Top Recent Nonprofit Articles

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

Community and Culture,HR and Employment Issues

Ask Rita: Can Employees Smoke Medical Marijuana at Work?

ByPamela Fyfe June 16, 2010 Community and Culture,HR and Employment Issues

Do you need to accommodate the use of medical marijuana when making a hiring decision or for current employees?

illustration of a man standing next to a large checklist on a clipboard

Board Management

Bylaws Checklist

ByJan Masaoka May 29, 2010 Board Management

This checklist points out the necessary elements in bylaws. It’s important to also stay compliant with applicable state and city laws.

Risk Management

Five Emergency “Musts” for Your Nonprofit

ByBlue Avocado May 27, 2010 Risk Management

Blue Avocado shares five “must-have” emergency supplies for nonprofit workers to keep at their desks in case of disaster.

Illustration of outlines of several women of color

Community and Culture,Leadership and Management

Ten Things I Learned About Leadership from Women Executives of Color

ByJan Masaoka May 21, 2010 Community and Culture,Leadership and Management

Some valuable lessons drawn from listening, observing, and laughing with women executive directors of color over the years.

HR and Employment Issues

Ask Rita: Is being a surrogate mother a profession?

ByEllen Aldridge, J.D. and Pamela Fyfe May 19, 2010 HR and Employment Issues

Ask Rita explores whether an employee’s work as a surrogate qualifies as a second job that is in conflict with her employer’s agency.

a cup of coffee on a tablecloth. Text reads Board Cafe

Board Management,Leadership and Management

Board Terms: 1 Year – 3 Years – 2 Years

ByJeanette Issa May 4, 2010 Board Management,Leadership and Management

Blue Avocado discusses unusual board terms with Jeanetta Issa, CEO of Child Abuse Prevention in Kansas City.

a volunteer in a neon green vest with text "Here to help"

Volunteers

Volunteerism Public Policies Can Hurt Nonprofits

ByRick Cohen May 3, 2010 Volunteers

Policy analyst Rick Cohen discusses the four things we should be worried about with public policy and volunteers.

Community and Culture,HR and Employment Issues

Telecommuting and Flexible Work Arrangements: Do Them Right

ByRobin Erickson April 16, 2010 Community and Culture,HR and Employment Issues

Robin Erickson, Director of Finance and Administration for an environmental nonprofit, shares her organization’s approach to telecommuting.

HR and Employment Issues

Working from Home: Sidebar on Legal Issues for Nonprofits

ByPamela Fyfe April 15, 2010 HR and Employment Issues

Take these guidelines into consideration when adopting alternative work arrangements for your staff.

Community and Culture

Rockefeller Foundation and NY Times Win “Just Awards”

ByBlue Avocado April 11, 2010 Community and Culture

Rockefeller Foundation and NY Times announced as the “winners” of the first-year Just Awards for dubious contributions to nonprofit sector.

a cell phone screen showing social media icons

Sample Policies & Templates

Sample Nonprofit Policy on Social Networking

ByPamela Fyfe April 4, 2010 Sample Policies & Templates

Developing a social media policy for your nonprofit organization can be difficult. These guidelines can help.

four people holding up emoticons in front of their faces

Community and Culture,HR and Employment Issues

Can nonprofits regulate what employees do on social media?

ByPamela Fyfe April 2, 2010 Community and Culture,HR and Employment Issues

Regulating what nonprofit employees say and do on social media is a slippery slope. Here’s some guidance to help nonprofits.

knitting needles on top of multicolored yarn balls

Leadership and Management

Knitting Makes Me a Better Executive Director

ByHoong Yee Lee Krakauer April 2, 2010 Leadership and Management

Hoong Yee Lee Krakauer, Executive Director of the Queens Council on the Arts in Jamaica, New York tells what she’s learned from knitting.

woman in red t-shirt holding white plastic bottle

Leadership and Management,Volunteers

All-Volunteer Organization Resources

ByBlue Avocado March 24, 2010 Leadership and Management,Volunteers

All-Volunteer Organizations (AVO) are some of the most important nonprofit organizations around; here are some relevant articles for AVOs.

illustration of a diverse group of hands raised with hearts on them

Fundraising,Marketing and Communications

Eight Strategic Mistakes with Memberships

ByEllis Robinson March 22, 2010 Fundraising,Marketing and Communications

Eight strategic errors nonprofit organizations often make that stand in the way of “smart growth” in their membership numbers.

Finance

Attack of the Tax-Exemption Killers

ByRick Cohen March 14, 2010 Finance

Rick Cohen spotlights attacks by financially starved local and state governments to squeeze extra nickels and dimes from nonprofits.

illustration of people working on documents on a computer

Finance,Leadership and Management

Nonprofit Business Model Statements

ByJan Masaoka March 13, 2010 Finance,Leadership and Management

Like a mission statement, a business model statement acts as a touchstone: A reminder and guide for the organization’s focus and strategies.

Board Management,Leadership and Management

Who is Responsible for the Board Doing a Good Job?

ByJan Masaoka March 4, 2010 Board Management,Leadership and Management

Despite the importance of the nonprofit board, there’s strikingly little clarity about who is responsible for its performance.

a painting of a street sign that shows "to be continued"

Fundraising,Leadership and Management

True Stories of Grantseeking: A First-Person Nonprofit Story

ByJan Masaoka February 24, 2010 Fundraising,Leadership and Management

There are three levels of exchange in the grantor-grantee relationship. Explore one of the least discussed: The one-to-one interaction.

Illustration of people talking and disagreeing

Board Management,Community and Culture

What to Do When You Really, Really Disagree with a Board Decision

ByJan Masaoka February 23, 2010 Board Management,Community and Culture

Most of the time, nonprofit boards work through consensus. But what if you think a serious mistake is being made?

Leadership and Management

Angry Activist Gets Old & Wise: A First-Person Nonprofit Story

ByBrenda Crawford February 17, 2010 Leadership and Management

Brenda Crawford, executive director of Mental Health Consumer Concerns, shares strategies that move people to social change.

a person working on a laptop with a copyright symbol

Leadership and Management,Marketing and Communications

Nonprofits and Copyrights: What You Need to Know

ByKate Spelman February 2, 2010 Leadership and Management,Marketing and Communications

Copyright attorney Kate Spelman shares how your nonprofit can protect its original material and ensure you’re not improperly using someone else’s material.