This week, we get an eagle’s-eye view of the nonprofit sector from Bob Ottenhoff, CEO of Guidestar , an online service where you can find detailed information about your favorite nonprofits. We discuss what’s happening in the non-profit sector, what his concerns are for it, and what opportunities he sees for nonprofits, particularly in light of continuing uncertainty about government funding. He urges nonprofit leaders to see this as a great period of liberation and to embrace change. You’ll be ...
Apr 02, 2012•37 min
Many nonprofits run on a tight budget and will love to hear that there’s an organization of very bright undergraduate students who are eager to provide pro bono consultation to local non-profits. Students Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations has a growing number of chapters on college and university campuses. SCNO members apply their personal skills and coursework knowledge toward complex issues facing nearby non-profits. Not all students can join the chapters, only the ones who are very brigh...
Mar 26, 2012•41 min
Every month, I see at least one story in an American newspaper about an employee of a nonprofit who has stolen money from the organization. Theft happens across a spectrum of large and small, national and local, efficient and inefficient nonprofits. In every story, the leaders say they were completely shocked that a person they trusted, worked beside, shared lunch with, and thought they knew was stealing from their non-profit. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS So what is it...
Mar 19, 2012•35 min
Most leaders of active non-profits produce a monthly balance sheet and income statement. However, many don’t produce a cash flow projection which tells executives and board members if they’ll have enough cash in the bank to cover the bills every month. On this week’s show, my guest and I discuss why managing cash flow and using a projection is so helpful. For instance, you won’t panic when you see a deficit on your next income statement. You’ll anticipate when you’ll need to borrow cash and you’...
Mar 12, 2012•43 min
The non-profit sector excels at meeting community needs and is becoming masterful with non-profit best management practices. But are these enough? To solve the problems of our day, my guest this week asserts that the job of nonprofits is not to provide services but to develop leaders. he even redefines the concept of leadership: that it’s an action for the many, not a position held by a few. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS Paul Schmitz is the CEO of Public Allies , which ...
Mar 05, 2012•48 min
On this week’s show, Christine Durand of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and I focus again on her website redesign project. Christine is the communications and marketing director for that organization. Non profit leaders may be wondering why I’d do a show about websites when those projects often have little to do with my target audience of executive directors and boards. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS Here’s why: You almost always underestimate the time that’s requir...
Feb 27, 2012•40 min
There’s nothing that makes newer non-profit leaders more nervous than asking for money, especially from individuals. Their hearts clench. Their eyes glaze over. Their bodies freeze like deer looking into headlights. I’m not sure what all that’s about but perhaps you’ll feel better when I tell you that the experience is universal and automatic. You’re not alone. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS I can also tell you that thousands of leaders have made a conscious choice to ov...
Feb 20, 2012•56 min
Almost every day, we read about passionate people who want to solve a big problem and they do so in myriad ways. We hear about social entrepreneurs, social enterprises, and for-profits and non-profits, all working toward social change. Clearly, we are long past the days when non-profits are the only do-gooders in the world. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS In 2008, a student at Stanford University designed a machine that punches holes in plastic tubing. His idea has turned...
Feb 13, 2012•52 min
The Traveling Guitar Foundation is a rising nonprofit star. It was founded in the New York tri-state area less than three years ago by Damon Marks, a guitarist and songwriter. Damon has performed and recorded with notable musicians including Bret Michaels, Beyonce, Melanie Fiona, and Marco Mendoza and was a touring guitarist on Alicia Keys’ Freedom Tour . The Foundation travels to schools whose music programs are in jeopardy and gives music education clinics and concerts, and donates guitars, am...
Feb 06, 2012•55 min
One of the most daunting projects every non-profit has to face at some point is a website redesign. It is time consuming, has great potential for complications and cost overruns, and requires both big picture thinking and attention to the smallest details. The redesign requires lengthy conversations and lots of work by many people, all happening on top of their day to day work. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS On this week’s show, I speak with Christine Durand, communicati...
Jan 30, 2012•43 min
Why is it that volunteer involvement and management is rarely given the same amount of attention that non-profit leaders give to fundraising and programs? Let’s be honest. What most leaders do is give a kindly pat-on-the-head to volunteers and the staff who manage them. But what if we considered volunteers as the brains of the organization who are fully capable of supporting all managers and fulfilling the mission of the organization? My guests this week make a compelling case for being as strat...
Jan 23, 2012•56 min
You know how you’re having a problem with your board? Consider that at the root of it is weak and possibly, worthless board orientation. All those complaints you have about how board members meddle or misbehave or don’t “get” the organization could disappear with thoughtful, ongoing board learning about what good governance is, how big picture the board needs to be, and how the board can best support the staff. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS On the show this week, Dr. De...
Jan 16, 2012•48 min
On this week’s show, I speak with John P. Langan CPA, managing partner of CliftonLarsonAllen , a top 20 national accounting firm with 225 professionals serving more than 5,000 not-for-profit organizations in 18 states. John has served the non-profit sector for more than 25 years and worked with all sizes and types of non-profits and trade associations. John talks about the things that concern him about non-profit finances. CliftonLarsonAllen is the primary sponsor of Nonprofit Spark. Subscribe w...
Jan 09, 2012•51 min
A primary responsibility of a non-profit board is to create policies that support the use of best practices in the organization. What are basic policies every non-profit board should approve? How are these different from policies that staff create? My guest this week is Paula J. MacLean, author of the Canadian best-seller, Great Boards Plain and Simple . We hone in on conflict of interest, committee and financial oversight policies, and even a “what kind of board are we?” policy. We also discuss...
Jan 02, 2012•56 min
On this show, I speak with Nancy Engelken, executive director of Housing Colorado ! who describes how she considers the strategic plan and fundraising plan in the budgeting process. I also speak with Jason Spessard of LarsonAllen accounting form who describes the benefits of outsourcing non-profit bookkeeping and non-profit accounting functions. There’s something here for large and small non-profit leaders who want a fresh point of view about non-profit financial management. Subscribe with your ...
Dec 26, 2011•46 min
Many non-profits are great about consistently educating constituents about why their organization’s work matters. They often fall short on their advocacy work, however. Meeting with legislators and testifying about a bill is often done at the last minute. Little time is taken in the months prior to speak with and get in the world of legislators to find common ground. On this show, I speak with Jeff Mikulina, executive director of Blue Planet Foundation , which is based in Honolulu, Hawaii, about...
Dec 19, 2011•42 min
It’s easy to get into legal hot water as inexperienced and overburdened staff people add copyrighted text, images and graphics from other sources to your organization’s website. The people who created that content in the first place call it theft. On this show, I speak with Clinton Forry , a nationally-recognized content strategist in the financial services industry, about how important it is to govern your website’s content, much like your board governs your organization. We talk about ways we ...
Dec 05, 2011•51 min
Non-profit marketing and communications goes well beyond writing web content and sending e-newsletters. You also need to explore online marketing tools like Facebook, Twitter, blogs and more: non-profit social media. And don’t forget search engine optimization (SEO) to help potential non-profit volunteers, donors and advocates find you on the Web. How about turning to a free non-profit resource for help? On this show, I interview Eric Facas of Media Cause , a new non-profit that has enlisted mor...
Nov 29, 2011•42 min
It’s the week of Thanksgiving, that unique American holiday, so Host Renee McGivern is replaying an episode from August 1, 2011. It’s packed with ideas and solutions that get more practical as the show progresses. Volunteering on a dysfunctional non-profit board drives you crazy and makes you wonder, “Why do I put myself through this?” This week’s show addresses dysfunctional board meetings and non-profit governance. Susan Mogenson of Brown Dog Consulting is an expert on non-profit governance. T...
Nov 21, 2011•1 hr 2 min
Because nonprofits can create materials using desktop publishing software, we assume that printing that material is a breeze. But ask printers and they’ll say many non-profits have no idea what they’re doing. My guest this week is Dee Conklin, the owner of Palliser Printing in Invermere, British Columbia. She describes common problems that printing customers make and how to avoid them. She also talks about how important a relationship with a local printer can be, particularly if you’re going to ...
Nov 14, 2011•7 min
The most effective non-profit leaders and fundraisers are masters of communication. They use words that all types of people understand; they save jargon for conversations with experts in their field. On this show, I interview Tony Proscio , a communications consultant and contributor to the useful online tool, The Jargon Finder . We discuss how you’ll know if you’ve fallen into the jargon trap, and tricks professional communicators use to make sure their words create a connection with donors and...
Nov 07, 2011•47 min
Contributions from foundations, individuals and government sources can ebb and flow with the economy. It makes considerable sense, then, to create a social enterprise in your nonprofit that helps sustain the organization in good times and bad. According to Rolfe Larson of Rolfe Larson Associates , the strongest non-profits in the 21st century will have a solid moneymakng strategy in addition to a traditional fundraising strategy. What are the characteristics of non-profits with successful social...
Oct 31, 2011•42 min
Handheld bidding devices add a cool factor to silent and live auctions but are they worth the expense? How do you make sure they help you net more money than last year’s event? On this show, I speak with Sherry Truhlar of Red Apple Auctions , an auctioneer and certified meeting planner who discusses when it makes sense to use these handheld devices and when it doesn’t. She also describes an effective way to incorporate them into the live “ask” at your event so donors are seen and recognized desp...
Oct 24, 2011•40 min
As many as 75% of non-profit executive directors will be retiring in the next five years. Are you ready for a search process? On this week’s show, I speak with Phyllis Hockett, board president of the Utah Nonprofit Association , about the search process that board has undertaken to replace the retired executive director. The process includes members and staff but is being developed on-the-fly; there was no succession plan to work from but you’ll get ideas here for your own plan. Hockett also is ...
Oct 17, 2011•58 min
It’s a common complaint: Why doesn’t the media feature my nonprofit or cover the issues we care about? On this week’s show, we explore how you should connect to reporters, share your stories and engage the community in caring about your issues. My guests and I take the mystery out of working with the media and provide some very concrete advice and a great example of effective media relations. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS My first guest is Cynthia Wallace of Media Story...
Oct 10, 2011•25 min
On this week’s show, I focus on two Minnesota-based organizations to explore examples of nonprofit innovation and community engagement. They demonstrate nonprofits’ amazing ability to be nimble and creative in response to the constituents they serve. They’re passionate, common sense leaders and you’ll get some great ideas from them. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS My first guest, Angie Miller of Community Action Duluth , piqued my interest because in an economically depre...
Oct 03, 2011•54 min
On this show, I speak with the Brook McDonald, the president and CEO of The Conservation Foundation , a highly effective nonprofit that is a superb example of what it means to be “stakeholder-driven.” The dictionary defines stakeholder as a type of organization in which all the members or participants are seen as having an interest in its success. As I speak with Brook McDonald, you’ll hear how being stakeholder-driven permeates internal and external facets of the Foundation’s work. Involving lo...
Sep 26, 2011•54 min
This week, I focus on planned giving and endowments. While the area of planned giving can get complicated fairly quickly, we hone in on the types of planned gifts that just about every nonprofit should encourage, especially once you have a stable annual giving program. My first guest is Phil Schumacher of Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation who has more than 25 years of fundraising experience. In addition to discussing planned gifts, we look at endowments, too, to help you think through whethe...
Sep 19, 2011•1 hr
On this week’s show, I speak with nonprofit sector innovator and author Dan Pallotta who is challenging Americans’ long-held beliefs about charities that he says constrain nonprofits from solving the problems of the world. Subscribe with your favorite podcast player Android RSS Pallotta invented the multi-day AIDSRides and Breast Cancer 3-Days Walks, fundraisers that have gone on for so long now that we forget there was a time they didn’t exist. In the nine years his for-profit company ran these...
Sep 05, 2011•41 min
What’s happening when everything feels like a struggle? Consider your organization could be naturally progressing from one stage of development to another. On this week’s show, I speak to Judy Sharken Simon of MAP for Nonprofits about her book, The Five Life Stages of Nonprofit Organizations: Where You Are, Where You’re Going, and What to Expect When You Get There . She wrote this oldie but goodie to help staff and boards understand how they fit into the natural cycle of nonprofit life and also,...
Aug 29, 2011•1 hr
