While styling celebrities was his day job, he always felt like there was something else he was meant to do. What if he could put his talents to use towards those down on their luck? Perhaps he could help women dress for success by filling their closets with clothing and accessories.

Here we are at the end of another school year, and once again, teachers throughout the USA are facing uncertainty. Congress has not acted and now the impact of sequestration on federal educational programs is beginning to take hold.

Prior to the internet era, organizations had to depend on word of mouth, expensive print campaigns and door to door tactics. Now that everything's online, it's nearly free to get exposure.

The backlash against galas is building into a trend. Theatres are cutting auctions due to donor resistance; the press is writing about "no show" events and volunteer burn out.

We don't have to "wait until" anything. We have everything we need, right now, to create the future we want for our world.

The power of a lobbyist working for a huge nonprofit is self-evident (note the NRA) but if you are a small nonprofit, who is pressing your case?

Every year the nonprofits I give to send me their annual report, saying they helped tons of people. But how do I know if I actually invested in a solution to the problem? How do I know my donor dollars really changed people's lives?

Keeping in mind that these organizations are the places that help to lift people out of poverty and work to meet the emergency needs of the poor, unemployed, veterans, and those most in need of a hand up, the news from the sector is not warm and fuzzy.

According to Bloomberg: "In the past decade, the number of nonprofit groups has grown by 25 percent to 1.6 million. They now account for 5.4 percent of gross domestic product and 10 percent of jobs."

In the last few years, the Department of Veterans Affairs has revolutionized its service delivery, partnering with homeless services organizations lik...

Lesson #1: Know your fan base, no matter how "small." 55,000 people wouldn't keep a network television program on air past the first commercial break. Yet 55,000 passionate people can fund a movie.

So, now that we've covered the evolution of branding and what a brand is, let's take a look at the importance of having a living brand.

The American demographic reality has changed. No one can deny that the United States is an ethnically diverse nation. Non-profits need to catch up to this reality -- in their leadership and staffing, as well as in their programs and funding.

Similar to social media, fundraising never sleeps. It's an ongoing effort and an art to be practiced and nurtured throughout all levels of an organization, not just the fundraising department.

Chances are good that you've had the experience of being a volunteer of some kind for a worthy non-profit organization -- local, national, or international. I've identified 27 best practices that high performing volunteer organizations abide by.

Much like the gym, (for me) the hardest part of volunteering is getting there. And yes, the difficulty I speak of includes torturing myself by watchin...

Start today and make your fundraising events more productive (and yes, let's get something other than money out of them!).