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Why Small Nonprofits Often Make a Big Difference
We thought it would be interesting to share the connection for this free audio podcast available on iTunes. Share your thoughts on our blog. Jane Photo courtesy of Nesta Geoff Mulgan By Hildy Gottlieb The popular wisdom is that nonprofits must be large to make a real difference and that significant social change is usually spearheaded by a rare, brilliant leader. But that thinking is misleading and counterproductive, says Geoff Mulgan, chief executive of NESTA, Britain’s National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. More often than...
read moreAwards Nominations are Open for National Philanthropy Day 2013: Inspiring Change
The Greater Cincinnati Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) is hosting its annual National Philanthropy Day (NPD) luncheon at the Duke Energy Convention Center on Thursday, November 14, 2013. National Philanthropy Day is dedicated to recognizing the significant impact philanthropy and the non-profit sector have on our community. NPD also serves as a fundraiser so that AFP can provide education, training and resources for development professionals and nonprofits. The Honorary Chair of NPD 2013 is Rob Reifsnyder,...
read moreWhat Are My Nonprofit’s Obligations Under the Affordable Healthcare Act?
Dear Rita: I am the executive director of a nonprofit with 15 employees. We have never been able to afford to provide health insurance benefits for our staff. I’m confused about our obligations under the Affordable Healthcare Act. I heard that employers have to pay a “penalty” if they do not provide healthcare to their employees, but frankly I don’t think we can afford it. Signed, Sick with Worry Dear Sick with Worry: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA, Obamacare, or the “Act”) has several...
read moreNew Program Funds Fundraising Internships
If your development efforts could use an extra boost this summer, we have good news for you! New Faces of Fundraising is a pilot program designed to introduce diverse students to the field of nonprofit fundraising. The program was created by the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and is funded by The Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF). Five accomplished students from local universities comprise our inaugural class of New Faces. This spring, they will be completing Fundamentals of Fundraising –...
read moreMaximizing Your Communications with a Content Calendar
Communications includes everything from social media, to e-mail campaign management, and annual reports. Technology supports these efforts, but it can only work well with an integrated strategy. Nonprofits need a content calendar, the right staffing support (paid or volunteer), and the right tools to make it all sing. A well-executed communications plan will look to annual cycles. Some things, like the annual report, are obvious and easily lend themselves to planning far enough in advance to leverage content, public relations, media relations...
read moreWhat It Takes to Succeed in a Nonprofit Collaboration
Collaborations and mergers among nonprofits certainly aren’t new, but much of what nonprofit leaders know about them comes from our for-profit counterparts. Nonprofit collaborations are no better and no worse than those done by for-profits. They’re simply different. For-profit collaborations and mergers are driven by financial motivations including cost savings, but charities are unlikely to reap any savings for years, if at all. For nonprofits, the primary driver to merge or collaborate should be to help them achieve their missions. Mergers...
read moreHouse Bill Would Improve Tax Benefit for Volunteers’ Mileage
Volunteers who drive their own cars to perform charity work would get the same tax benefits for mileage reimbursements as people who drive as part of their paid jobs at a business, under a new bill introduced in Congress on Friday. The bill, called the Charitable Driving Tax Relief Act, also proposes to reduce paperwork for charities by eliminating the requirement that they report mileage reimbursements to the Internal Revenue Service. The main thrust of the proposed legislation, introduced by Rep. Tom Petri, a Wisconsin Republican, is to...
read moreNonprofits Race to Get Ahead of the Explosion in Small Screens
When Mercy Housing set out to make its Web site easy to navigate on smartphones and tablets, its top priority was to remake the donation page before the critical holiday fundraising season opened. And with good reason, it turns out. People using mobile devices accounted for 18 percent of the organization’s year-end online gifts—nearly one out of every five online contributions—compared with just 2 percent during the same time just a year earlier. If the organization hadn’t made it simpler for those donors to give, the group might have lost...
read moreTen Biggest Mistakes Boards and Executives Make
“To err is human,” and as we all ruefully know, nonprofit board members and executive directors are typically human. Here are some of the biggest mistakes we make: 1. Falling in love with the executive director and letting love diminish critical thinking: Even if you have the world’s greatest CEO, that CEO will benefit from your bringing your scrutiny and thinking to the organization’s work and to his or her performance. Being in love is great, but bring up the issue of getting the dishes done. 2. Neglecting the...
read moreATTEND THE SECURING THE FUTURE CONFERENCE TECHNOLOGY: THE SPARK THAT DRIVES INNOVATION
WHEN: TUESDAY, APRIL 9th TIME: 8:30a-1:30pm PRICE: $79 includes breakfast, lunch and the book! How is your organization using technology? The nonprofit sector is often portrayed as slow to change and behind the times. The truth is, nonprofits are at the forefront of some of the most exciting innovations in how change is created and technology is used. Here from keynote speakers, Randal Moss, author of “The Future of Nonprofits” who will teach the audience how to capitalize on internal innovations and entrepreneurial employees and Amy Sample...
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