By John T. Keith, J.D., consultant, Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates Fundraising success is increasingly a vital component of an organization’s ability to fulfill its mission. Campaigns have increased in prevalence and frequency and often are dependent upon 90 percent of the dollars being contributed by 10 percent of the donors. (In higher education, this can […]
By Mike Bensi, advisor, FirstPerson “Let’s promote him!” This is unfortunately a very common response by leaders when they have a great performer within their company. He’s been with the company “long enough,” and now the leaders find themselves wondering what they’re going to do so he doesn’t leave the company. What are some signs […]
By Bryan Orander, president, Charitable Advisors Most of us have frequent career conversations. These might take the shape of a friend seeking advice, contemplating our own future, or hiring a new person to join our team. As the employment marketplace tightens, people are becoming more comfortable changing jobs and considering options and alternatives. In the […]
By Jenny Banner, director of strategic initiatives, SmallBox Since SmallBox has been introducing nonprofits to a creative problem-solving methodology called Design Thinking, we often find that people think the creative framework is intimidating. But as we work with people and they learn about the Design Thinking process, they want to apply it to all their […]
By Robert Ramsay, CPA, CISA, CITP, CCSFP, Barnes Dennig Working with nonprofit leaders on a regular basis, the questions I get from the executive directors and C-suite personnel typically revolve around, “How deep in the details do I need to be for my organization?” While the answer to this question varies greatly, there are a […]
By Sara M. Johnson, FACHE Director, Executive Education,IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI While relaxing on a recent cruise to Cuba, I started thinking about leadership (I know…I can’t help it). Ever an observer and student of leadership and organizational culture I was struck by lessons that can be learned on both […]
By Chris Mennel, audit manager, Alerding CPA Group As your nonprofit strives to use its resources as effectively as possible, at some point, you might consider outsourcing the functions that fall under your accounting and financial umbrella. Nonprofits often outsource areas that require specialized knowledge or a significant number of hours, such as payroll processing […]
By Zachary Kester, JD, LLM CFRM, Charitable Allies Spending too much on overhead is bad. But how much is too much? While scholars agree that the 15 percent line implicitly reflected in Part IX of the Form 990 is too low, what’s the sweet spot? And, maybe more importantly, what do funders think? Both scholars and […]
By Amir Pasic, Eugene R. Tempel Dean, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy Judging by the proliferation of research-inspired ventures, it may seem we’re in a golden age of philanthropic knowledge creation. But we are not focusing enough of our efforts on basic research. Given the urgency of finding better ways to solve pressing […]
By Mike Bensi, advisor, FirstPerson I was flipping through some old school papers I’ve hung on to for far too long and found my notes from Michael Porter’s book, Competitive Advantage. If you haven’t heard of Michael Porter, here’s a great summary of him and the business ideas and strategies he’s shared over the years. In this particular […]