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Dec 2011The Ten “Must” Agreements between Board and Executive Director
Post by James V. Toscano There must be agreement: 1. On Vision. Do all agree on the overall Vision, how it is articulated and explicated into program, or are there major differences? Do all agree that this Vision is still relevant and essential to social benefit? 2. On Mission. Is there agreement that the organization’s mission is still the critical pathway to achieve strategic goals? Is there consensus on the processes and/or programs that will achieve Vision? Do all participate in and agree on strategic plan or strategic priorities? Is there agreement that the organization is still viable should it…
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Dec 2011Ten Things Every Nonprofit Board Member Should Know
Post by James V. Toscano 1. The Mission is why we do what we do. Let us focus in on it. 2. The Vision is what ultimately we want to achieve. We need to get there reasonably, effectively, and efficiently. 3. Those who show up at meetings decide what happens. Get to meetings or get off the board.
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Nov 2011Being Thankful
Post by Dania Toscano Miwa I apologize that the post for last week is a bit late. I’ve been trying to put in to words what it is I’m most thankful for. It’s been hard for me to find words that encompass a mission driven sector. Many who’s staff and volunteers spend most of their waking hours not thinking about how to make money, but how to stretch every last dollar the farthest it can go to make the biggest impact.
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Nov 201110 Best Federal Government Revenue Sites
Post by James V. Toscano The federal government has made great strides in the past decade in clarifying the incredibly complex webs of funding streams emanating out of Washington. 1. The single best site is grants.gov. Managed by the Department of Health and Human Services it is an up-to-date repository of current sources of the fed’s largesse. The site helps you find opportunities and then helps you apply for them. There are many other features that make this a frequent stopover. Government benefits, loans funds and small business opportunities are covered elsewhere. 2. The Federal Register is the daily encyclopedic…
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Nov 201110 Basic Ideas About Fundraising
A post by James V. Toscano 1. Fundraising is not about Money. It’s about values, those of the Donor and those of the Organization. Getting alignment between donor values and organization values is the first task in developing a donor base. It’s the beginning of a lifelong relationship. 2. Don’t take the money and run. Fundraising is not one-way but about an exchange of values over time. The organization gets something– resources of the donor– and the donor gets something. Make sure you know what the donor needs if you want the relationship and the exchange to continue. 3. Results…
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Nov 201112 of My Favorite Nonprofit Resources
Post by Dania Toscano Miwa There are many more than 12 but this is just a start. The first 3 are Minnesota based, if you are out of MN, skip to number 4. 1. The Principals and Practices for Nonprofit Excellence – This document is available courtesy of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, which is also an excellent resource for Minnesota Nonprofits. 2. MAP for Nonprofits– Also Minnesota specific, but many of the services they offer, like their board boot camp can be adapted for any board. There are also templates such as an Executive Director evaluation template, local board position openings and a…
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Oct 2011The New Nonprofit
Post by James V. Toscano We often hear of Creation Myths. Genesis has two; most southwestern tribes’ creation involves turtles; and Asians attribute their origins to complex deities. In the U. S., we have creation and creator stories, such as presidents who can’t tell a lie, clearly ancient history. Mythologies of the American Dream, streets paved with gold, two chickens in every pot, and, more recently, high tides raising all boats motivate us to specific actions. Idealistically, we could frame “Destination Myths” about where we would like to go as a society. What does the future hold for us and…
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Oct 2011Networked Collaborative Community: The New Organization?
Post by James V. Toscano Leadership in organizations has traditionally been thought of as the ability to inspire, influence, motivate, persuade and/or compel behaviors and actions in others through decisions made by individuals at the top of the organization. Traditional leadership in nonprofits has been exercised in this model of power from the top down for many years. Yet, in today’s organization, where communication travels at the speed of light and all employees and those beyond are plugged in, everyone needs to be a leader on a scale appropriate for the best decisions to be made. Reams have been written about formal and informal leadership….
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Oct 2011Budgets are Lousy Financial Plans
Reposted from The Nonprofit Assistance Fund’s Blog Post by Kate Barr A large percentage of nonprofits view their strategic plan as an essential part of managing the organization. The process of developing a strategic plan clarifies the purpose of the organization in a mission statement, and gets the staff and board on the same page by setting goals and priorities. The most commonly used tool for financial planning, on the other hand, is the annual budget. For many nonprofits, the financial goal represented by the budget boils down to this: “we hope we can raise enough money to pay for programs…
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Sep 2011Through The Eye Of The Needle
Post by James V. Toscano Through the Eye of the Needle Legions of nonprofit board members think of involvement in fundraising as an unnatural act, while development officers think of it as getting the camel through the eye of the needle. Hundreds of articles on boards and fundraising have been published in the last few years. Many admonish board members to do what they’re legally supposed to do. More helpful articles try teaching board members that they can help and lead in development efforts. Some of these pieces suggest steps to train board members. Here’s my compilation and thoughts on…