Thoughts on Nonprofit Leadership
Several times over the course of my career I have been asked to implement a particular fundraising activity because Organization X raised hundreds of thousands of dollars by doing it. While I, too, want to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, I do not want to do it solely based on what worked...
By Katherine Spinney, ACC, MT, MSW
Since I was nine, I have had some type of paid work. From newspaper delivery to babysitting to nonprofit executive-ing, I have had more jobs than most people have in a lifetime - which means I have gone through countless different hiring processes along the way....
Every nonprofit I know has suffered greatly under COVID-19. As revenues declined and expenses went up, many nonprofits have had to reduce services. There may be people who were getting services who aren’t now. Or people aren’t receiving the same level of services as they did before....
In some nonprofits, the fundraising goal is determined by a budget deficit. Expenses are set first, then committed revenues are put in. The deficit is the fundraising goal for the year. For other nonprofits, the annual fundraising goal is last year’s budget increased by whatever percentage....
We’ve all been hit hard by COVID. Every nonprofit I know has experienced some kind of negative financial impact because of the pandemic. Expenses went up as cleaning guidelines got stricter. Your nonprofit may have had to invest heavily in personal protection equipment. Revenues are down as...
Morale has waned as staff and board struggle to cope. Staff may feel insecure in their jobs, Board members may fear organizational nonexistence. Trust has eroded amidst layoff’s and downsizing. Staff are angry. Board members feel helpless. Emotions are high. Productivity is down. Customer...
In any one day, a nonprofit executive director’s duties can include managing operations; satisfying funders and donors; informing and inspiring board, staff and volunteers; listening to clients; communicating your mission and accomplishments to the public; assessing community needs;...
