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2024 Blue Avocado Year in Review
The most read articles of 2024. The editor’s choice article. A recap by topic. This is the 2024 Blue Avocado year in review.
How Nonprofits Can Return to In-Person Board Meetings and Retreats
Explore these tips to have a safe and productive first in-person meeting with your board as the pandemic winds down.
Passion Meets Professionalism: Transitioning from Volunteer Leaders to Paid Staff
To be successful, transitions from volunteer leaders to paid staff must be planned, deliberate, and done in an orderly fashion.
Following a Founder or Long-Timer Requires a Hard Head
Blue Avocado asked for potential interviewees who had followed a founder or a long-time executive. We didn’t expect 58 people to respond.
Executive Director Evaluation Survey Form
A process and an evaluation instrument for executive director evaluation surveys. Includes survey in Word format for easy modification.
Funny and Awkward Nonprofit Board Tales
Nonprofit board members tell their tales of woe or whoa: Funny, sad, silly or gut wrenching stories.
Thinking the Unthinkable: Maybe We Should Shut Down
For nonprofits, it’s hard not to think that closing down is the ultimate disaster. But sometimes a lack of money or energy forces the issue.
Three Steps to Effective Board Oversight of Insurance
Be sure that your nonprofit is getting the most value out of your relationship with your broker, and with your insurance companies.
9 Principles to Make Your Nonprofit Fundraising Effective — and Fun!
Raising funds for your nonprofit doesn’t have to be stressful. Learn how one California nonprofit proved that, when designed thoughtfully and collaboratively, fundraising can be successful and enjoyable.
Creating a Roadmap to Synchronize the Board to Your Nonprofit Mission
How roadmaps can help nonprofits launch new ventures, break free from the status quo, and improve conditions for clients, staff, and donors.
Succession Planning for Nonprofits of All Sizes
Planning for executive director transition is called succession planning: Thinking in advance about setting the stage for strong transitions.
A Devil’s Advocate on the Board?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if nonprofit boards could foresee the obstacles ahead — in time to make the right decisions?
What a Finance Committee Can Do for Your Board of Directors
Implementing a finance committee of the board of directors was one of the best things our organization ever did. Here’s why.
Never Waste a Good Crisis: Why, When & How to Hire an Interim Executive Director
Don’t let a sudden leadership gap sink your mission. Hiring an interim expert can turn a chaotic exit into a powerful organizational turnaround.
Sarbanes-Oxley and Nonprofits: Bogeyman in the Boardroom?
Although Sarbanes-Oxley wasn’t aimed at nonprofits, some saw the law’s passage as a wake-up call for nonprofits.
Five Years and Growing: How One Nonprofit Built a Sustainable, Collaborative Mission
An executive director shares the story of a nonprofit’s first five years, and her process of building sustainable nonprofit collaborations.
Gifts from the Board Chair
Your nonprofit should have a written Conflict of Interest policy that Board members review and acknowledge annually.
None of Us is Getting Out Alive: A Guide to Executive Succession Planning
The work you do now to plan for executive succession could mean the difference between whether your organization withers or thrives later.
Six Ways to Know If It’s Time to Leave
Tim Wolfred, a leader in the field of nonprofit executive transitions, on how to weigh both the organization’s needs, and your own heart.
How to Implement Strategic Inquiry at Your Nonprofit in 5 Steps
Five steps nonprofits can take to implement strategic inquiry including building board support, listening to community, research, broadening networks, and sharing the journey.