NonProfit Pro

By far, the most frequently made mistake I see is when a worthy nonprofit assumes mission trumps all. It's mostly out of oversight, as nonprofit leadership is focused on doing good. However, sometimes it's because the organization really believes that donors are merely "funders"—the ATMs of the nonprofit world.

Nonprofit organizations in two major U.S. metropolitan areas are growing faster than expected and struggling to attract enough top talent to fill their jobs, according to a pair of new reports from recruiting firm Professionals for NonProfits. While a quarter of the New York groups and nearly a third of the Washington, D.C. groups plan to increase pay by more than 3 percent this year, officials continue to worry they won’t be able to fill all the available spots.

If you want to maximize your career in philanthropy, you should strive to blend theory and practice. You should also enjoy meeting prospects, donors, volunteers and individuals who have made a difference in their community for many years.

Mason J. Fink, one of Mitt Romney's top political fundraisers, has signed on with Jeb Bush's team and is expected to oversee national fundraising for Bush's super PAC, according to Republicans with knowledge of the move. Fink served as national finance director for Romney's 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns and, together with Romney finance chairman Spencer Zwick, managed Romney's outreach to major donors and campaign bundlers.

I recently partook of some pre-spring skiing. As I was heading down the slopes, I was thinking about some parallels between skiing and fundraising. "It's all downhill from here" is a saying that means that the hard part is over, but for fundraisers, it can often seem we're moving from one "emergency" to the next instead of enjoying the smoother ride and keeping the exhilaration alive. But as is true with skiing, some simple steps can make the journey more enjoyable.

California has banned state court judges from belonging to the Boy Scouts. The move extends an earlier ban on judges belonging to groups that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, but had an exemption for youth groups. Judges have one year to sever their ties with the Boy Scouts. Judges are already banned from joining lots of groups that other people can belong to. For example, they can't be members of country clubs that don't admit Jewish people or women.

So you've identified your big kahuna potential prospect, your mega-capacity donor. What next? How do you get in the door? Here are five quick tips to help you get that very first visit.

To get a handle on what’s in store for 2015, NonProfit PRO rounded up some of the nonprofit industry’s finest, who were kind enough to share their nonprofit trends for 2015. Here are five trends on peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding.

A D.C.-based nonprofit organization claims it’s out thousands of dollars after helping a company that staged a popular race in the District. Kid Power now says its programs for underprivileged kids are at risk after it says it was stiffed by a Utah company, Run or Dye.

But the D.C. organization is not the first to raise issues with Run or Dye. Jane Driggs, the president of Utah’s Better Business Bureau, says the BBB has logged hundreds of complaints from 23 states related to the event company.

If you are going to miss this year's AFP International Conference, what will you do to fill that void? If you are going to be in Baltimore, I'd appreciate your help in keeping me up to speed on what is being shared. I'll miss the knowledge; the time to step back and think strategically and creatively; and especially miss the opportunity to connect with so many friends and colleagues who remind me how proud I am to be associated with them, to be a member of AFP and to be a member of this noble profession.