As a distributed team, #TeamMoonsail has relied on user-friendly video conferencing platforms since we launched. While platforms change often, we regularly use several for different purposes—quick internal chats versus more formal client presentations—so we are always ready to recommend the…
#StartYourStory is an ongoing series that explores storytelling lessons from popular media and how we can apply them to branding our organizations and businesses. By Sedora Tantraphol A classic quest story archetype about a hero overcoming a challenge that will…
If you’re in the nonprofit world, you’ve probably heard the big news that Foundation Directory Online and GuideStar — two leaders in the social sector known for their information, tools, and resources critical to fundraising — merged in early February…
With 30 percent of all annual donations occurring in December, end-of-year appeals are a crucial fundraising strategy for many nonprofit organizations. To maximize your success, start planning your year-end strategy early — our team begins high-level planning with our clients early…
As the holiday season rolls around, to-do lists get longer with shopping, traveling, decorating, hosting and planning. On top of all the chaos that comes with the holiday spirit, you have to stay productive at work. Here are some…
The holidays are quickly approaching, and while that usually signals a chaotic time of cooking, family time, holiday shopping, and general stress, for those in the nonprofit sector, that also means the added workload of year-end fundraising. Here are a…
These two short and simple exercises can drive continuous performance improvement for your team. 1) Energy Drain / Gain (aka Pain Points and Bright Spots): A Team-Building Exercise to Leverage Internal Resources The object of this exercise is to identify…
A few years ago, I was called in to facilitate a team crisis meeting to address low morale in the office. There was a lot to unpack, but it boiled down to a lot of tension, mistrust, and a…
A question and answer session with experienced board member Shiva Berman By Sedora Tantraphol For our second guest blog post, we sat down with Shiva Berman, who has served as a nonprofit board member for over 18 years and has…
There are many ways to practice acts of giving along a philanthropic spectrum–from donating knowledge, time, or money to building the capacity of grantmaking organizations–and we at Moonsail North try to make an impact at different points along the…
Boards are governing bodies charged with the critical responsibility of overseeing an organization or company. While no two boards are exactly alike, the most successful boards share certain traits — with diversity being one. What is board diversity, and why is…
Let’s face it. Grant research requires a lot of grunt work. There’s just no getting around it. A thorough research and vetting process is key to focusing your limited energy and efforts on identifying the strongest fit grants. In the…