Though nonprofit organizations are different in many ways from for-profit businesses, that doesn’t mean that one can’t learn from the other. For-profit business owners can benefit from adopting the community-focused approach of nonprofits, such as the many successful corporations that prioritize … Read More
One of the key roles of a board is to monitor their nonprofit's finances and to help steer it in the right direction. This is not always an easy task when those finances are too far gone, but there are some early warning signs to watch out for that, when observed and rectified at an early stage, can … Read More
An important part of every non-profit’s financial safety net is its operating reserve, which is an unrestricted and relatively liquid part of its net assets. Care should be taken to ensure this reserve is maintained, as it is a primary remedy in the event of an emergency or budget shortfall, and the … Read More
Unemployment costs can be a significant line item for nonprofits, however, it may be costing you more than it needs to. There are two strategies that your non-profit can use to be sure you are only contributing the amount of unemployment insurance that is necessary. And though the process may seem … Read More
The motivations behind American giving have been as varied as they are opaque. From various financial motivations to individual, social, or community level motivations, understanding what motivates donors and how these vary across demographic groups can help your non-profit more effectively reach … Read More
Mistakes happen - managing a non-profit is too complex for there not to be. Some errors are harder to fix than others, and it’s important to focus on minimizing potential mistakes that would cause your non-profit to lose precious financial resources. This includes accurately managing … Read More
Surveys play a key role in helping non-profits identify member needs to better their programs, outreach, and development programs. However, a non-profit cannot best serve those needs if they do not ascertain the needs of their members through a survey. This result,ending up with useless information, … Read More
Communication between departments in anon-profit facilitates collaboration, fostering an understanding of different roles within the organization, and more connections to support each other. A breakdown in communication between a non-profit’s development and accounting departments can lead to … Read More
Every non-profit has operational processes that must be repeated periodically. Optimizing these processes to maximize efficiency is important for ensuring that your non-profit minimizes costs. Even tightly run organizations can use some improvement — particularly in the accounting area. Here are six … Read More
Local and national watchdog groups have played an important role in helping donors identify questionable non-profits for decades. However, the measurement standards have evolved since groups such as GuideStar, Charity Navigator, and the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance began issuing … Read More