July, 2006

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The Fifth Requirement

The Nonprofit Consultant

Leila Johnson, of the Data-Scribe blog, has a great post on 5 Things to Demand from a Consultant. (Data-Scribe provides database, Web site, Internet branding, and software training services for nonprofits, associations, and small businesses.) The first four are good advice, but fairly basic: A nondisclosure agreement, Past project samples or references, A written contract or a willingness to sign yours, and Great listening skills.

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Nonprofit Fights Poverty With Poverty

The Nonprofit Consultant

"In 2005, Helping Hearts distributed over $4,700 in various food and clothing donations, found temporary and part-time work for more than 110 adults, and was instrumental in the passage of increased homeless and transitional housing funding in the city. It also had an operating budget of $18,280, putting it below the federally mandated poverty threshold for a family of four.

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Working with Consultants - Make Some Noise!

The Nonprofit Consultant

I'm going to let you in on a little trade secret. If you hire me to be your consultant or your grant proposal writer, you won't be my only client. The continued viability of my business (and my mortgage payments, etc.) depends on my juggling several clients at a time. I doubt any other consultant (nonprofit or not) is any different. We may have one or two "main" projects at any one time, supported by a few "back burner" projects that are less demanding, but we all have multiple clients - - or we

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Volunteer Match

The Nonprofit Consultant

I'm in the midst of planning an event and meeting for one of my nonprofit clients right now, and we're in need of volunteers to help the day run smoothly. In addition to sending out emails to all our networks, I also just posted a listing for the event on VolunteerMatch.org. VolunteerMatch is a great resource that I've used many times in different organizations.

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PowerPoint Best Practices for Creating Stellar Presentations

Mastering data visualization in PowerPoint will help accelerate your career because it positions you as someone who can present data that drives business decisions forward. think-cell's PowerPoint Best Practices eBook was created specifically for professionals aiming to master the art and science of data-driven storytelling. What’s inside: Practical Insights: Uncover valuable tips for crafting engaging and persuasive presentations.

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Tainted Money?

The Nonprofit Consultant

What if a major donor of yours - one whose name is featured on your building plaque - were to be arrested and found guilty on charges of fraud and embezzlement? Would you remove his name from your building? Would you return the money? Would you make a donation to the fund for those who he swindled? These are not just abstract ethics teasers for the many organization in the Aspen, Colorado area that were philanthropic beneficiaries of the late Ken Lay , who died just after conviction (but before

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The High Cost of Reporting Requirements

The Nonprofit Consultant

The United Press International has just discovered what those of us who work within nonprofit organizations have already known for years: nonprofit social service providers spend too much time and money trying to meet the reporting requirements of funder. They quote a yearlong RAND corporation study that found that nonprofit staff spend up to half of their time (and 11% of their agencies' budgets) collecting information, tracking expenses, writing reports, and attending meetings to meet funding

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Feed Me!

The Nonprofit Consultant

I will be away from the office for the next several days, and most likely will not have the opportunity to post anything here. This is a good opportunity for you to subscribe to this blog's feed. By subscribing you'll always know when there are new postings here without having to check the site. When you click the subscribe link you'll be taken to Feedburner.com and given the option of how you want to read this blog.

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Bad News in Threes

The Nonprofit Consultant

They say that bad news always happens in threes, and within the last couple of weeks three nonprofit agencies with which I've been associated have made negative announcements. One is going through another round of lay-offs, another is having lay-offs and disclosed a massive deficit and service cuts, and the third is shutting down completely. Frankly, one of them has been mismanaged for years and is mostly responsible for its own problems.

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Should Philanthropy Go On Forever?

The Nonprofit Consultant

Most charitable foundations in this country operate as perpetual giving machines. That is, they manage their funds and grant making in such a way that they will never spend out their entire endowment. In fact, many manage to grow their endowed base, even while awarding out millions of dollars in grants each year. The IRS mandates that foundations must spend down at least 5% of their endowment each year, or face penalties.

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How to Stay Competitive in the Evolving State of Martech

Marketing technology is essential for B2B marketers to stay competitive in a rapidly changing digital landscape — and with 53% of marketers experiencing legacy technology issues and limitations, they’re researching innovations to expand and refine their technology stacks. To help practitioners keep up with the rapidly evolving martech landscape, this special report will discuss: How practitioners are integrating technologies and systems to encourage information-sharing between departments and pr

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Thick Skin and Good Advice

The Nonprofit Consultant

There's an old quote from Babe Ruth that I love to apply to fundraising: "Each strike gets me closer to the next home run." I was reminded of that yesterday when I read Adviser to fund-raisers: Go where the money is in The Journal News. The article is about Peter J. Gallagher, who has been in the nonprofit fundraising business for over 40 years. "Failing nine times out of 10 is enough to get a worker fired in most jobs," the article begins.

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What Exactly Is a Grant Writer?

The Nonprofit Consultant

This seems like an obvious enough question, and yet it does come up from time to time, even in professional circles, as it did this week in an online discussion group I belong to. One the main services I provide to my nonprofit clients is popularly called "grant writing" although, technically, it's not accurate. What I do is more properly called "grant proposal writing.

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Transferring Assets Between Nonprofits

The Nonprofit Consultant

Here's a question that I received by email this week: What are the rules for giving part of your profits from a fundraiser to another nonprofit? What follows is from my email response: Interesting question! If you are asking about IRS rules for transferring assets to another nonprofit, I don't think it's very difficult at all, although you should consult with your accountant to make sure it's done properly.