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Developing leaders may be the missing link in your nonprofit’s strategic plan. There tends to be a sense that “if you build it (they) will come” when it comes to hiring new leaders. We cross our fingers that our mission, brand, and culture are so compelling that we’ll have no problem finding that next executive director or senior staff member. However, experience shows that we have our work cut out for us. A study last fall by Bridgespan focused on the #1 organizational concern it hears from boards and CEOs: succession planning.
We know that when board meetings roll around there sometimes can be a bit of…tension in the air, right? The last thing we want is for volunteer board members to leave a meeting feeling frustrated that the agenda didn’t tackle important topics, or that “nothing got done,” or their time was wasted. Planning a smooth and effective board meeting takes time. Here are five ideas to fill the sails and send your nonprofit on its way!
As nonprofits look ahead to July, remember that it isn’t just the season for fireworks and barbecues. It’s also the time when many nonprofits will enter new or renewed contracts and grant agreements with governments. If your nonprofit is one of the thousands delivering services in your community with funding through a grant or contract with any level of government, don’t forget to take the following important developments into account before signing on the dotted line.
In the lead-up to the release of the new Labor Department overtime regulations on May 18, we heard from many nonprofits that they had moral support for raising the salary threshold, but operational anxiety as they worried about how to cover any increas…
We hear quite a lot about Millennials but the growing population of 50+ adults who are enthusiastic about deploying their talents for social good offers a robust new talent pool for building nonprofit capacity. Increased longevity and continued good health mean that many in this educated, experienced generation have a lot to offer charitable nonprofits through skilled volunteer work or staff roles. The challenge for many nonprofits, however, is how to find those talented folks and integrate them into a nonprofit’s talent pool?
In March, the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits collaborated with the Minneapolis-based Nonprofits Assistance Fund to co-host a conference on financial sustainability for nonprofits. The conference was a sell-out. We had the opportunity to ask Kate Barr,…
At a recent gathering of state associations of nonprofits, we purposefully sparked a candid and invigorating conversation about diversity, inclusion, and equity. We know that similar conversations are happening all over – among grantmakers, in business board rooms, and throughout communities. As challenging as it may feel to have this conversation at your nonprofit, we encourage every nonprofit to strengthen itself by doing so, and not just among its staff members.
This conversation belongs in the boardroom, too.
This past January, I joined the ranks of Americans across the country who show up in masses on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to participate in volunteer service projects in their communities. That morning, a hundred or so eager volunteers and I gathered …
A year after the largest human services provider in New York City suddenly collapsed and closed its doors after 80 years, we can learn valuable lessons through two “post-mortem” reports. The first, by the Human Services Council (the HSC report), performs a detailed autopsy specific to the organization that closed its doors: the Federal Employment & Guidance Service (FEGS).
