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2017Eleven Ways to Increase Nonprofit Revenue
Dania Toscano Miwa and Jim Toscano For many nonprofits the current revenue situation is undergoing change, especially those seeking growth. With increasing numbers of nonprofits, higher competition, changes in individual giving, more narrow focusing of many foundations and corporations and impending loss of some government funding, where do we look for stability and growth of revenue? Here are eleven options. Many work together. Not all, or any, may fit specific nonprofit organizations. Hopefully, out of these possibilities, will come some opportunity for increased revenue or a stimulus for creative new options. Overall, the first step is to build a culture…
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20162017: Ten Non-profit Trends
2017 is shaping up to be a watershed year for non-profits. Major change looms, especially in government policy, where government discretionary spending will go down, tax policy will change and health care and other social services will get major rearranging. These changes will affect the private sectors -the for-and non-profits- in varying ways but with opportunity for growth and greater service. Sector shift will continue. Government will both get out of some direct services and cut funds traditionally flowing to non-profits. Non-profits will be called upon to fill gaps left by these changes. B-Corps and other double and triple bottom…
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2013Sector Agnosticism
A post by James V. Toscano Saturday’s HBR e-newsletter has a nifty article, “How to Woo Talent From the For-Profit World.” by Jenny Davis-Peccoud, who heads Bain’s global social impact practice. She leads off with “ Social enterprises and nonprofits increasingly recognize the need to adopt management disciplines used successfully in the for-profit world.” Davis-Peccoud states that the major reason for those with this business training and skill who do change “career lanes” and go into some type of nonprofit work is to follow a passion for social impact. She cites a number of nonprofits that have benefitted from such…
01
2013
Guest Post – Flaws in the Social Impact Bond Craze
A Post from Jon Pratt, Executive Director, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Social Impact Bonds is a concept that is definitely at a taking-off point, with some big money and very well-known supporters (Rockefeller Foundation, Kennedy School of Government, McKinsey, New York Mayor Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs, etc.). However fast growing the Social Impact Bond promotion, there are several reasons to closely examine and question the claims made for SIBs: First, it’s easy to see why this idea is attractive — if it could deliver more resources and better results, what public official or taxpayer wouldn’t be for it? It is also…
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2013Guest Post – Is It Time For New Terminology?
A post by Jim Thalhuber In a recent Harvard Business Review posting (HRB Blog Network, January 14, 2013), author Deborah Mills-Scofield argues that the historical distinction between “social” and “non-social” businesses, and “purpose” vs. “profit” is artificial and antiquated. Ms. Mills-Scofield cites several examples of companies that “profitably and purposefully balance doing well and doing good,” including Patagonia, Virgin and Cemex. Right on, Ms. Mills-Scofield! And I would add to your list the terms “nonprofit” and “for-profit.”
02
2013
A Recap – The Most Popular Posts in 2012
Happy New Year! In looking back over last year, Jim and I were interested to see what resonated with our readers the most and are eager to hear what topics our readers wished we’d written about. (The comment box below is a great place to let us know what you’d like to read more about, or if you’d prefer, send me an email at Dania(@)ToscanoAdvisors.com.) These are the top five most read posts of last year. 1. 5 Myths about Social Media for Nonprofit Organizations 2. Why Does a Nonprofit Board Need Young People? 3. The Ten “Must” Agreements Between…
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2012
Guest Post – The Best Advice to Achieve Success
Post by Gary Gilson When I headed the Minnesota News Council I heard what I consider the best advice for a nonprofit on how to achieve success. I was in Denver to conduct an ethics workshop for managers of public radio stations in the far west, and I heard a Washington, D.C.-based consultant tell them the two most important things they could do: 1) convince their audience that the station belonged to the listeners, not to the management, and 2) take risks to grow, even if risks meant incurring debt. In other words, a nonprofit had to be entrepreneurial to…
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2011Social Media and Organizational Professionalism
Post by Dania Toscano Miwa Professionalism has been completely redefined as social media, and online networks have changed the way we interact with one another. What is professional and what is personal are now much harder to distinguish. Professional/personal lines are blurred online with both friends and colleagues on professional and personal sites. (See my description on Twin Cities Young Nonprofit Professionals Network Blog, here.)
05
2011
The 39 Steps
Post by James V. Toscano The following is a teaching tool to be used with potential solicitors after research has been done, after ratings have been done by a committee, and after a campaign has been organized. It assumes a team of two persons making the call: a peer volunteer and a professional staff person expert in the substance of the campaign, not often a development officer. Two volunteers could make the call, but it is always better to have one peer and one professional, the president or executive director, and a board member. This is part of a larger…