5by5 President Josh Miller and Chief Relationship Officer Mike Lenda spoke with The Business Journals about year-round fundraising and how nonprofits can approach mergers.
As nonprofits enter the year-end giving season, Josh Miller and Mike Lenda of 5by5 Agency, part of the 3LS family of companies, sat down with The Business Journals’ national news desk. They discussed how organizations can handle funding pressures, including when a merger or acquisition may be the right next step.
Lenda noted that some organizations receive as much as 80% of their annual giving in the final six weeks of the year, which makes Giving Tuesday and year-end campaigns a crowded field. He and Miller encouraged leaders to build 12-month strategies instead. Miller advised organizations to identify the one story they want supporters to remember and tell it exceptionally well.
On mergers, Miller described a strong board of directors as a CEO’s greatest asset in spotting new opportunities, and said “what’s next” conversations belong in any long-term plan. Lenda emphasized bringing major donors in early and aligning staff on messaging before an announcement goes public. He framed the process as change management and the work of rebuilding trust.
Miller added that about 30% of the 40-person agency’s business is in the nonprofit space, which remains central to why 5by5 was founded: to work with changemakers.
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