Scott Rubush

Scott Rubush is Senior Consultant at American Philanthropic, a consulting firm whose mission is to strengthen civil society by improving the effectiveness of charitable foundations and nonprofit organizations. He supports the firm’s efforts to provide strategic counsel and services for nonprofit organizations, charitable foundations, and philanthropists. Scott has held a variety of positions in fundraising, marketing communications, and media. He has served as Director of Research at the Gobel Philanthropy Group, and as Director of Major Grants for the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI). Prior to moving into fundraising, Scott worked with the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, editing their popular news website FrontPageMagazine.com, and providing research and editorial support for several book projects with the Center’s policy experts. Scott holds a BA in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an MBA in Strategic Management from Villanova University.
Danger, death, and decision-making

You have little time to grab your reader’s attention. Don’t split hairs. Don’t beat around the bush. And don’t be afraid to pull on your donor’s heartstrings.

Scott Rubush / 3 min read
5 silly mistakes nonprofits make when applying for grants

The “sins” that foundation executives often cite in their work with nonprofit grantees.

Scott Rubush / 2 min read
A call for nonprofits: you can now rely on hard data to measure your fundraising performance

Nonprofits can now take a survey to measure their performance and compare their fundraising programs against the highest performing organizations in their sectors.

Scott Rubush / 2 min read
Four key factors for structuring an effective nonprofit board

What should you look for in a prospective board member? How big should your board be? What should you expect and require of its members?

Scott Rubush / 4 min read
Direct mail fundraising: why the audience for your appeals is much, much bigger than you’d think
Scott Rubush / 4 min read
3 insights to help your nonprofit land a foundation grant

Astute observers of the typical grant-making review process will notice a few simple ways to make their proposals stand out.

Scott Rubush / 2 min read
Five Common Pitfalls in Strategic Planning

In our personal lives, we set goals, keep to-do lists, and mostly following through on the things we set out to accomplish. At scale, however, planning is an entirely different beast.

Scott Rubush / 4 min read