Management

In order to maximize your volunteer program’s effectiveness and provide a positive volunteer experience, you’ll need to devise a concrete management strategy that prioritizes your volunteers’ needs. Because there are so many moving parts involved in volunteer management, many nonprofits get a little lost along the way (and some don’t even know where to start). If that sounds like your organization, never fear! In this article, we’ll talk through 5 common volunteer management mistakes that nonprofits make every day, and we’ll show you some surefire ways to correct them. Here’s an overview of the mistakes we’ll cover: You’re not communicating clearly. [...]

  Are liberal arts degrees the norm in the nonprofit sector? These days, many recent college graduates experience cautious optimism. The world is at their fingertips, but what lucrative direction will their degrees take them? For liberal arts graduates in areas such as sociology and philosophy, job prospects could seem limited - on the surface. However, isn’t the nonprofit realm a place of comfort where such job seekers may utilize their broad studies in writing, analysis, and research for the plethora of tasks required of most positions? According to a June 2014 report in Nonprofit Quarterly, the type of degree a [...]

Succession planning for nonprofit organizations requires more attention. A CompassPoint and Meyer Foundation study in 2011 found that only 17% of nonprofits surveyed had a document detailing their succession planning. However, 67% of executive directors anticipated leaving the organization within the next five years. Further, the study found nearly a third of current directors (31%) had tenure of fewer than three years, which was more than the 27% of executives who had ten or more years of experience. Clearly, as the economy continues to improve and the nonprofit sector evolves with the demands of the 21st Century, there is a great [...]

If your passions have led you to consider starting a nonprofit, then you’ll be happy to know that nonprofits come with a host of benefits. Perhaps the most well-known advantage is becoming eligible for tax exemption, but there are many others that are equally beneficial. After becoming a nonprofit, your organization will enjoy limited liability under the law and be eligible to receive grants and donations. Additionally once you get over the hurdle of initial funding, nonprofits tend to attract very interesting employees. Oftentimes, people that work for these organizations have a strong work ethic and are very passionate about helping [...]