Baltimore, MD – December 16, 2021; The Standards for Excellence Institute, an initiative designed to help nonprofit organizations operate more ethically and accountably, announces its 2021 Class of Licensed Consultants.Thirty-two class members hailing from various regions of the country completed the intensive, five-day virtual training seminar and can now assist nonprofits nationwide. They bring over 530 collective years of nonprofit experience to the table and represent organizations from[…]

Kelsie Overton formerly ran a program at the Alabama Association of Nonprofits that matched interns with nonprofit organizations seeking Accreditation with the Standards for Excellence. She is now a litigation associate practicing at Bradley.  She recently shared her experience with the Institute. When I was working at the Alabama Association of Nonprofits, our CEO, Shannon Ammons, noticed a barrier for many nonprofit organizations. Though they wanted to become accredited with the Standards for[…]

The Standards for Excellence Institute, an initiative designed to help nonprofit organizations operate more ethically and accountably, announces its 2019 Class of Licensed Consultants. Twenty-nine class members hailing from nine states recently completed the intensive, three-day training seminar and can assist nonprofits nationwide. They bring years of experience to the table and represent organizations from California to Maryland – and many in between.    Standards for Excellence Licensed[…]

From Amy Coates Madsen, Director of the Standards for Excellence There have been a series of high-profile conflict of interest situations and ethical challenges in the nonprofit sector in the last few weeks and months. To many, these high-profile stories have served as a wake-up call to nonprofit board and staff leaders that they should be more focused on their governance in a way that is as ethical as possible. Here are three quick tips to start your journey of preventing conflicts of interest[…]

Ron Barrett, COGENCY GLOBAL's Vice President of Nonprofit Services, reflects on his experience participating in the 2018 Standards for Excellence Institute Licensed Consultant Training.[…]

The Standards for Excellence Institute, an initiative designed to help nonprofit organizations operate more ethically and accountably, announces its 2018 Class of Licensed Consultants. […]

A long-tenured executive director is uncertain about how much longer he intends to stay with his organization and has talked with a few members of the staff about the possibility of leaving. He has not spoken to the board or stated a clear intention, and the board is hesitant to address the issue out of respect. How can this board and executive director act ethically? Read this article from the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, a Replication Partner based in Santa Clara, CA, to find out.   […]

Disengaged board members fail to meet their ethical obligations to nonprofit organizations. If the executive director believes their nonprofit could raise more funds and serve more people, but the board's lack of engagement is impacting growth, what options are there? Read this article from the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, a Replication Partner based in Santa Clara, CA, to find out. […]

Boards have an ethical duty to understand and fulfill their responsibilities to a nonprofit, including rigorous financial oversight. If a nonprofit loses $900,000 over eight years due to theft by the executive director, was the board acting unethically?  Check out this article from the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, a Santa Clara, California-based Replication Partner,  to find out.[…]

The Standards for Excellence Institute, an initiative designed to help nonprofit organizations operate more ethically and accountably, announces its 2017 Class of Licensed Consultants. Class members hailing from ten states recently completed the intensive, three-day training seminar and can assist nonprofits nationwide.Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultants use their extensive knowledge of the multi-faceted initiative to help nonprofits strengthen their governance practices and exceed the[…]