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[…]

The Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County (CFAAC) and the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County (ACAAC) recently announced the selection of eleven nonprofit Arts and Culture organizations to participate in an 18-month program training program with the Standards for Excellence Institute. The training program will run from January 2018 through April 2019.The eleven organizations are the Annapolis Opera, Annapolis Arts District, Annapolis Film Festival, Annapolis Maritime Museum, Chesapeake[…]

As a Standards for Excellence Institute Licensed Consultant, I sometimes see organizations crumble when faced with change. Both internal and external factors force organizations to change their way of operating and fulfilling their missions. When external changes arise, (such as changes in grants, donors, or volunteers) nonprofit organization are left to cope with limited resources. Internally, nonprofit organizations also cope with changes in technology, staff, and funding. These changes are[…]

  The Standards for Excellence Institute would like to congratulate several organizations who recently earned or renewed their accreditation under the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector:  The Arc of Westchester, Hawthorne, NY Boys and Girls Club of Central Alabama, Birmingham, AL Collaborative Solutions, Inc., Birmingham, AL Commonwealth Autism, Richmond, VA Council on Aging of Etowah County, Gadsden, AL Council on Quality and Leadership, Towson,[…]

As an executive director, board member, and Licensed Consultant through the Standards for Excellence Institute®, I have attended and administered multiple strategic planning retreats. These getaways have the best of intentions – advancing the mission and vision of the organization, building a closer relationship between board and staff, updating the strategic plan to reflect current and emerging reality, and finding new solutions to persistent issues.The Standards for Excellence® Code identifies[…]

Life is like a “choose your own adventure” book.With each choice we make, our adventure changes. With one big difference. In a “choose your own adventure” book, we don’t know where the decisions will lead us (unless we look at the end). But in real life, we’re pretty good at anticipating consequences – if we think of it. It’s one of the things that makes us human. Consider – if you look backward, you can probably describe the path that led you to live where you live, work where you work, love[…]

You know who they are.They engage in sidebar conversations with other board members or even the members about what they think is wrong with the board or the executive director or the organization in general. They joined the board simply to promote themselves or their business and then come up with schemes to get the organization to buy their services or products. They ask for special favors such as upgraded airfare or free tickets to a fundraising event or free products from vendors. They[…]

When you travel from New York to London, the shortest flight is about 6 hours and 45 minutes. When you return, the shortest flight is an hour longer. Flying east, we have tailwinds helping us along. Flying west, we’re pushing against headwinds.Every time we make a plan, we’re also making assumptions. Some assumptions are simple and pretty universal – we all experience headwinds and tailwinds in flight.But other times we are making assumptions based on our own experiences, sometimes unaware of[…]

Thomas K. Hyatt, a member of the inaugural class of Standards for Excellence Institute Licensed Consultants, recently received a 2017 Outstanding Lawyer Award from the American Bar Association. The award is presented annually to a lawyer for his or her distinguished service as outside counsel to nonprofit organizations. Hyatt is an expert Standards for Excellence Institute trainer and regularly participates in training new classes of Licensed Consultants.Read more about Hyatt's Outstanding[…]

The Standards for Excellence® Institute continues to build a national network of qualified nonprofit consultants licensed to provide training, consulting, and support on the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector. Standards for Excellence Institute Licensed Consultants come from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences. In anticipation of the upcoming  Licensed Consultant Training, we're highlighting the journeys of some of our[…]