Executive Issues

I was sitting in my office the other day when a staff member wanted to meet with me. This individual came in to submit his resignation—he had taken a position at a different institution. I had hired this person and it was a joy to work with this individual. This employee has all of the…

Ever had a fundraising goal “handed” to you out of the blue? I bet you have, and you’re not alone. But that doesn’t make it right. I’m sick of development directors being expected to perform miracles. And that’s generally what’s happening when their fundraising goal is created without their input. When that happens, I know…

Change is certainly happening within the nonprofit sector and the philanthropy that funds it. From efforts to make philanthropy better at addressing inequity, to movement away from the overhead myth (and other myths), we are witnessing important shifts in how we tackle (and fund that tackling of) social challenges. But I’m hungry for more. And more could emerge from honest and transparent conversations about…

Emails released based on real-time behavioral data have been shown to increase open rates by 50 percent and conversion rates by 350 percent. Last week, I wrote about the Great Reformation, which is the impending destruction of your organization’s org chart due to the advent of new technology that delivers the statistics above. First, online fundraising platforms put traditional marketing tools into fundraisers’ hands, and now automated marketing platforms are dissolving the line between lead generation and closed deals, also called donations. Our world is changing...

He’s at it again. Outraging many people in the nonprofit world with his controversial views, Jimmy LaRose’s latest stunt—or noble undertaking, depending on who you ask—is recruiting members to his new organization. The National Association of Nonprofit Organizations and Executives, or NANOE as it’s known, aims to better equip the charitable sector to tackle the…

Nonprofits are no longer guaranteed a free lunch. We have to work harder than ever to raise the funds we need, which leaves us vulnerable to accusations of hard selling. The potential impact of this on trust and confidence is worrying. After all, this isn’t just about money. However, despite the criticism that has been directed at our sector lately, little seems to have changed. We need big, transformational change in the sector, and that requires fearless and innovative leaders...

Nonprofit accounting is hardly donor-friendly. Annual ­required disclosures on IRS Form 990 are murky and outdated, and nonprofits use all kinds of tricks to conceal how they’re spending contributions. So relief seemed at hand when the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, the rule-setting body for the accounting profession, recently announced the first major changes…

My question to you is, are you really thankful for all of your donors? Do they know how much they are loved and appreciated? Do your donors feel cared for? Here are two true stories that show why the question is so important...

I doubt there is a single definition of success for nonprofit collaborations, but here’s my take: a collaboration is successful if the parties are eager to work together again. In contrast, if the parties are running away from each other, vowing never to collaborate again, something’s gone wrong. Here are five tips for success, plus…

New federal overtime rules take effect Dec. 1, 2016, and compliance with these rules is mandatory for for-profit and nonprofit employers alike. Among other things, the rules mandate that full-time, salaried employees who are paid less than $47,476 per year must now be paid overtime. 
This can certainly place financial stress on nonprofits already staring down general funding cuts or those whose fiscal-year budgets already are in place...