How to translate business skills to the nonprofit sector.
Making the move to a nonprofit organization
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Articles
Project evaluation: Measurements of success
There are many, many methodologies for evaluating projects. A helpful tip is to realize that almost all of these resources will fall into one of three types.
Career Q&A: Taking a year off to travel
A reader wonders how taking a one-year sabbatical might affect future employment options.
Governance Q&A: Who on a board of directors needs to know what the executive director earns?
A board member wonders if it's normal that only the executive committee knows what an executive director earns.
Brands as people-centred dialogues
How to turn your story into a people-centred dialogue, and then into a people-centred brand.
Selling services to survive in the social sector
Government cutbacks and restructured funding practices are creating additional challenges in the sector. That’s why some innovative organizations are taking a second look at what they are good at and finding new ways to generate revenue.
Ten myths of global civil society
Dr. Lester Salamon, author, professor at Johns Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies was the keynote speaker at Imagine Canada’s Symposium “Learning from the World: Canada’s Charitable & Nonprofit Sector through a Global Lens.”
Career Q&A: References from an employer who was difficult to work with
How do you look for a new job when your current supervisor is bullying you? Follow these suggestions for finding great references.
Yesterday and today: The nonprofit sector as a women’s workplace
The Canadian Policy Research Network tells us that 74.3% of nonprofit employees are female (compared to 47.5% of the total workforce in the for-profit sector). What it means for the sector is a question that remains relatively unexplored.
How long do I need to plan a fundraising concert?
A short article discussing how long it takes to organize a fundraising event and a summary of the key tasks involved.
Project communications in one thousand words or less
Communication is fundamental to smoothly delivering a project. Not-for-profit projects often involve multiple stakeholders, several organizations, and several funders – making good communication even more critical.
Career Q&A: Returning to work after a health-related absence
Advice on how to handle a gap in your employment history due to a health-related absence.
Volunteer recognition: Appreciating volunteers 52 weeks of the year
This article provides a look at the appropriate ways to honour and celebrate the contributions of some of the most important people in the nonprofit sector: volunteers.
Governance Q&A: When being told to do something feels wrong
A program manager is told to do something that doesn’t feel right, but can’t justify not following through when referencing guidance documents.
The power of a good brand story for nonprofits
Branding for nonprofits, why it is important, and how it relates to good storytelling.
A framework for personal and organizational success
A framework to help manage the process of implementing your strategic plan and linking it to the day-to-day work of your staff.
Career Q&A: Gaining entry-level employment in the nonprofit sector
Finding it difficult to break into the nonprofit sector? Follow these tips for success.
A hitchhiker’s guide to project change
This article revisits scope change by answering the question of how to manage change.
The tri-process model for trans-organizational system (TS) effectiveness
How to create a trans-organizational system with three process streams: governance, co-ordination of work processes, and building trust among the group members.
Canada boasts second largest nonprofit sector in the world
A look at the recently published report from Imagine Canada – Canadian Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector in Comparative Perspective.
Governance Q&A: Is it ethical to pay grant writers a percentage of grants received?
The unethical nature of percentage or commission-based fundraising.
Not another “me-too” strategic plan
How to overcome the problem of uniformity and customize a strategic plan.
Career Q&A: Including your age in a cover letter
Should you include your age in a cover letter or resume? Our Career Q&A columnist says "no".
Peer learning: Addressing needs of executive directors
How setting up a peer learning network can help executive directors handle the challenges of their jobs.
The ups and downs of offering and accepting pro bono work
We’ve come to think of pro bono as a synonym for “free” or “no charge”, but it actually means “for the public good”. That’s an important distinction.
Winds of change: Scope management
When the original scope of the project has drifted from its original focus, this is scope creep. It is time for some scope management.
Career Q&A: Pursuing a consulting career
Is a consulting career right for you? Read this article to find out.
Technology and today’s nonprofit: When the cutting edge is unrealistic
Rather than focusing on the cutting edge, perhaps it’s more useful to ask technology experts familiar with the nonprofit sector to comment on today’s baseline standards for IT in the nonprofit sector.
Governance Q&A: Taking a second job while currently working for a charity
A charity worker doesn't earn enough to support her family and asks about taking a second job.
E-mail campaigns and fundraising
The components of a successful email fundraising campaign.
The “Strategic Value©” Approach To Strategic Planning
Solving issues to strategic planning
Career Q&A: Tips for mastering the panel interview
Panel interviews are dreaded by interviewees everywhere. Find out how to master these difficult interviews by following these tips.
Planning for the unexpected: Managing project risks
Many concepts presented here build on a previous article by the same author. Read Bad things that can happen to good people: Identifying project risks for some more background.
Career Q&A: The best way to highlight achievements on your resume
Follow these tips to best highlight your job duties and career achievements on your resume.
Best practices for engaging youth as volunteers (part five)
This article includes tips for successfully integrating youth volunteers into your organization.
Are you ready to be a board volunteer?
A self-evaluation article for board volunteer prospects.
Governance Q&A: The ethics of personal relationships at work
I know that personal relationships at work can be career-limiting. But are there any ethical concerns?
Digging deeper: The evolution of the prospect research field
Wanted: a passionate, inquisitive, analytical, proactive thinker with a well-developed sense of curiosity, good judgment, the capacity to persevere, and strong computer skills – for prospect research.
Capacity building in the not-for-profit sector
Understanding the key determinants of successful capacity building.
Career Q&A: Working in an unsafe environment and dealing with threats from management
All employees have the right to work in a safe environment. But what happens when health and safety concerns are being ignored by management?
Brand as personality: The implications for nonprofit fundraising
An organization’s brand identity is more than just the look of a logo, more than just a marketing function. Brand identity encompasses everything…and that includes fundraising.
Bad things that can happen to good people: Identifying project risks
In project management language, an unexpected situation that threatens to derail the project is called a risk and it is about as certain as the sun rising every morning. Thankfully, there are ways to address risks, but first of all we need to identify what they may be.
Managing organizational change on the run
We all know that the only constant is change. If you’ve been wondering how to manage change within your organization this article may provide some answers.
Career Q&A: Dealing with an unpleasant and disruptive co-worker
As a senior staff member, are you obligated to get involved when a co-worker is disruptive, negative, and otherwise causing problems within the organization?
Surviving as a less sexy cause
What happens, though, when your charity plays a vital role in society but capturing the public’s attention is difficult? How do you survive when the public doesn’t want to talk about, much less support, your cause or your clients?
When the rubber hits the road: Managing the project plan
Managing the plan means trying to keep it on schedule and to use no more than the original amount of effort expected.
Is an alliance, coalition or partnership the right strategy for your problem?
An exploration of the trans-organizational system and how it relates to creating successful partnerships and collaborations.
Governance Q&A: Personal use of nonprofit equipment
I see other staff at my nonprofit who take supplies home or make personal use of our equipment. Is this acceptable?
Rural roots: Making the case for small-town philanthropy
The Rural Charitable Sector Research Initiative (RCSRI), launched in 2003, is working to better understand the issues and trends affecting the rural voluntary sector in Ontario and beyond.
Running more effective meetings
An article on how to run meetings more effectively, including benefits of and problems with meetings.
