After reading Becky McCray’s great article on How to find people to help you with your business at Small Business Survival, I started thinking about the professional help that many nonprofit organizations need. Many of the same services are needed by nonprofits just as they are in the for-profit world.  Like many small businesses, small […]

Your nonprofit needs professional accounting help, but a good CPA can be hard to find. You desire someone who is knowledgeable but understandable, experienced but still affordable, and professional yet interested in your mission. How to find a CPA to help your nonprofit: Tell your staff, members and volunteers of your need and request that […]

“To consult, or not to consult” – that is the question. Or at least it would be if Hamlet were to ask it. Hamlet’s “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” make me think of fund-raising goals too great and resources to meet them too few. His “sea of troubles” sounds like an ocean of red […]

Here are some thoughts on finding, hiring, working with and firing an attorney for a nonprofit organization. A lot will depend on the issue you are addressing. If you are at the beginning of incorporating an organization the talents you need from an attorney are different than one seeking legal help for a grievance by […]

After having spent many years working with non-profit boards, I know enough not to be personally disappointed by any one individual board member. Non-profit board service is a volunteer gig, and it’s tough to get down on someone who is giving of his or her time. Besides, as a leader of a non-profit, we are […]

1. Failure to ask for a gift. Don’t assume that your donors will know what you want them to do. Ask for a gift.  And make sure to include a reply envelope to make it easy for your donors to send their gift to you. 2. Using a dirty list. Keeping your list clean is […]

Grants are not my area of expertise, but I do like to be familiar with the basics. One of those basics of course is that there are many more requests out there than actual grants available. 80% of donations to non-profits come from individuals not foundations or corporations. Which are two reasons I’d rather focus […]