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Audit on the Horizon? There’s a Silver Lining! Here’s What Nonprofits Need to Know
Audits can feel like the worst. No matter how you cut it, it’s never fun to be audited. When an audit is approaching, the organization goes into overdrive to review policies and procedures to make sure the audit goes smoothly. This can be extremely tim …
Donor-Centric Budgeting & Reporting: Top 6 Tips
“Pledge now and get an attractive station tote bag!” Sound familiar? The nonprofit industry I’ve been immersed in for nearly my entire career—public media—is among the most famous for taking a relatively transactional approach to fundraising. While eve …
No Budget, No Mission: A Guide to Basic Nonprofit Budgeting
What has always drawn me to a nonprofit organization is the mission. The mission of an organization speaks in ways that numbers do not. The mission instills hope, meaningful change, and impact. It elicits images of a stronger community and evokes the p …
What Happened to My Annual Appeal? The Effect of the 2018 Tax Overall on Nonprofit Donations and the Rise of DAFs
With the holidays behind us and budget planning around the corner, it’s a good time to reexamine the effectiveness of the organization’s revenue sources, including the end of year appeal. Traditionally, the holidays at end-of-year is the time many dono …
Are We Heading Towards Another Nonprofit Insurance Crisis?
Our story begins in middle of the nation, across the Mississippi River from the famous deserted city of Cahokia, an indigenous civilization. This is a tale of two cities, and of the venerable endeavor of rebuilding cities in the face of hardship. Our p …
#RiskyBusiness: Why Earned Income Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up To Be
“When will your organization be sustainable?” This question is asked of nonprofits at an increasingly alarming rate in recent years. Where did this come from and who decided it is such a critical metric of success? More importantly, how can you determi …
Your IRS Form 990 Questions Answered
Information about Form 990 and your nonprofit filings. Hopefully this will keep your fiscal year-end stresses at bay!
Want Equity? Then It’s Time to Break the Rules!
Back in June, we wrote about the need for nonprofits to better understand what it really costs them to deliver services, and on a related note, how funders can adapt their grantmaking practices to better support work around equity, inclusion, and oppor …
Social Enterprise & Earned Income: A Key To Revenue or a Distraction?
Have you been in a board meeting discussing funding and the challenges of growing revenue and heard someone say, “I know, we should open a for profit venture!” In an era of continuous government funding cuts and foundations seeking “innovation,” many o …
The New Fundraising Frontier: Impact Investing
Capital campaigns can be a slog! Most organizations face similar challenges: donor fatigue, the time it takes to raise funds, rising development costs, and concerns about falling short of your fundraising goals. But what if there were another way to ra …
