Doing Good is a Business

To my nonprofit board members: #everyone is a fundraiser. Please do not join a board and not expect to fundraise. If you don't want to, that's OK. Share that in the interview if you get to that point in the recruitment process. EDs/Board Presidents: be sure to set this expectation up front in the interview process, so no one is surprised when they're asked to give a donor prospect list, write a donation appeal, call donors to thank them, send an email, invite people to events, etc. Fund development is not just the ED's responsibility. #boardtip

Ready to launch your nonprofit vision or just getting started? Join me on Monday, February 24th at 6 pm EST to learn the #business of nonprofits. Register for this free event at https://lnkd.in/emPCZqzJ

Despite what it looks like; despite the chaos, confusion, and mayhem over the past 24 hours in particular, what I know for sure, is that nonprofits will always show up and rise to the occasion! This is still the time to assess policies, procedures, funding models, contingency plans, new leadership, even. Tough conversations to be had perhaps, but necessary. We got this. ????

Nonprofits: now is the time to utilize your special meeting rules to discuss the effects of this vast amount of executive orders, how it effects your mission goals, execution, budget, and more... because it does in some way. It will take more than one meeting to create a viable strategy but start the conversation now if you haven't already. No need to wait until the next scheduled board meeting. EDs - you can't (and shouldn't) do this on your own. The board must be involved. This should be led by the board President but you both should be in agreement on the approach. If you have an Executive Committee, discussions should happen here as well. Although the board should know the org's funding sources, programs, and how they align with the mission, come to the meeting prepared with this information. The board can't effectively lead, vote, oversee, provide guidance without this information.

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I just kicked off my Volunteer Recruitment Sprint with my Urban Awareness USA board development group! Over the next few months, they will identify volunteer opportunities to help EDs delegate tasks so they can focus on the business, growth, and sustainability and move working boards to true governing boards. They'll create JDs, workflows, volunteer recruiting posts, policies, and more. They are planning, implementing, and executing. 2025 is the year of delegation and structure for BRL with Jaemellah. Let's go!! #nonprofits #boarddevelopment

The first 3 things to consider before starting a nonprofit is summed up in W.H.Y... #Whom will we serve (who is your service population/ what is your cause?) #How will we serve them/the cause (services, experiences, when someone comes to you for support, what can they expect, how will their lives be better/ how will supporting this cause improve the community, quality of life, impact, etc? What sets your mission a part from similar organizations already doing the work? #Y (why) are you starting the nonprofit? What are your personal reasons? Why are you passionate about doing this work? Next, you want to complete a needs assessment to determine if your idea/ services are really needed and not just another duplication of services.

When a client or student mentions that their board doesn't give, my first question is do they know they're supposed to? Followed by was that expectation set during recruitment? If so, did they sign a financial commitment statement outlining their give amount, how it'll be donated (frequency), and provide at least five people they plan to connect with it about the mission? Did you explain the give/get policy? Did you explain that fundraising is a major part of their fiduciary duties? Have they seen the financials to know the costs associated with operating the organization? Like donors, they need to know where the money is going. They also need to know where it's most needed so they can focus their efforts in cultivating the right contacts to get the necessary funding. Do they have impact statements/results, stats, annual report, etc? (Do they know what to say to potential donors and funders?) Can they easily access information about programmatic needs? Do they have giving tools (do they know how to donate to the org)? Have they received fundraising training/education? #boardfundraising #nonprofit

This may sting a little, but I'm saying it out of love....the IRS, Secretary of State, and other legal entities don't care that you don't know how to get in and stay in compliance. As a business, it's your responsibility to know. This is why I will tell any Founder to get educated about the industry #before launching so that all of your passion and hard work isn't diminished or questioned because of legal issues. #geteducated #riskmanagement #dothework

I'm going to the #boarddev vault. Here's on my favorite. This of course is not all you need to be mindful of, but it's a good start.