The headlines in the past few weeks have highlighted the sudden influx of highly qualified volunteers arriving at our doors in record numbers.  If you frequently utilize volunteers, you probably have systems in place to get them working right away.  However, some nonprofits have avoided engaging volunteers on a large scale due to the cost of a structured volunteer program. After all, managing volunteers requires resources and exposes the organization to potential risks. But have you calculated[…]

For many nonprofits, it is difficult to find that rare person who delights in writing board minutes and has an aptitude for the task!   Hopefully, you have a person with that special talent who creates perfect minutes for every board meeting.Of course, board minutes serve as the business records of the organization and should be kept for all meetings of the board.  In addition, minutes should be kept for committee meetings when the committee makes decisions on behalf of the board.  In many[…]

One role of the board of directors is to keep a watchful eye on the organization’s financial health.  However, the quantity of financial information that nonprofit boards receive can vary from a brief verbal summary that “all is well,” reported sporadically from time-to-time, to a 30-page copy of the organization’s general ledger provided monthly.  The Standards for Excellence® code has always recommended that the board of directors review the internal financial statements at least quarterly.[…]

Did you know that the first question of the newly revised Form 990 (following the initial identification) is a request for your organization’s mission statement?The Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector® states that all organizations should “have a mission statement that is a formal statement of the organization’s purpose as defined and approved by the board of directors.  The organization’s activities should be consistent with its stated purpose.” […]

Like most people, I have a couple of favorite charities that can count on my donation each year.  I also have my “walk-ins.”  These are charities that unexpectedly catch my attention.  Their stories are compelling and their needs are often urgent.  The least I can do is to take a second look, right?  This is where the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for Nonprofit Sector® is very helpful.The Standards for Excellence® code is one of many tools I use to distinguish the[…]

We expect a lot from our board members – time, money, connections, influence, talents, just to name a few.  During your board recruitment, you probably spent a lot of time figuring out what each person can contribute.  While we expect that our compelling mission should be enough to keep them motivated and contributing their maximum potential, what we fail to remember is that each one comes to us with a particular need. Some like the opportunity to achieve something great and to be recognized for[…]

Anyone who works with volunteers realizes that their contributions of time and energy are anything but free! Recruiting, screening, training, and supervising volunteers take a substantial amount of time and effort. Appropriate management of volunteers is essential. Volunteer policies help with volunteer management by guiding, directing, and clarifying an organization’s relations with its volunteers.Volunteer policies also communicate to employees that volunteers should be taken seriously. Like[…]

What resolutions have you made to give your nonprofit a fresh start in 2009? Maintaining a well-functioning, motivated board is probably somewhere near the top. Absent, unmotivated board members, who fail to participate in governing the organization, could be keeping you from doing this.Addressing noncompliant board members can be a challenge. It is difficult to reprimand veteran board members or ask them to step down. The Standards for Excellence® recommends that boards put certain practices[…]

As the economy forces us to face leaner times,  now is a good time to tighten your nonprofit’s purchasing practices and policies.  A good purchasing policy serves as a tool for maximizing available resources of funds, personnel, and time.Now pause.  Pull your policy off the shelf.  Dust it off if you need to.  Read it carefully to make sure that gives clear guidelines on how purchases should be handled in your organization.  For example, does your policy cover the research and selection of[…]

If you are like me, January is the time to be sure that all of those less than perfect holiday presents have a good home.  Whether it’s the fuschia mock turtleneck or the fish shaped salt and pepper shakers, I like to be sure that all of my holiday presents are properly acknowledged and put away (or given away) before the start of the year. Many nonprofit development offices have a similar task before them, not only at the end of the busy holiday season, but throughout the year.  In fact, if you[…]