being played, but also sets the tone for future games yet to be played.

Our board just isn’t a fundraising board.

We hear that feedback from nonprofit leaders – both staff and volunteer – nearly every day. Whether it’s said with regret or with frustration, nonprofits, schools and churches are clearly puzzled as to why their board seems disengaged or focused on less-important minutiae.

‘Thank you for getting us to the starting line and for the confidence that we are going to have a successful campaign.”

A volunteer was reflecting on the long, complex and (at times) frustrating process his organization had undertaken to determine how best to respond to community issues and opportunities.