While the focus of nonprofit organizations is often on their programs, ensuring a secure location is equally important. The reality is that nonprofit organizations are vulnerable to displacement and can be impacted by real estate market conditions. This impact is particularly felt in metropolitan areas and in high cost of living areas. I recently partnered …
Individual giving accounts for over 72% of all charitable giving in the USA, according to the annual report on charitable giving in the US by GivingUSA. This number fluctuates a bit from year to year, but on a relative basis, it’s consistent. With $358 billion in total charitable giving in the US in 2014, $258 …
The strength and success of nonprofit arts organizations today relies on our ability to proactively engage with audiences and donors in meaningful ways. In a world of instant feedback, extensive relationship networks and an environment where prospective audiences have access to infinite information and abundant leisure-time options, we must develop strategies to engage with our …
Opus partner Alexandra Urbanowski recently led a workshop on Nonprofit Financial Literacy in San Jose, California. She shares this recap. The goal of the session was to demystify financial statements for Board and staff leadership with minimal financial training and to help these leaders make smart decisions based on key financial indicators. Understanding financial statements, knowing …
I returned from an all-day planning session in Philadelphia on Saturday completely exhausted but also feeling a tremendous sense of accomplishment. The session was educational – especially for me since I have only recently joined the Board of Nurturing Minds (www.nurturingmindsinafrica.org). The session also allowed me to develop new friendships and deepen old ones. And …
We are a society driven by numbers. We keep track of statistics for our favorite sports teams; we measure the growth and learning milestones of our children based on averages; we track our business success based on sales from quarter to quarter. When we were kids, our status in the group was often measured by …
Most companies give a lot of money away to charities. But far fewer do it with a comprehensive strategy. It’s not really that surprising, if you think about it. And this is particularly true for small to medium sized businesses (with revenue ranging from $1 million to $50 million) because they are typically privately held …
Most nonprofit leaders spend an incredible amount of time focused on keeping their organization’s overhead below 10%. They want to be able to state in their annual report that 90 cents of every dollar raised goes to fund their mission. It’s a great goal, but it often prevents organizations from making investments in infrastructure, whether …