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Nonprofit Knowledge Matters

Nonprofit Knowledge Matters | 2012 – Year of Nonprofit Video

Posted: 
January 11, 2012
All signs point to 2012 as the “Year of Video” in the nonprofit sector.
 
And no wonder. Video is perfect for transforming an abstract mission statement into a compelling and very personal story, an annual report into a moving piece about the lives your nonprofit changed, and an orientation packet for new board or staff into a dynamic welcome to your organization.

Nonprofit Knowledge Matters | Financial Literacy 2.0

Posted: 
December 7, 2011
chartsFinancial literacy is one of those buzz terms that many nonprofits use when prospecting for board members. The goal is usually to find nonprofit board members who can read financial reports without breaking a sweat and adopt budgets that will serve nonprofits well. But as we head into 2012, is it enough to focus on just the numbers?
 
In this challenging environment, being aware of sector wide trends is also a skill that boards need. Specifically, understanding what impacts a nonprofit’s cash flow and taking a critical look at a variety of scenarios, including shifts in a nonprofit’s traditional revenues sources, or even the possibility that a nonprofit may merge, is important.

Nonprofit Knowledge Matters | Gratitude with Attitude

Posted: 
November 22, 2011
THANK YOU. Thank you to the more than 4,300 community based nonprofits, State Associations of nonprofits, and national organizations that have signed the Nonprofit Community Letter and contacted their elected officials in Washington, D.C., raising the collective voices of the nonprofit sector. The Supercommittee is done, but our work is not. Many policy makers still do not understand how significant the charitable giving incentive is to the nonprofit sector.

Nonprofit Knowledge Matters | Protecting the Charitable Incentive

Posted: 
October 26, 2011
Protect the Charitable Giving Incentive
 
Using Our Outside Voices in the House … and in the Senate
 
Raise Your VoiceNonprofits are not used to raising our voices. We teach others to use their “indoor voices,” and we mediate disputes so others won’t yell in anger. We heal the wounded, silently. We feed the hungry, quietly. At times we play loud music and paint loud colors on canvases. But you get the picture: we are not used to yelling.
 
Recently Tim Delaney, President and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, was in Georgia, Montana, and New York, encouraging nonprofits to raise their voices -- literally. In rooms filled with nonprofit leaders attending major conferences, he designated half the room the loud "Yes” crowd, and the other half the “Nos.” Tim then pointed to one side – “YES” came the refrain; then to the other side and louder “NOs” reverberated. After a few volleys, the friendly competition could be measured in deafening decibels. Tim then instructed the “Yes” side to remain silent – they weren’t allowed to use their voices. After a couple more volleys of loud “NOs” that were met with silence, Tim noted what policymakers hear: silence from the majority who are too busy and too unsure, versus resounding and unmatched “NOs” from the vocal opposition. Each time the “No!” voices boomed against the silence, members of the audience grasped the danger of remaining silent.
 
Silence is the nonprofit sector’s worst enemy. If nonprofits don’t raise our voices, we are powerless. Right now, it’s urgent that all nonprofits speak up.

Nonprofit Knowledge Matters | Four Policies Every Nonprofit Needs

Posted: 
September 15, 2011

Four Policies Every Nonprofit Needs

Every time we see a headline questioning the salary of a nonprofit leader we think about four policies that every nonprofit should have in place. Spending a little time at a board meeting ensuring that all board and staff members understand these key policies can help avoid a negative headline that hurts the entire nonprofit sector as much as the individual nonprofit. Save the headlines for good news about your organization!

Nonprofit Knowledge Matters | Partnering with Government: Do You Dare?

Posted: 
July 20, 2011

Partnering with Government: Do You Dare?

 
The recently released Daring to Lead 2011 report tells us that many nonprofit leaders are not only frustrated by their partnerships with government funders, but also downright "depleted" by them:

"58 percent of executives reported government funding relationships as depleting or somewhat depleting compared with 28 percent and 20 percent for foundations and individual donors, respectively." (Issue Brief #1, page 3.) 
 
Also troubling: The study revealed that more than half (56 percent) of nonprofits that receive at least half of their overall revenue from government contracts are operating with less than three months’ of reserves.

Nonprofit Knowledge Matters | Intern, Volunteer, or Employee?

Posted: 
June 15, 2011

Interns and Unintended Consequences

recruiting internsAbout this time of year, many nonprofits are bringing summer interns on board. Interns can be terrific additions to a nonprofit’s capacity building journey, but it’s important to clarify whether interns are unpaid volunteers or paid employees – or something in between. In particular, there could be unintended consequences if an intern receives a stipend that could transform a volunteer intern into what the Department of Labor would consider an employee, resulting in a risk that the nonprofit could owe back wages (to pay the intern at least minimum wage) and back taxes.

Nonprofit Knowledge Matters | Evaluation and Measurement of Outcomes

Posted: 
May 18, 2011

Evaluation and Measurement of Outcomes: Essential tools for capacity building

Imagine your nonprofit’s mission as the most beautiful chocolate soufflé ever. With the right ingredients, added in the right order, at just the right temperature – your finished product will be light, airy, and delicious. But will it also provide nourishment? Now getting back to your nonprofit’s mission: It sounds beautiful, too – but does it have “impact”?

The call to “measure outcomes” tempts us to concoct elaborate recipes for success. As a result, many organizations never get past reading the recipe – they are too often daunted by a perceived need to have the “best ingredients” that they don’t even put evaluation on the menu. Unfortunately, the resulting failure to evaluate data limits our sector’s capacity to advance the common good.

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