For Immediate ReleaseApril 30, 2014Contacts: Amy Coates Madsen, Program Director, and Greg Cantori, President & CEOPhone:      410-727-1726 ext .2314 Baltimore, MD ̶  The Standards for Excellence Institute, a nation-wide program that promotes self-regulation of ethical and accountable practices within the nonprofit sector, today is announcing comprehensive enhancements to its signature resource, Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector®. The[…]

As we begin to accept applications for this year’s Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultant Class of 2014, I am excited to hear more and more about how individuals who become Licensed Consultants are engaged in the program. This blog provides a bit of a “catalogue” of different ways that Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultants use their Standards for Excellence designation to work with clients across the country. Current Licensed Consultants use their Standards for Excellence[…]

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The Standards for Excellence Institute®, an initiative designed to help nonprofit organizations operate more ethically and accountably, announces its 2013 Class of Licensed Consultants. Recently completing the intensive, three-day training, class members are now licensed in every aspect of the Standards for Excellence program and are capable of assisting nonprofits nationwide.Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultants use their new, extensive knowledge of the multi-faceted initiative to help[…]

Volunteering as a Standards for Excellence peer reviewer is a truly special type of volunteer experience. Unlike more traditional volunteer roles, peer reviewers are trained individuals responsible for evaluating an organization's application for compliance with the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector®. Using a peer review process ensures that individuals with diverse opinions and expertise in the nonprofit sector review application packages and[…]

As one of this summer’s Standards for Excellence interns, I’ve been learning quite a bit about nonprofit management and governance. I have been continually impressed by the Standards for Excellence and the more I get to know them, the more I find myself thinking, “Of course!”  You see, after interning for a couple other nonprofits, I have seen some of the trends and challenges within the sector, and I came to Maryland Nonprofits armed with a zillion questions. I’ve realized that the Standards[…]

“We love our Form 990!” Would any nonprofit organization ever make that statement? Loving it might be a lot to ask. We at least need to get to the point where we can say, “Our Form 990 represents our nonprofit very well and we are proud of its contents.” Why such a “to do” about Form 990s? Taking a step back to the “pre-GuideStar era (founded in 1994),” most folks didn’t even know what a Form 990 was. As GuideStar grew to be more of household name among nonprofit organizations, the treasure[…]

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work in the nonprofit sector.  I am even more thankful to have this chance to work with so many people from different fields and with diverse passions working as hard as they can to fight the toughest problems.  With the Standards for Excellence Institute, we work with all different types of organizations, addressing all different types of ills and problems in our communities and world.I spent most of this spring moving quickly from one training or[…]

With super storms crashing through the region, hurricane season just behind us, and winter looming ahead, it occurred to me how much productivity an organization could gain if their staff worked from home. What if employees were already telecommuting when a physical office closed due to snow or power outage? What if the groundwork was laid so that, in case of emergency, an employee could telecommute from any location? If this were the case, work could continue despite issues that may be[…]

My Top 3 Reasons for Standards for Excellenceby Maria Carrasquillo, MJH Consulting Last month, I was one of many who have been certified as a Licensed Consultant with the Standards for Excellence Institute (SFX). The three-day training was informative, intriguing, and invigorating. For many, many years, my eyes have been following this program and, finally, I find myself sitting in a room with twenty participants. As I processed my experience, I gave some serious thought to my personal reasons[…]