Recent Posts

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Navigating the nonprofit world can be challenging. Blue Avocado offers expert guidance on a range of topics — from building strong boards to maximizing your fundraising impact. Explore our latest posts for practical tips, strategies, and solutions to common issues facing nonprofit organizations today.

Latest Articles

How To Be a Community-Powered Nonprofit

Kevin Davis explains how nonprofit journalism organizations are working to gain donors’ trust by being community-powered.

The Financial Outlook for Nonprofits

Results of a survey of 500 nonprofits on their organization’s financial outlook in 2017.

First Person: I Am A Young Social Entrepreneur

What does it take to be entrepreneurial? Anika Stephens talks about young leaders who have already made a positive social or economic impact.

Nonprofit Mergers Are Like Falling In Love

Ron Kratofil shares tips and resources for nonprofit mergers. Mergers are a lot like dating, relationships and marriage.

Divorce and the Nonprofit Board Member

The story of a nonprofit board member going through the turmoil of divorce. How divorce made it difficult to serve on the board.

Robert Egger: “Our Sector Is About To Be Hit, And Hit Hard” A Blue Avocado Interview

Robert Egger on advice to young nonprofit leaders, how the sector has changed, and why it’s more important than ever that we take risks.

Ask Rita in HR: What About Marijuana Decriminalization?

A drug-free workplace policy can specify that the term “drugs” includes marijuana (and its derivatives and all related cannabinoids).

Is Your Nonprofit Ready for a Capital Project?

Is your nonprofit considering raising funds and investing in building or renovating a piece of property? Save time, money, and headaches.

Rewrite the Script When These Characters Show Up in Workplace Politics

How can a group of talented people, grouped together for a positive purpose, create an environment of discord, frustration or inefficiency?

Ask Rita in HR: How Do I Stay ADA Compliant When an Employee Has a Disability?

How does an employer document ADA compliance? Let’s go through each element of the ADA analysis and identify helpful documentation.

If Your Board Looked Like Your Community

Moving board diversity from a ‘problem to solve’ to ‘something to practice.’ Staff and board talk common hurdles and how to overcome them.

Ask Rita: Can I Just Hire Independent Contractors?

Misclassifying a contractor can cost big dollars for your nonprofit, so march forward, but make sure you proceed with care.

Gifts from the Board Chair

Your nonprofit should have a written Conflict of Interest policy that Board members review and acknowledge annually.

Promoting a Worthy Cause? Don’t Miss These Six Ideas for Getting Exposure for Your Nonprofit

Ready to boost exposure for your work? Here’s six promotion ideas that should help get exposure for your nonprofit.

Nine Nonprofit Trends that Need to Die

Nine nonprofit trends that need to go. Some are nonprofit sacred cows that we need to release into the wilderness.

Everything We’ve Been Taught About Major Gifts is Wrong

Different nonprofits have different trajectories that result in different assets at a given stage of development.

A Tiger Escaped Today, and I’m on the Zoo Board

A tiger escaped and attacked three visitors and killed one of them at the San Francisco Zoo. How did the zoo board react?

Why Don’t Foundations Build Capacity in Fundraising?

Why do so few grantmakers invest in building the capacity for nonprofits to raise independent money?

Can We Fire Someone for What They Said in Personal Email?

This is a complicated question, and this is a new and evolving area of the law. All nonprofits should have an e-workplace policy.

A Fork in the Yellow Brick Road to Oz

The CEO of the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County describes an approach to strategic choices that has us singing, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”