Category: not for profit

For the past couple of years, investment fraud has been the costliest type of scam reported to the FBI’s Crime Complaint Center. The FBI generally defines investment fraud as schemes where criminals misrepresent themselves or lie to victims to gain control of assets that the perpetrators then mishandle or steal. This may not sound like…

Without a predictable revenue stream, you’ll have a hard time budgeting, funding priorities and planning for the future. Right now, many organizations are grappling with sudden federal grant cuts. If this is your nonprofit’s situation — and even if it isn’t — you should assess your revenue streams between audits using the same techniques professional…

A fictional nonprofit lost its executive director (ED) when she died unexpectedly. The charity had a basic contingency plan, but the document didn’t name an actual successor for the ED position. Fortunately, the plan outlined procedures for finding a new leader, and the already-assembled search team was able to interview several candidates and hire a…

All good things must come to an end — including the tenure of a respected founder or executive. Just make sure that the departure of your not-for-profit’s leader remains smooth throughout the exit and transition process. An exit agreement may help. Compensation and a continuing relationship Exit agreements are legal documents, usually developed by a…

If your not-for-profit wants to make an organization-wide New Year’s resolution for 2025, how about this: Strengthen our brand. Although branding strategies usually are associated with the for-profit sector, they can be just as critical in helping your nonprofit stand out in a sea of organizations seeking funding and attention. What it is Branding uses…

Federated not-for-profits are single corporate entities with multiple chapters. There’s no one definitive legal structure for federated organizations. But local chapters generally operate independently of their national headquarters and pay a certain percentage of income to their national office in exchange for the name, branding and other benefits. Many large organizations, including Boys & Girls…

It’s understandable if your not-for-profit has been putting off launching a capital campaign — despite having grand plans to build a new facility, make major purchases or expand a key program. After all, myths abound about the risks of pursuing such large fundraising projects. According to the Association of Fundraising Professionals, included in these myths…

Brad, the development director of an international environmental charity, was thrilled to learn from a fundraising staffer that one of the charity’s past supporters was promising to make a new, six-figure donation. But there was a catch: The donor was going to attach restrictions to her gift. She didn’t, for example, want her money used…

The difference between financial pledges and donations is relatively simple: Pledges are promises to donate sometime in the future, and donations provide immediate support for your not-for-profit organization. What’s not so simple is accounting for pledges. After all, a promise to donate isn’t a guarantee that you’ll receive the money when the contributor says you…

You may know the difference between nonprofit and for-profit accounting systems, but do your newest employees and board members? Not-for-profits and businesses share certain similarities. For example, both must carefully track transactions and produce accurate, timely financial statements. But there are enough differences between the two that you may want to provide training for new…