The thing about voluntarism is that it is addictive, so even as I entered my junior year at university and felt the weight of 400-level political science classes on my shoulders, I really wanted to keep volunteering. Fortunately, Towson University has phenomenal opportunities for students to get involved, including an Alternative Breaks Connections program. It was through this program that I was able to travel to Nassau, New Providence in the Bahamas with 17 other individuals for eight days of[…]

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: Arc of Washington County, Hagerstown, MD The Arc of Maryland, Annapolis, MD Ignatian Volunteer Corps, Baltimore, MD  […]

CFRE International has just re-approved the Standards for Excellence Licensed Nonprofit Consultant Training program as a provider of continuing education points towards their Fund Raising Executive certification. Participating in the Licensed Consultant Training will provide 1.5 points in fundraising and 7.5 points in non-fundraising towards your CFRE®.But time is running out to apply for the tenth Standards for Excellence Licensed Nonprofit Consultant Training program.Appy today to join[…]

In 2014, it was my honor to accept an appointment to the Internal Revenue Service’s Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (the ACT). ACT members are appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury and advise the IRS on issues impacting tax exempt organizations and government entities. The ACT includes external stakeholders and representatives who deal with employee retirement plans; tax-exempt organizations; tax-exempt bonds; federal, state, local and Indian tribal governments. My[…]

The following post was written by Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultant Arshad Merchant and is part of our “Ten Years of Advancing Excellence” blog series, celebrating ten years of the Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultant program. Arshad Merchant recently founded Boost Social Sector Consulting to help nonprofit and other socially-minded ventures address critical challenges and pursue greater good. Drawing on 20 years in consulting, Arshad brings substantial experience in strategy,[…]

On Wednesday, June 1, Standards for Excellence Replication Partner Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits announced that it has accepted a donation from Chesapeake Energy Corporation of a northwest Oklahoma City office strip mall housing dozens of nonprofit agencies, per The Oklahoman. Marnie Taylor, the center's president and chief executive officer, states that the donation is one of the most significant gifts in the organization's history. The three-building strip mall at was purchased by Chesapeake[…]

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: CALMRA, Inc., Beltsville, MD End Times Harvest Ministries, New Carrolton, MD Pathfinders for Autism, Hunt Valley, MDThe Standards for Excellence Institute would like to congratulate the following organization that has earned their recognition under the[…]

The following post was written by Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultant Carmen C. Marshall and is part of our "Ten Years of Advancing Excellence" blog series, celebrating ten years of the Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultant program. Carmen specializes in performance improvement, ideation and execution, communications, marketing, organizational development, training and executive coaching. As a management consultant, Carmen has helped numerous leaders, executives, and[…]

SAVE – Saving Animals Volunteer Effort – was created in September of 2009 when concerned citizens from two Alabama counties came to together to address the problem of animal homelessness and overcrowding in animal shelters. Their efforts have been to spay and neuter pets, and feral cars, to reduce the population of unwanted animals, and hope for a day when every pet has a home. SAVE has been accredited with Standards for Excellence Institute since 2015. I recently got the opportunity to speak[…]

Nonprofit program evaluation refers to the process of gathering data about a service or program an organization offers to determine its effectiveness. Nonprofits that thoroughly and strategically evaluate their programs show a commitment to the communities they serve by identifying their successes and challenges. More and more charitable donors now expect to see an evaluation plan in the programs they fund. The Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit[…]