Executive Issues
November 24, 2015 at 9:55 am
A new voluntary gift-substantiation regime proposed by the IRS is being opposed by the National Council of Nonprofits (NCN), as well as a number of individual state associations of nonprofits. The system would provide an alternative to the “contemporaneous written acknowledgements” now in use by providing 501(c)(3) nonprofits with the option to report gifts more…
November 23, 2015 at 9:35 am
A proposal to create a new center at Western Carolina University using $2 million from the Charles Koch Foundation is generating concern among some faculty at Western Carolina University. The proposed Center for the Study of Free Enterprise would be funded, in part, with money from the foundation created by Charles Koch, CEO of Koch…
November 13, 2015 at 8:59 am
You decide each day what is most important to you and how you proceed down the work list based upon priorities. Think about your past, present and future as you look at work functions. With practice, you will improve your craft. Be up to the challenge, and strive for continuous quality work and results each day, for that is what is expected of you...
November 13, 2015 at 8:36 am
Relay for Life sprang from nothing in 1985 to more than $400 million per year at its height. In spite of that gargantuan success, no other nonprofit has been able to put the volunteer-driven model to work in the same way. Why is that? Why have no other organizations been able to get volunteers to handle events in the same way or fundraise at the same levels?...
November 13, 2015 at 8:27 am
Creating the greatest impact on the causes you care about can be a difficult task. Sure, you can donate to a group that claims to support a cause that is close to your heart, but there is no guarantee that the agency you are supporting is using the funds it collects responsibly. That's where GuideStar…
November 11, 2015 at 9:29 am
Households with more than one child are more likely to give, and donate a bigger share of their income, if the eldest is a son, a new study finds. But parents with only one child are more likely to give, and to donate generously, if that child is a daughter. The report from the Women's…
November 11, 2015 at 8:31 am
In the nonprofit arena, especially the fundraising profession, leaders are often called upon to be change agents.
November 9, 2015 at 9:57 am
When leaders manage charitable organizations with clear visions, realistic expectations and sound budgets, that overhead spend tends much closer to the public’s ideal of 23 cents per dollar. The key is finding a balance between the costs of overhead support for the mission and the mission itself, and the answer is often found in the realm of business...
November 9, 2015 at 9:17 am
A new report produced by Imperative and Anna Tavis, an adjunct professor at the School of Professional Studies at NYU, says that “purpose-driven workers” are more valuable to employers than workers more motivated by other things. According to the study, only 28 percent of the population is purpose-driven, but—no surprise—nonprofits have more than their share…
November 9, 2015 at 8:27 am
Today, I’m asking you to consider becoming a mentor to someone in our profession. As you know, major gift fundraising a tough job. It’s incredibly emotionally draining. There is a lot of second-guessing and wondering if you’re doing the right thing. This is where you come in. Unless you are absolutely new to major gift fundraising, you have experiences, mistakes and successes to help guide someone who desperately needs it...
