Picks of the Week: June 1 - 7, 2014

Website of the Week -- Opportunity Agenda

The Opportunity Agenda launched in 2006 with the mission of building the national will to expand opportunity in America. Focused on moving hearts, minds, and policy over time, the organization works with social justice groups, leaders, and movements to advance solutions that expand opportunity for everyone. Through active partnerships, The Opportunity Agenda synthesizes and translates research on barriers to opportunity and corresponding solutions; uses communications and media to understand and influence public opinion; and identifies and advocates for policies that improve people’s lives. To achieve its mission, Opportunity Agenda focus on racial equity, immigration, economic opportunity, reproductive health and rights, and African-American men and boys. Go to: http://opportunityagenda.org 

Publication of the Week --  The Board Member's Easier Than You Think Guide to Nonprofit Finances by Andy Robinson and Nancy Wasserman

From the publisher: With the possible exception of How do I avoid fundraising? a board member's most commonly unasked question is, What do all these numbers mean and what am I supposed to do with them? Financial planning and budgeting combine all of our money taboos with that common disorder, math phobia. Andy Robinson and Nancy Wasserman help trustees (and their staff colleagues) confront and address this fear with wisdom, clarity, humor, and humility. If you find math mysterious and scary, yet need to understand financial statements to do your job as a board member ... read this book

Click to preview this book on Amazon.com 

Trend of the Week --  Updated U.S. Wealth Transfer Report 

An estimated $59 trillion, distributed among heirs, charities, estate taxes and estate closing costs, will be transferred from more than 90 million U.S. estates from 2007 to 2061, in the greatest wealth transfer in U.S. history, according to a new report issued today by researchers at the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy (CWP) at Boston College. “The baby boomers are in the process of receiving the largest wealth transfer in history and then they will, in turn, provide even a larger wealth transfer to their heirs, to charity, and to taxes,” says Paul Schervish, the Center’s director who authored the report with CWP researcher John J. Havens. “One major finding in this report is that the very wealthy are applying a greater proportion of their net worth to charity during their lifetimes," says Havens.  "More and more money is being put directly into charity and foundations during a donor’s lifetime and not as great a proportion is showing up in the estate.” Among the highlights in the study, titled “A Golden Age of Philanthropy Still Beckons, National Wealth Transfer and Potential for Philanthropy:”

• The sum directed from final estates (for which there is no surviving spouse) toward charity is estimated at $6.3 trillion, $36 trillion toward heirs,  and $5.6 trillion in Federal estate taxes.
• Total gifts to charity during the study period are vastly greater, according to the study, which estimates that lifetime giving will yield an additional $20.6 trillion for charity from 2007-2061.

To download the report, go to: http://www.bc.edu 

Resource of the Week –  Community Collaboratives Resource Library

This collection of resources compiled by the Bridgespan Group, shares research that explores the keys to success of community collaboratives and recommends ways to drive more collective impact. It also includes a number of profiles of community collaboratives that have successfully addressed challenges in their communities, as well as three guides that can help collaboratives become more effective in their efforts. Go to: http://www.bridgespan.org/getdoc/b3caa71c-9794-4dad-a700-0e66c4438a45/Community-Collaboratives.aspx 

Tech Tip of the Week -- Recolor a Picture or Change the Color or Transparency

In PowerPoint 2010 you can recolor a picture, adjust the color saturation and tone, and more! Here's how:

• Select the picture you want to recolor
• Click the Picture Tools Format tab on the Ribbon
• In the Adjust group, click Color
• Select one of the many options

This tip works in PowerPoint, Word and Excel 2010.

• Under Organize Sheets, select Move or Copy Sheet
• Choose where you want the sheet to be copied or moved to
• Be sure to select the create a copy box if you do not want your sheet moved

Picks of the Week: May 25 - 31, 2014

Website of the Week -- Leader-Values

This site aims to provide visitors with cutting-edge resources on leadership and value systems with a special emphasis on the consideration of multicultural, global issues. Resources at the site have been written or selected to assist leaders in all kinds of organization to develop their skills. In addition, the site examines the qualities and behavior of famous leaders throughout the centuries. Thought-provoking feature articles share the limelight with regular sections: 'themes' offers in-depth work on change, knowledge, organization, and value systems and '4Es' discusses the four essential Es of leadership. Go to: www.leader-values.com

 

Publication of the Week --  Donor Cultivation and the Donor Lifecycle Map: A New Framework for Fundraising + Website by Deborah Kaplan Polivy

From the publisher: A guide to better and more strategic fundraising, Donor Cultivation and the Donor Life Cycle Map presents the donor lifecycle map, which is circular in form, revealing how the convergence of the two subject matters—cultivation and the lifecycle map—can lead to better and more strategic fundraising. Author Deborah Kaplan Polivy specifically addresses the topic of cultivation and how, when focused over the donor lifecycle, it can become a logical and focused activity for obtaining increasingly large gifts.

• Step-by-step guidance and practical tools for understanding and making the most of the donor lifecycle
• Coverage includes Introduction to Donor Cultivation, Defining Donor Cultivation, Donor Cultivation Tools and the Donor Lifecycle: How and Where They Intersect, and Impediments to the Implementation Process
• Features a companion website with a variety of online tools to help readers implement key concepts

Donor Cultivation and the Donor Life Cycle Map seeks to change the perspective from transactional fundraising to recurring fundraising, beginning with the first donation and extending to the very last—an endowment that keeps on giving even after death.

Click to preview this book on Amazon.com

Trend of the Week -- Nonprofit-Government Contract and Grant Trends

In 2012, the Urban Institute conducted a national survey, Nonprofit‐Government Contracts and Grants: Findings from the 2013 National Survey, expanding the scope of a previous 2009 study to include most types of nonprofits. The latest survey indicates that nonprofit‐government contracts and grants reached approximately 56,000 nonprofits and totaled $137 billion and that the effects of the recession were still evident. The research reveals that problems reported with government contracts and grants in 2009 are not confined to human services nonprofits, although problems are less pronounced for grants than for contracts. Nonprofit organizations in 2012 were still dealing with many of the same issues as in 2009. This report provides data on government contracts and grants with nonprofits, problems encountered, and the current fiscal situation of nonprofit organizations in each state. This compilation of state profiles provides national and state-by-state snapshots of most types of nonprofit organizations that have contracts and grants with local, state, and federal governments. The individual state profiles are designed to document the extent of nonprofit-government contracting, processes and problems. States are also ranked according to number of grants, types of issues, and actions taken by nonprofits to address the challenges they face. To download the full report, go to: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412949-National-Study-of-Nonprofit-Government-Contracts-and-Grants-2013.pdf

Resource of the Week –  HandsOn Network

HandsOn Network, a Points of Light enterprise,  is a network of 250 local volunteer centers around the world that seek to engage 21st century volunteers to use their time, talent, voice and money to create change in their communities. The HandsOn Network offers volunteer development tools and resources that are accessible, easy to implement and focused on impact. These resources and tools are based on:

• Principles of adult learning
• Practitioner-based best practices
• Interactive design
• Practical resources for innovation, action and impact
• Needs of the target audience

For more information about the resource library, go to: http://www.handsonnetwork.org/tools

Tech Tip of the Week -- Move or Copy Sheets between Workbooks in Excel 2007/2010

• Open the sheet you want to move or copy
• Click the Home tab on the Ribbon
• In the Cells group, click Format
• Under Organize Sheets, select Move or Copy Sheet
• Choose where you want the sheet to be copied or moved to
• Be sure to select the create a copy box if you do not want your sheet moved

Picks of the Week: May 10-24, 2014

Website of the Week -- Philamplify 
Philamplify is an initiative of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy that aims to maximize the impact of our country’s grantmakers. By providing a modern, user-friendly space to gather straightforward feedback from everyone involved in philanthropy, the project brings together voices that have traditionally been unheard. Philamplify combines expert research on the work foundations do with feedback from foundation and nonprofit leaders and staff, issue experts, community members and more. At the center of Philamplify is a series of comprehensive reports conducted by highly regarded researchers assessing foundation grantmaking and operations. Assessments include key findings and recommendations, along with in-depth analysis of foundations’ funding strategies. By keeping these assessments public, Philamplify seeks to build a culture of transparency, mutual accountability and knowledge sharing. Philamplify.org turns the assessments into an interactive experience, giving everyone involved with or touched by philanthropy a chance to comment on each assessment’s key recommendations and each foundation’s overall grantmaking approach. Visitors also can share their stories in text, photo or video, chime in on general issues affecting philanthropy and provide direct feedback about Philamplify itself. Go to: http://philamplify.org 

Publication of the Week --  Arts & Numbers: A Financial Guide for Artists, Writers, Performers, and Other Members of the Creative Class by Elaine Grogan Luttrull 
From the publisher: The creative class—artists, actors, writers, musicians, freelancers, dancers, performers, and the like—are known for applying their passion for creative expression to everything they do. Perhaps the one thing that most fills this group with apprehension is the rigid world of numbers. This leads to problems arising from the unconventional financial and business situations of creative professionals, as well as the nonprofit organizations with which they're often affiliated. Finances, budgeting, and business matters can be dreaded, if not outright ignored, by creatives--to the detriment of their artistic pursuits. Author, artist, and CPA Elaine Grogan Luttrull has written Arts & Numbers to help creative professionals find the same confidence in their financial dealings as in their chosen mode of expression. It is an engaging, accessible guide that covers a variety of must-know topics, such as budgeting, cash management, visual charting, taxes, employment, and business etiquette. In a simple, straightforward style, Luttrull draws examples from smooth-flowing narratives depicting common issues within the arts worlds, as well as from her own personal anecdotes.

Click to preview this book on  Amazon.com

Trend of the Week --  Trends in Corporate Giving 
Developed by CECP in association with The Conference Board, Giving in Numbers: 2013 Edition is based on data from 240 companies, including 60 of the largest 100 companies in the Fortune 500. The sum of contributions across all respondents of the 2012 survey, from which the data is pulled, totaled more than $20 billion in cash and in-kind giving. This report not only presents a profile of corporate philanthropy in 2012, but also pinpoints how corporate giving is evolving and becoming more focused since before the recession of 2008 and 2009. This is the ninth annual report on trends in corporate giving. Key findings of the latest study include: 

• The average company provides most of its giving in cash from corporate budgets and its corporate foundation, with other contributions provided in the form of non-cash resources
• Through matching-gift programs, companies match employee donations of money or volunteer time to eligible nonprofit organizations. In 2012, 181 companies shared details about their matching-gift programs. Among that group, matching gifts comprised a median of 12% of a company’s total cash giving.
• Employee-volunteer programs are planned and managed efforts that enable employees to volunteer under their employer’s sponsorship and leadership. In 2012, 188 companies reported having a formal domestic employee-volunteer program, a formal international-volunteer program, or both. Paid-Release-Time, Dollars for Doers, and Company-Wide Days of Service were listed among the most successful engagement programs in 2012.
• In 2012, 81% of companies reported having a corporate foundation. The most common foundation structure was a pass-through model, wherein the company annually funds the foundation. Education (comprising both K-12 and Higher Education) was the most funded program area (collectively, 29% of average allocations) for the first time since Giving in Numbers was first released in 2006, inching past Health and Social Services for the top spot.

To download the report, go to: http://cecp.co/pdfs/giving_in_numbers/GIN2013_Web_Final.pdf.

Resource of the Week –  How to Establish a Good ED-Board Relationship 

Bridgestar has developed a new resource "Starting Off on the Right Foot: How to Establish a Good ED-Board Relationship" that provides guidance on how boards and new executive directors/chief executive officers (EDs/CEOs) can lay a good foundation for an effective working relationship. The guide is based on interviews with CEOs and board chairs about the preliminary steps they took to ensure their relationships worked from day one. For a copy of the free guide, go to:

http://www.bridgespan.org/Publications-and-Tools/CEO-Executive-Director/Become-a-CEO/Establish-Good-Board-ED-Relationship.aspx#.U2_8bpvYJ14

Tech Tip of the Week -- Creating a PowerPoint Presentation Using Word 2007/2010 
To use a Word document to create a PowerPoint presentation

• Format the document using Word heading styles
• PowerPoint uses the heading styles in your Word document to set up the slides in a presentation  ̶  each Heading 1 becomes the title of a new slide, and each Heading 2 becomes the first level of text
• You must apply a heading format to the text you want to include in a slide
• You can manually insert heading styles or create a document using Word outline

To create a Word Outline

• Click the View menu
• Click Outline in the Document Views group
• Type your outline using Tab to add subheadings (promote)
• Press Shift Tab to decrease the indent (demote)
• You can also use the Promote and Demote buttons on the Ribbon
• Save your outline

To Insert Outline Text from Word into PowerPoint

• In PowerPoint, click the Outline tab in the left pane
• Click the Home tab of the Ribbon
• In the Slides group, click the arrow next to New Slide
• Click Slides from Outline

Picks of the Week: April 13 - 26, 2014

Website of the Week -- Glasspockets

Glasspockets is a Foundation Center initiative that champions philanthropic transparency in an online world. Launched in 2010, but with roots dating back to the Center’s founding in 1956, Glasspockets provides the data, resources, examples, and action steps foundations need to understand the value of transparency, be more open in their own communications, and help shed more light on how private organizations are serving the public good. with Glasspockets, the Foundation Center and its partners are working to:

• Inspire private foundations to greater openness in their communications
• Increase understanding of best practices in foundation transparency and accountability in an online world
• Illustrate how institutional philanthropy is relevant to the critical issues of our time
• Highlight the many stories of philanthropy that show how private wealth is serving the public good
• Illuminate successes, failures, and ongoing experimentation so foundations can build on each other's ideas to increase impact

For more information, go to: http://www.glasspockets.org/about-glasspockets

Publication of the Week --  The Art of Membership by Sheri Jacobs

From the publisher: Member engagement, recruitment, and retention are fundamental activities that all membership organizations must master to ensure the growth and viability of their organizations over the long term. The Art of Membership by Sheri Jacobs, CAE, provides associations and membership organizations with the practical tools they need to build a loyal and diverse membership base over the long term. Readers will be able to put the tools to work immediately regardless organization size, budget, culture, type, or environment. The recommendations are concrete, irrefutable and backed by data derived from ASAE research, the author's own more than 40 Market Research Studies conducted with her team encompassing members and nonmembers from organizations of all types and sizes and her more than 15 years of experience developing and executing membership recruitment and retention plans for more than 100 associations. The book contains ample cases and examples from associations, nonprofits and for-profits (pricing strategies, value propositions, and marketing tactics) in addition to chapter-by-chapter "how-to" guides with checklists and worksheets that break down the concepts from goal to strategy to tactics culminating in an actionable "to-do" list.

Click to preview  this book onAmazon.com

Trend of the Week --  Fundraising Effectiveness Trends

The 2013 Fundraising Effectiveness Project report developed by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and the Urban Institute, summarizes data from 2,840 survey respondents covering year-to-year fundraising results for 2011-2012. Key findings include:

• Gains of $769 million in gifts from new, upgraded current, and previously lapsed donors were offset by losses of $735 million through reduced gifts and lapsed donors. This means that, while there was a positive $34 million net growth-in-giving, every $100 gained in 2012 was offset by $96 in losses through gift attrition. That is, 96 percent of gains in giving were offset by losses in giving.
• Gains of 866,000 in new and previously lapsed donors were offset by losses of 909,000 in lapsed donors. This means that there was a negative (44,000) growth-in-donors and every 100 donors gained in 2012 was offset by 105 in lost donors through attrition. That is, 105 percent of the donors gained were offset by lapsed donors.
• Growth-in-giving performance varies significantly according to organization size (based on total amount raised), with larger organizations performing much better than smaller ones.
• The largest growth in gift dollars/donors came from new gifts/donors, and the pattern was most pronounced in the organizations with the highest growth-in-giving ratios.
• The greatest losses in gift dollars came from lapsed new gifts, particularly in the organizations with the lowest and highest growth-in-giving ratios. The greatest losses in donors came from lapsed new donors in all growth-in-giving categories.

To download a copy of the report, go to: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412906-2013-Fundraising-Effectiveness-Survey-Report.pdf.

Resource of the Week –  Consent Agenda Guide

To expedite business at a board meeting, the board can approve the use of a consent agenda that includes those items considered to be routine in nature. Full information about these items should be provided to the board in advance in the board packet and any questions or concerns can be directed to the makers of the motions and answered prior to the meeting. This allows thorough examination of the routine items without using up precious board meeting time. BoardStar has prepared an excellent guide to the use of consent agendas. The three page guide is thorough and concise at the same time. To download a .pdf file, go to: http://www.boardstar.org/assets/documents/Consent%20Agenda.pdf

Tech Tip of the Week -- Selecting a Range in Excel 2007/2010

In Excel, a range is a group of connected cells. When working in Excel you often need to select a range.  Here is a simple trick for quickly selecting a range:

• Click anywhere within the range
• Press Ctrl + A
• The range is selected

If the worksheet does not contain data, Ctrl + A selects the entire worksheet.  Another way to select the entire worksheet is to click the button in the upper left corner of the worksheet

Picks of the Week: April 6-12, 2014

Website of the Week -- Volunteer Wisconsin

Volunteer Wisconsin is managed by Marshfield Clinic and partners with Volunteer Centers and Serve Wisconsin to connect volunteers, promote volunteering, and support the capacity of nonprofits. Its mission is to leverage volunteer capabilities and local assets to enhance Wisconsin communities. Local volunteer centers mobilize people and resources to deliver creative solutions to community problems. To achieve this vision, volunteer centers use the following core competencies:

• Connect people with opportunities to serve,
• Build the capacity for effective local volunteering,
• Promote volunteering, and
• Participate in strategic initiatives that mobilize volunteers to meet local community needs.

For more information, go to: www.volunteerwisconsin.org

Publication of the Week --  Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Social Movement in History Is Restoring Grace, Justice, and Beauty to the World by Paul Hawken

From the publisher: Paul Hawken has spent more than a decade researching organizations dedicated to restoring the environment and fostering social justice. From billion-dollar nonprofits to single-person dot.causes, these groups collectively comprise the largest movement on earth, a movement that has no name, leader, or location and that has gone largely ignored by politicians and the media. Blessed Unrest explores the diversity of the movement, its brilliant ideas, innovative strategies, and centuries of hidden history. A culmination of Hawken's many years of leadership in the environmental and social justice fields, it will inspire all who despair of the world?s fate, and its conclusions will surprise even those within the movement itself.

Click to preview this book on Amazon.com

Trend of the Week --  Charity and Philanthropy in Russia, China, India, and Brazil

Charity and Philanthropy in Russia, China, India, and Brazil, by Joan Spero and published in collaboration with WINGS, builds greater awareness and understanding of the diversity and challenges of civil society in the so-called BRIC countries. In the absence of comprehensive data on philanthropy in these emerging market economies, the report identifies the cultural, economic, social, and political forces shaping giving in the BRIC countries and describes the growth and nature of their philanthropic activities. To download the report, go to: http://foundationcenter.org/gainknowledge/research/pdf/philanthropy_bric.pdf

Resource of the Week –  The Smart Chart

The Interactive Smart Chart is based on the Spitfire Strategies Smart Chart 3.0 – a planning tool that helps nonprofits make smart choices and develop high-impact communications strategies. This online version of the Smart Chart offers an interactive approach to the planning process. As you work your way through the Chart, you'll have several opportunities to evaluate your answers and ensure you are making the smartest choices. You can also stop and save your answers at any time, and come back and finish later. This allows you to finish the planning process in your own time – and gives you maximum flexibility so you can get input on your choices from staff, board members or other outside resources as needed. At the end of the process, you will have a fully completed Smart Chart that links your organization's goals to the many strategic decisions necessary for a successful communications effort.  Go to: www.smartchart.org

Tech Tip of the Week -- Compress Pictures in PowerPoint 2010

If you’ve ever tried to email a PowerPoint presentation containing several pictures, you have probably discovered that the file size can be quite large. There is a way to reduce the file size. Here’s how:

• Select a picture to display the Picture Tools Format tab
• In the Adjust group, click the Compress Pictures button to display the Compress Pictures dialog box
• If you want ALL pictures compressed make sure the Apply only to this picture box is NOT selected
• In the Target Output section there are three compression options
• Choosing the last option, Email (96 ppi), will result in the smallest file size
• Click OK to apply the settings and close the dialog box

Remember that the more you compress the pictures the less quality there is for printing. But if you just want to share these photos online, give it a try. The procedure in PowerPoint 2007 is nearly identical.

Picks of the Week: March 30 - April 5, 2014

Website of the Week -- National Center for Family Philanthropy

Through research, educational materials and programs, the National Center for Family Philanthropy helps families and individuals better understand their roles and needs based upon their personal motivations and family values, relationships and enterprises; make their philanthropy as effective and meaningful as possible for them and their communities; and realize their desire to make a positive difference in the world around them. Go to: http://www.ncfp.org

Publication of the Week --  Every Nonprofit's Tax Guide: How to Keep Your Tax-Exempt Status and Avoid IRS Problems by Stephen Fishman

From the publisher: Your nonprofit enjoys special privileges not available to other organizations -- but they come at a price. Nonprofits must comply with rules and regulations that don't apply to for-profit ventures. Every Nonprofit's Tax Guide explains these rules and what your nonprofit must do to maintain tax-exempt status and avoid problems with the IRS. This practical, thorough, and easy-to-read book explains both ongoing and annual compliance requirements for nonprofits, including:

• rules for charitable giving and cash donations
• Form 990
• unrelated taxable business income
• annual IRS filings and disclosures
• property donations
• bookkeeping basics
• working with independent contractors and volunteers
• restrictions on lobbying and political activities

The book also includes a chapter on the types of transactions that can get your nonprofit in hot water with the IRS.

Click to previewthis book on Amazon.com

Trend of the Week --  2014 Trends to Watch

The National Council of Nonprofits has prepared a trends summary with implications for nonprofit staff, board members, donors and community leaders. Here is a sampling:

• The Resource Squeeze: One prominent trend that began with the Great Recession will continue its drain in 2014: scarce financial resources. The vast majority of charitable nonprofits will continue to be squeezed for financial resources in 2014. In the current environment of increased competition for scarcer financial resources, no nonprofit’s board of directors should be caught ignoring its fiduciary duty to help the nonprofit fundraise.
• The Upward Spiral Of Need: The dramatic decline in government funding often increases demand for services, as communities and individuals continue to struggle and look to nonprofits to provide basic services. In 2013, more than half of nonprofits surveyed by the Nonprofit Finance Fund reported they didn't expect to have enough resources to meet increased community needs. The upward spiral of need for basic services is likely only to increase in 2014, while the resources that nonprofits have available to them will continue to be squeezed. 

To download the full summary, go to:

http://www.nprcenter.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/2014-trends-to-watch.pdf

Resource of the Week –  Interactive Collaboration Tool Finder

An interactive tool finder developed by GrantCraft, a joint service of the Foundation Center and the European Foundation Centre, presents seven distinct collaborative needs (including finding partners, designing strategies, assessing progress) and 17 types of tool functionalities (ranging from data gathering to project management to scheduling meetings) in an online matrix that facilitates intuitive exploration of available resources. This free resource helps users generate custom results that provide details on recommended solutions, including their cost; whether they are best for small-, medium-, or large-sized collaborations; how easy they are to use; and if there is a mobile-friendly version. Go to: http://collaboration.grantcraft.org

Picks of the Week: March 23-29, 2014

Website of the Week -- The Case Foundation

The Case Foundation, created by Steve Case and Jean Case in 1997, invests in people and ideas that can change the world. The Foundation creates and supports initiatives that leverage new technologies and entrepreneurial approaches to drive innovation in the social sector and encourage individuals to get involved with the communities and causes they care about. The Case Foundation has led a series of innovative and collaborative initiatives that aim to leverage new technologies to empower and engage citizens in the U.S. and around the globe. Through partnerships with hundreds of nonprofits, private sector and corporate partners, as well as the public sector, these efforts have helped to expand the role of individuals in philanthropy and in giving back to their communities. Recent examples of efforts to expand the role of citizen-centered philanthropy and experimentation with new technologies, such as social media, include America’s Giving Challenge, an online competition conducted in partnership with PARADE and Causes that engaged tens of thousands of Americans to get involved with causes they care about. In 2007, the Make It Your Own Awards called on citizens to connect with others, form solutions and take action on community issues. The website includes links to many resources that will be of use to nonprofits. For more information, go to: http://casefoundation.org

Publication of the Week --  From Passion to Execution: How to Start and Grow an Effective Nonprofit Organization by Lyn Scott 

From the publisher: Transform your vision and passion as you learn how to effectively start, grow, and lead a nonprofit organization with this practical, inspiring guide. From Passion To Execution: How To Start And Grow An Effective Nonprofit Organization combines meaningful, real examples and insights, based on the author's extensive experience, with a high-energy, powerful presentation that equips you with the confidence to follow your dream of starting a nonprofit organization. This reader-friendly book provides specific how-to steps to start a nonprofit organization with a focus on long term sustainability. The author shows you how to set the ground work, from exploring your personal passion and effectively articulating a mission statement to building a solid board. You also learn how to communicate vision, design programs, ignite volunteers, assemble the right business team, craft a strategic plan, seek supporters, and navigate differing personalities as the organization grows. Finally, you learn to assess results and adjust plans to effectively manage and continue to lead a successful organization.

Click to preview this book on Amazon.com

Trend of the Week -- Nonprofit HR Trends for 2014

Nonprofits are letting fewer people go and plan to create more positions in the coming year, but they continue to struggle to adopt new and innovative human resources practices, according to the 2014 Nonprofit Employment Practices Survey, conducted by consulting firm Nonprofit HR. Of the more than 400 groups surveyed, 46 percent reported increased hiring in 2013, the highest total in the last five years. Only 17 percent said they decreased hiring, the third consecutive year that that number has dropped. And, for the first time since the end of the Great Recession, more groups said they plan to hire new staff to support new projects (45 percent) than use current staff (43 percent). A number of staffing challenges still present major hurdles and include:

• Extended time needed to fill positions, particularly for mid and high level vacancies
• The lack of formal diversity strategies and formal succession plans
• One fifth of nonprofits indicate that turnover is their biggest challenge
• Retention challenges from competitive pay, excessive workloads through to struggles to advance staff

The study also noted that entry and mid-level professionals are the hardest to retain. This is a concern as these are often going to be the front-line/public facing staff who most typically are interacting with the donor audience on an individual basis. To download a summary of the study report, go to: http://www.nonprofithr.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2014NEP_SurveyReport-FINAL.pdf

Resource of the Week –  The Networked Nonprofit

The article by Jane Wei-Skillern and Sonia Marciano appearing the Stanford Social Innovation Review describes a new approach to long term partnership building. The authors suggest, with some compelling examples and arguments, that nonprofits that pursue their missions through networks of long-term, trust-based partnerships achieve more sustainable mission impact than would be possible through traditional approaches to organizational growth. Management wisdom says that nonprofits must be large and in charge to do the most good. But some of the world’s most successful organizations instead stay small, sharing their load with like-minded, long-term partners. The success of these networked nonprofits suggests that organizations should focus less on growing themselves and more on cultivating their networks. Go to: http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/the_networked_nonprofit