Staffing & Human Resources

Nonprofit board members are typically not ready to lead the succession planning. With no succession plan in place, there may be a long gap in leadership before another executive is on board. Nonprofits should manage leadership transitions in advance in case there are unexpected departures.

In newer startup organizations, culture begins to take shape through experiences led by those at the top. The inaugural leader has their own vision and values they bring to the table, which the organization experiences over the long arc of time. Culture doesn’t happen on day five, day 50 or even day 500. 

Co-leadership is a growing trend in nonprofits, where we explore ways to share power and strengthen our organizations’ leadership.

Development opportunities for employees can be done with a few, easy-to-implement strategies and on a shoestring budget.

Knowing what to do about raises is tough. “What if we have a recession?” “But we had a great year.” “But we didn’t address raises last year.” “But our headcount is like a leaky bucket.” So yeah, it’s hard.

Whether internal issues, external challenges or both are affecting your ability to maintain and advance your mission, searching for and securing strong fundraising leadership and investing more resources in your development team can help you build a more resilient nonprofit organization.

The director of development is the senior fundraising manager at a nonprofit organization. The director, who collaborates closely with the CFO, is responsible for securing nonprofit revenue from individuals, corporations, organizations, associations and foundations through a variety of means. But what does it take to get there?

Besides fundraising, Nonprofits have other business challenges. Some years, that means accommodating rising expenses while trying to overcome budget shortfalls. This year, according to the 2022 Nonprofit Industry Pulse Survey, many nonprofits named staffing shortages as a top issue — and they’re not alone in this.

I’m often asked for a formula for adding major gift officers. There are many variables, but they boil down to these four points.

The number of nonprofits considering a merger increased during the pandemic. The National Council of Nonprofits reported in February that state associations and consultants have received “markedly increased requests” for information about how to dissolve or merge nonprofits.