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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.

Recent Nonprofit Articles

Latest Articles

The Governance/Support Model for Nonprofit Boards

Much of the confusion about board responsibilities is confusion between what the board does (as a body) and what individual board members should do.

Get the Most Value from Your Audit

Audits are expensive in terms of money, staff time, and board attention. CPA Dennis Walsh tells us how to wring the most value from them.

When Kids Volunteer: Liability Basics

If kids are among your clients or constituents, then getting them involved is a natural. But you’ll want to be sure you’ve got basic protections in place first.

Nonprofit Tax Quiz

In the nonprofit sector we throw around tax opinions, but here’s a chance to learn something from a 17-question quiz.

How to Get a Job at a Foundation

How foundations say they hire is often different from how they approach the hiring process. We asked foundation staffers how they got hired.

Nonprofit Personnel Files — A Guide from Ask Rita

An overview of how to manage your organization’s personnel files and a checklist of documents to include in a personnel file.

Foundation-Nonprofit “Partnerships” — Fact or Fiction?

Between foundations and nonprofits, sharing values, connections, and other support is good — but the relationship should be focused on funds.

Should Staff Contact with the Board Be Restricted?

Should board members have contact with staff independent of the executive director? Opinion is sharply divided.

Firing My Friend, the Founder

A board member shares a story about the difficult process of firing a nonprofit founder when money just wasn’t coming in.

Sample Drug-Free Nonprofit Workplace Policy

A drug-free workplace policy with sample language to consider including in your nonprofit’s employee handbook.

Can We Fire Someone Who Comes to Work Drunk?

What to do about an employee that appears to be under the influence, but isn’t drinking on the job and it doesn’t seem to affect performance?

Nonprofit Lessons from Star Wars

Deepak Bhargava of the Center for Community Change channels the Force to call nonprofits to action, drawing parallels to Star Wars.

Regrets of a Former Arts Funder

Rethinking what defines art and how the less mainstream types can be protected and encouraged.

Ten Myths About Nonprofit Boards

Ten of the most common myths about nonprofit boards, and the reality of the situation for each item.

Outsource Your Bookkeeping!

Outsourced accounting — having the accounting done by an outside person or firm — isn’t new, but it is getting a second look as nonprofits search for ways to cut office costs. 

The 7 x 7 Board Member Briefing

7×7 board briefings are when each board member makes a 7 minute presentation, followed by 7 minutes of questions, answers & responses.

The Board Just Fired Me …and I’m the Founder!

A nonprofit founder provides a first-person account of what it’s like to be fired from her organization — by a board that she had put together.

Four Ways to Remove a Board Member

How to remove a board member that consistently disrupts meetings or is otherwise destructive and demoralizing.

Should You Be Considering a Nonprofit Merger?

When times are tough, funders start to think that mergers are a good idea for nonprofits. And sometimes nonprofits themselves agree.

The Trouble with Turkey

Dozens of nonprofits contemplate many aspects of your beautiful turkey long before it lands on your table for Thanksgiving.

Board Insurance: Do You Really Need It?

If you are a part of a nonprofit organization, consider directors and officers (D&O) coverage as a “must have.”

Endorsing Candidates. Illegal. How to Do It.

Discussing restrictions on nonprofit 501c3 organizations that prohibit them from supporting or opposing candidates running for office.