Conviction of a Nonprofit Leader

At the DMA Nonprofit Federation's Washington Nonprofit Conference earlier this year, Tom Harrison, chair of Russ Reid and the NonProfit PRO Editorial Advisory Board, and Shannon McCracken, senior director of direct response marketing at Special Olympics, discussed taking the conversation back as nonprofit leaders from the self-appointed watchdogs and media.

The basis of the conversation was around the overhead debate, about how many people wrongfully judge nonprofits on expenditure ratios rather than effectiveness. And simply being transparent by including your numbers and good deeds somewhere in your annual report is not enough. In order to truly educate the public, the media, the watchdogs and donors, nonprofit leaders must put this conversation at the forefront. That means it should be easy for people to see, not buried deep on your website or printed materials.

Harrison and McCracken introduced the DMANF Nonprofit Accountability Dashboard and urged everyone in attendance to use it—and put it on their homepages. The dashboard's goal is to display, transparently, the financials as well as the outcomes and more for a nonprofit organization … and detail what that means in a simple way. It's all about taking the conversation back and showcasing just what these investments mean in terms of outcomes.

It's a great step in furthering the discussion and truly educating the public on what running an effective nonprofit organization really means. That's what nonprofit leadership is all about.

Join the Leadership Conference

Speaking of leadership, NonProfit PRO is hosting its inaugural Leadership Conference May 5 in Washington, D.C. It's a great opportunity to learn from some of the best and brightest leaders on what it takes to lead a successful nonprofit.

Our lineup of speakers includes four tremendous leaders in the nonprofit sector: philanthropy coach, speaker and author Larry C Johnson, founder of The Eight Principles; Paul Bellantone, president and CEO of Promotional Products Association International; Tracy-Elizabeth Clay, senior vice president, legal affairs, general counsel and board secretary at Teach For America; and Richard Rumsey, vice president of development and communications at Project HOPE. Learn more and register at leadershipconference.nonprofitpro.com.

Our wonderful speakers will tackle subjects ranging from shedding the scarcity mind-set to handling the complex nonprofit business environment, dealing with difficult boards, assessing risk and harnessing risk management, legal issues and breaking down silos. In addition, there will two roundtable sessions, with attendees breaking up into smaller groups, as well as ample networking time with 100 nonprofit peers.

Please join us May 5 in D.C. Register at leadershipconference.nonprofitpro.com.