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News Update:
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Governments Cutting Back On Social Service
Spending
Some 62 percent of human
services organizations in the New York City metropolitan area
saw decreases in public funding, and of those, 22 percent saw
cuts of more than 20 percent, according to a recent survey.
Public funding accounts for
more than 40 percent of the operating budgets for 70 percent of
the organizations, while 44 percent of organizations said they
receive more than 80 percent from public funds. Some 75 percent
responded they lack financial reserves, either no endowment or
no lines of credit, to levy against the economic
storm.
To read
the complete article click here... |
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Harvard Kennedy School Executive
Education is thrilled to announce the new Online
Leadership Series. This suite of programs provides the
range of skills and training nonprofit leaders need to advance
their organizations and overcome challenges. The programs
are designed for nonprofit and NGO managers from around the
world, who, given the costs and distances, are not able to
attend residential Executive Education programs.
www.hks.harvard.edu/ee/online | |
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Management ...
7 ideas
for stretching to your goals
Despite the noblest of goals or the
best of intentions, it is possible for anyone to fall short of
achieving a dream, whether for oneself or others.
In their book "Life Entrepreneurs,"
Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek list some of the common
stumbling blocks in setting and striving to achieve our goals.
They are:
- Setting the wrong goals. We might
mistakenly adopt someone else's goals, goals we think we should
have or goals that others will appreciate.
- Having too many goals. Having three
to five well-constructed goals is better than a litany of 20
goals that could dilute our efforts.
- Lowering goals if we fail to achieve
them. Too often, we lower the bar after hitting the first
hurdle, rather than redoubling our efforts to rise to the
occasion.
- Not letting our goals see the light
of day. If our goals never make it past the confines of our
cranium, they are unlikely to bear fruit in the real
world.
- Letting our goals master us.
Sometimes the time and energy we pour into accomplishing
something evolves into an unhealthy fixation.
- Viewing goals as a one-time
"sprint." When goals are quickly set, accomplished and set
aside, they lead only to fleeting success.
- Setting one-dimensional goals.
Having only short-term goals can prevent us from articulating
life goals.
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Regulation ...
A checklist of financial
and governance concerns
As public suspicion of
nonprofits grows and political grandstanding intensifies,
organizations find that they can get help in the form of
watchdog organizations, those that monitor and rate entities in
the sector.
The good news is that
watchdogs and philanthropies are generally on the same side --
they want to ensure both the integrity and the efficiency of the
sector, thus ensuring that its image as a collection of people
interested in doing good is also its reality.
A good rating can serve as an
organization-wide morale booster and draw in more money. A bad
rating, well, it can do the opposite.
At an AICPA Not-For-Profit
Executives Forum in Anaheim, Calif., Frank L. Kurre, national
managing partner of the Not-for-Profit Industry Practice of
Grant Thornton, and Bob Mims, controller and director of
investments at Duck Unlimited Inc., spoke about the concerns
that are generally on the minds of watchdog organizations.
Financial issues:
-
Transparency.
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Program expense as percentage of total
expense.
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Fundraising cost as percentage of fundraising
achievement.
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Reserves, working capital or net assets
sufficient to cover some amount of annual operating
costs.
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Independent audit.
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Fundraising practices and donor
privacy.
Governance issues:
- Conflict of interest policies.
- Evidence of adequate board
oversight.
- Compensation practices,
- Number of outside directors.
- Number of board meetings.
- Evidence of assessment/evaluation of
program effectiveness.
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Fundraising ...
7 ideas for mid-level
donors
Creating a mid-level donor club can
cultivate highly reliable donors who aren’t at the major
gift level, according to Lynn Edmonds, president, and Bryan
Terpstra, fundraising vice president, both of L.W. Robbins
Associates in Holliston, Mass. The duo explained that a
mid-level donor club can positively impact your organization at
Blackbaud’s 2008 Conference for Nonprofits, and shared
these seven steps to grow a mid-level donor club:
- Create a distinctive brand. Every club
offers some sort of distinction, and your mid-level donor club
should be no different. A special name that incorporates your
mission can make your donors feel appreciated. Carry that
distinction into any special appeals you send to just club
members.
- Determine donation levels. Recognize
different giving levels and brand the donations into categories.
Make sure the gifts are within reach, but always encourage
donors to increase their gifts.
- Create club benefits. Benefits can be
tangible, such as a decal, or intangible, such as recognition in
the newsletter, or a combination of both.
- Develop an invitation series. Cultivate
donors who are close to reaching the mid-level club donation
target for the club, or invite higher mid-level donors to the
major gifts program.
- Special acknowledgement. Thank your
mid-level donors for their gifts, either in a mailed thank-you
note or personal phone call.
- Promote the giving club. Make sure that the
club is mentioned on the Web site, renewal mailings and any
other communication channel.
- Maintain and grow the program. Constantly
try to initiate donors into the mid-level club and promote some
people who are already in the club into the major gifts
program.
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