A football coach helps each player discover their strengths and hone their skills to play the best game possible.

A professional coach does the same thing. They help you build your professional skills in order to improve your workplace performance. Coaching is a goal-oriented, structured partnership focused on developing professional skills.

The C-SuiteBack in the day, this level of professional support was for the C-suite executives. Now it’s much more accessible for directors and managers. I strongly encourage nonprofit leaders to invest in professional development for their team.

I also encourage my clients to serve as coaches and/or mentors to their staff.GoalsWhat you get out of a coaching relationship depends on what you invest in the process.

What are your goals?

Are they specific to your current position or a longer view of your career path? It could be both. We know that development professionals change jobs every couple of years because of limited promotion opportunities and salary increases within small to mid-size nonprofits. When I led my teams at different organizations, I kept this in mind and told each person that I was there to support their goals and their ambitions.

Success at your current job prepares you for your next one.Invest in YourselfWhen interviewing for a position, ask about the budget for professional development.

If professional development opportunities are not offered at your current position, ask for them. Sometimes, you have to invest in yourself. Early in my career, this was not obvious to me. If my employer would not or could not pay for my AFP membership or program meetings, then I did not participate.

Then a colleague told me she paid for her own membership and paid for her CFRE recertifications because she didn’t want to be denied professional growth. It clicked; I had to be the one in control of my own career growth.

Mentoring, coaching, networking, professional conferences, workshops, and certifications have all helped me grow and establish myself as a professional fundraiser, a coach, and a consultant.

Whether it’s a coach, a mentor, or an accountability buddy, we all need someone we can trust, someone who will listen. A coach is not a therapist, but a coach can help you reach your goals.

Let me know if coaching is something I can help you with. I’m also available to facilitate peer group sessions.

At DMGroupConsulting, our goal is to help you achieve your goals.

Click here to schedule a free half-hour conversation: ⁠https://dmgroupconsulting.com/contact/

What is the most important thing a grant writer can do? Listen to About Fundraising: The podcast to find out.

For more fundraising resources and ways to work with Diana, please visit:

https://dmgroupconsulting.com

Here’s the bottom line, you need clean data. Collecting, processing, and analyzing data helps your nonprofit organization fulfill its mission and serve the community. We will connect the dots between data and compelling storytelling about your mission.

For more fundraising resources and ways to work with Diana, please visit:

https://dmgroupconsulting.com

Summer + Plan = Successful Fundraising. When do you work on your annual fundraising plan? We will talk about why the summer is the best time and what you can do now to be ready to create a successful annual campaign for the remainder of this year and the beginning of the next.

Does your organization have a strategic plan? These plans have a bad reputation because no one uses them. It’s what you “should” have. In this episode, we break down the who, why, and how of a strategic plan. It doesn’t have to be complicated, just clearly written, and shared responsibility by all stakeholders.

As we wrap up 2025 and look forward to 2026, it seems right to look back at what we accomplished and learned both with the podcast, my business, and community volunteer.

My guests covered a lot of ground and shared with us incredible insights into what to consider within the industry this year and the people moving the industry forward in North Texas.

Eliza Solender on real estate for nonprofits. Steve Latham on gifts from assets rather than cash, Ty Wilson on the global impact of giving circles, Greg Warner, and founder of MarketSmart, on technology and fundraising.

We also had guests who brought a different perspective to table, like Michelle Monse and her work with donors and nonprofits in rural West Texas; and Alicia Peoples and Diana Hoyt who both shared their creative passions outside of fundraising.

About Fundraising: The Podcast continues to evolve and in 2026 you will hear more solo episodes about challenges we all deal with as fundraisers. 

If you have a suggestion for 2026 or would like to work with my team, please visit https://dmgroupconsulting.com/

CHAPTERS:

• 01:29 – Steve Latham, founder of DonateStock. Donations from assets are 30% greater than cash gifts.

• 02:12 – Invited by Wendolyn Abel, VP of Grants Ministry, to be a guest speaker at The Gathering, presented by Texas Methodist Foundation.

• 04:50 – Greg Warner, founder of MarketSmart, technology and the nonprofit sector

• 06:31 – End-of-Year fundraising 3-part solo episodes

• 07:07 – Share your favorite episode

• 08:25 – Inspiration to colleagues and successful work for clients

• 09:20 – Sneak peek at 2026

 Ty Wilson with Philanthropy Together shares the latest trend in fundraising and philanthropy: Giving Circles. Learn how your nonprofit can benefit from the collective generosity women, youth, and men who pool their money for greater impact. Ty believes that everyone is a philanthropist, you just have to show up and do good.

3-part series on End of Year Fundraising Success

Episode 3: There’s more than one way to thank donors

Donations should be acknowledged within 72 hours, or 3 days, of receipt. Thanking donors is another opportunity to engage board members, other volunteers and staff. Thank you emails are standard but phone calls and handwritten notes are the exception. Authentic gratitude keeps donors giving.

3-part series on End of Year Fundraising Success

Episode 2: Making the Ask is a team effort 

Board members, other volunteers, and staff can all be involved in the End-of-Year appeal. Peer-to-peer fundraising is very effective. Remind donors to take advantage of their employer’s charitable matching gift program and compose letters and emails that appeal to each segment of donors.

3-part series on End of Year Fundraising Success

Episode 1: Prep work for End-of-Year Appeal

Start with a compelling message for each segment of your donors, set a realistic goal, and give your donors options to support your mission. Carefully use client stories in your appeal, use donations history to set your goal, and offer the options of monthly giving or donating stock to support your organization.