With the advent of social media in nonprofits, the Standards for Excellence Institute® has received several requests for resources and assistance in handling the benefits and challenges of social media.At this time, we are in the midst of convening a taskforce of industry experts to explore issues related to technology.  As part of that effort, we are exploring the idea that we should consider a new technology performance indicator for the Standards for Excellence® code and a potentially a new[…]

The Ethics Resource Center just released its 2009 National Business Ethics Survey/Ethics in the Recession, in which they describe as the “most exacting longitudinal research effort examining organizational ethics from the employee perspective.”  This longitudinal survey looks at national trends and tracks views of employees from all levels within organizations.  Responses for this survey included 2,852 employees in for-profit organizations.The report highlights a host of findings, including,[…]

This season, many of us will entertain family and friends, and overnight guests. If you’re like me, you’ll do everything in your power to make them feel welcome in your home – even if it means relinquishing the remote control for a few nights. Like party hosts, nonprofit organizations also have a responsibility to make the public feel welcome in their organization – to foster a climate of openness. The Standards for Excellence® code states that, “Nonprofits should provide members of the public[…]

By now, many nonprofit organizations have had the joy (or pain) of completing the 2008 Form 990, which many nonprofits are required to complete annually.  The Form is designed to enhance transparency for the Internal Revenue Service and the public and underwent the first major change in the document since 1979.  Those who have implemented the Standards for Excellence®, particularly those organizations that have earned the Seal of Excellence, have told us that they are having no problem answering[…]

A few weeks ago, in this 52 Tips in 52 Weeks column, I noted that marking birthdays reminded me of the annual activities nonprofits need to take care to address in the course of regular business. That article focused primarily on some of the annual responsibilities and roles that need to be carried out by each nonprofit’s board of directors. Of course, it is not solely the board that needs to keep an eye on its annual responsibilities.  Indeed, the Standards for Excellence:  An Ethics and[…]

Many nonprofits these days are looking for ways to scale back. But how does one decide what activities to continue and what activities to change or discontinue? The Standards for Excellence® code recommends that charitable organizations have cost-effective procedures for evaluating programmatic efficiency as part of a comprehensive program evaluation system.Taking a look at efficiency pushes us to question whether we can be producing more or better outcomes at a lower cost. Measuring efficiency[…]

The Standards for Excellence® code requires that a nonprofit board have no fewer than five board members, preferably at least seven. However, the true answer is that “it depends.”  The size of your board of directors will depend on the type of organization, the size of the organization’s budget, the organization’s maturity, and the nature of its work.  It might be appropriate for a very new nonprofit to have only five board members.  However, it is rare to find a well-established organization[…]

‘Tis the season generous volunteers will bestow the gift of time upon thousands of charities. Volunteers will be up on ladders hanging holiday decorations, schlepping boxes of clothes and toys, and delivering meals to home-bound neighbors.  If your nonprofit will be engaging volunteers, it is a good idea to assess your current insurance coverage to determine whether you have the appropriate coverage in light of all of the work you do, including the efforts involving volunteers.  Depending on how[…]

Certainly this is the season of thinking of all of the things we’re thankful for.  Whether it’s the person who volunteers to assist your nonprofit with reception duties, the volunteer who works at his computer in the middle of the night writing articles for your newsletter or keeping your website up to date, or the volunteer who provides direct services on a weekly basis, you probably appreciate your volunteers more than words can say. Many managers work on the premise that volunteers should be[…]

Last month, my son turned two years old.  We had a big party with friends and family—pizza, ice cream, balloons, and even a cool 3-dimensional cake in the shape of a train!  I, on the other hand, will celebrate my birthday next week and like many of my contemporaries, unless it’s a milestone birthday, I would prefer for the event to pass without any fanfare or fuss at all.   (Truth be told, even if it’s a milestone birthday, I’d prefer to celebrate it quietly!)Our organizations, too, celebrate[…]