Category: not for profit

Not-for-profit executives can be perfectionists — they often know exactly how they want something done and believe they’re the only ones capable of doing it right. Unfortunately, this attitude can alienate staffers and make it difficult to mentor successors and build effective teams. Then there’s the problem of time: There are only so many hours…

A new refugee resettlement charity had only just begun operating when its director realized something: She wasn’t sure how to value the many donations of clothing and household goods community members had dropped off. Was value simply the price her not-for-profit would charge if it sold the goods in a rummage sale or on an…

Does your board have a quick and easy way to assess your not-for-profit’s financial performance? It does if it has a dashboard with carefully chosen and up-to-date key performance indicators (KPIs). Dashboards can also be set up to provide critical information to multiple audiences regarding specific goals and fundraising campaigns. Here’s how you can get started.…

It’s been a long two years. But many not-for-profits are starting to plan in-person galas and other special events for this coming summer and autumn. If your organization is trying to get back to “normal” with a face-to-face fundraiser, understand that it’s likely to be more challenging to plan than in the past. Some of…

If risk wasn’t a nagging concern for nonprofits before the pandemic, it certainly is now. Health risks to staffers, volunteers and clients, and financial threats, including declining donations and increased incidence of fraud, now likely keep many executive directors up at night. But enterprise risk management (ERM) can help not-for-profit organizations find firmer ground. Here’s…

Whether your not-for-profit is continuing to hold videoconference board meetings or is back to in-person gatherings, you don’t want to waste members’ time. Board meetings need to be long enough to accomplish agenda items and keep your organization on track, but not so long that the meetings become tedious and unproductive. The key is good…

Since the beginning of the pandemic, financial markets have been riding a roller coaster. This volatility is a good reminder that if your nonprofit has an endowment, it could benefit from management by a professional investment advisor. Here’s how to find a qualified advisor. Nonprofit experience required Finding the right investment advisor for your organization…

Budgetary shortfalls may have your not-for-profit looking for new sources of support. If those sources are international, be careful. Activities such as soliciting donations, recruiting members and selling products in foreign countries can raise tax and legal issues. Is there a need? Before your nonprofit adopts a global strategy, make sure that the need for…

Accountable plans reimburse employees for work-related expenses free of federal income and employment taxes. So reimbursement payments aren’t subject to withholding from staffers’ paychecks. Your not-for-profit also benefits because the reimbursements aren’t subject to the employer’s portion of federal employment taxes. Most prospective employees probably won’t accept a job based on the availability of an…

You might think that artificial intelligence (AI) is just about using computers to perform complex tasks that otherwise would require human intelligence. That’s part of AI. But several technologies fall under the AI umbrella, including machine learning, natural language processing (NLP) and robotic process automation. Here’s how tools such as these can help nonprofits cut…