The sustainable nonprofit

The sustainable nonprofit column examines critical issues related to nonprofit sustainability through the eyes of nonprofit leaders, practitioners, and consultants. For more information, contact Kyoko Uchida, managing editor, kyoko.uchida@candid.org.

Learning as compromise: a hard look at evaluation in today’s nonprofit sector

Learning as compromise: a hard look at evaluation in today’s nonprofit sector

December 10, 2020 Maoz (Michael) Brown, Leah Reisman

In the context of capacity and funding limitations, the authors argue, learning serves as a more flexible form of evaluation practice than traditional outcome evaluation, in that it addresses clients' needs and funders' expectations while remaining feasible within existing constraints....

The next crisis: nonprofit leadership exodus

The next crisis: nonprofit leadership exodus

December 7, 2020 Kris Putnam-Walkerly

In addition to providing emergency funding, funders should be thinking about what they can do to support exhausted nonprofit leaders on the front lines of the pandemic response. In her latest, Putnam-Walkerly shares five things funders can do to disrupt the scarcity paradigm....

The role of offline and online behavior in advancing social causes

The role of offline and online behavior in advancing social causes

November 2, 2020 Derrick Feldmann

An analysis of how young Americans responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and protests against police brutality against African Americans found that social media tends to bring together both like-minded people and people with polarizing views across all types of divides for "conversations" that unfold in real time....

Evaluation has a key role to play in racial equity work

Evaluation has a key role to play in racial equity work

October 29, 2020 Dominica McBride

The founder and CEO of BECOME, a nonprofit organization that uses evaluation as a tool to advance social justice and thriving communities, argues that evaluation is most effective when it is culturally responsive and engages multiple stakeholders — especially those likely to be impacted by the intervention — in the process of developing questions, designing solutions, and recommending next steps based on lessons learned....

How to achieve brand consistency for your nonprofit

How to achieve brand consistency for your nonprofit

October 16, 2020 Howard Adam Levy

The president of the Red Rooster Group outlines seven steps to ensure consistent application of a unified visual identity and messaging, which is critical to building brand recognition....

Donors have an opportunity to build on last year's strong giving

Donors have an opportunity to build on last year's strong giving

September 16, 2020 Rick Dunham

The the immediate past chair of the Giving USA Foundation and founder and CEO of Dunham + Company observes that charitable organizations that have maintained donation levels did so by pivoting quickly to donor-centric communications that emphasized the challenges donors might be facing while also affirming the relevance of their missions, and that many donors have cited COVID-19 as the main reason they plan to give more....

Nonprofits: it's time to redefine your corporate relationships

Nonprofits: it's time to redefine your corporate relationships

September 4, 2020 Derrick Feldmann

Feldmann, whose latest book is The Corporate Social Mind, argues that nonprofits have an opportunity, even a responsibility, to help companies successfully engage customers, employees, and stakeholders in taking action on social issues....

Thinking twice before hosting a virtual fundraiser

Thinking twice before hosting a virtual fundraiser

August 3, 2020 Evan Wildstein

Wildstein, a fundraiser for the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, outlines important questions and considerations nonprofits should examine before deciding to host a virtual fundraising event....

How to work effectively with an outside consultant

How to work effectively with an outside consultant

August 1, 2020 Howard Adam Levy

The president of Red Rooster Group offers tips for working with a consultant or consulting firm to refine your organization's strategy planning, revamp its brand, or rethink its fundraising strategy....

Young Americans, racial equity, and the pandemic

Young Americans, racial equity, and the pandemic

July 23, 2020 Derrick Feldmann

In his latest, Feldmann shares five key takeaways from a series of survey questions posed to young Americans (ages 18-30) conducted immediately after the killing of George Floyd....

The power of diverse boards: an argument for change

The power of diverse boards: an argument for change

June 19, 2020 Pam Cannell

The CEO of BoardBuild explains how diversity drives organizational performance, inclusion drives action, and the outcome is equity — and calls on nonprofit board members to speak out about developing policies that strengthen diversity and building leadership that supports change....

A good RFP attracts better partners for your project

A good RFP attracts better partners for your project

June 12, 2020 Howard Adam Levy

The president of brand strategy firm Red Rooster Group outlines steps for creating a clear Request for Proposal and selecting the right branding agency or fundraising consultant who can help a nonprofit revise its strategic plan and shape its future.... 

The Reinvention of the Nonprofit

The Reinvention of the Nonprofit

June 2, 2020 Derrick Feldmann

In this time of uncertainty, nonprofits' embrace of innovation and technology should not merely be focused on substitution, writes Feldmann, but should aim instead to develop entirely new experiences....

Nonprofits Need Certainty in Uncertain Times

Nonprofits Need Certainty in Uncertain Times

May 22, 2020 Sarah DiJulio

Before the crisis, writes M+R's DiJulio, the key to effective digital fundraising was to communicate timely, emotionally relevant appeals designed to motivate supporters to feel like they can make a difference. That hasn't changed a bit....

Nonprofits and COVID-19: No Money – No Mission

Nonprofits and COVID-19: No Money – No Mission

April 27, 2020 Leslie Crutchfield, Ernest Rosemond

The executive director of Business for Impact at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business and the program director for Business for Impact's New Strategies program argue that some nonprofits will thrive in the current volatile environment, some will be forced to close, and some — with the help of smart, speedy planning — will survive....