Word of mouth marketing is becoming an essential item in every marketing toolbox. Here’s how to do it.
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Career Q&A: Know your worth
Do you know how to financially value your work and communicate this to your employer? If not, you might be missing out on that next big raise.
Why emotional support is a valuable part of volunteer management
Volunteers need mental and emotional support, otherwise they may suffer burnout. Here’s how to incorporate this level of support into your existing volunteer program.
Evolving the volunteer program at the Saskatchewan 4-H Council
Interview with Valerie Pearson, Executive Director, who speaks about evolving the volunteer program at the Saskatchenwan 4-H Council, after the organization was named as a Donner Award receipient.
Human Resources Q&A: Dismissing an employee
Dismissing an employee is something every manager wants to avoid. Find out how to handle the process with grace and compassion.
Demystifying mobile giving: How it works and can work for your nonprofit
Is there some use for mobile giving for smaller organizations? This article cuts through the hype to see mobile giving for what it is: a unique tool with a great deal of potential.
Professional development: Not just for the big wigs
Whether in person, online, via the web or a myriad of hybrid varieties, professional development (PD) is becoming a call to action for many.
You like me, you really like me!
As the 2011 awards season begins, nonprofits are starting to apply for a multitude of prizes to receive recognition, raise awareness, leverage funding opportunities or network with their peers. While there are many meaningful local, provincial and online awards available, CharityVillage® spoke with award recipients and awarding organizations specifically about the value of national awards in Canada.
The top five most common budgeting mistakes
There are a number of common mistakes made by organizations that can reduce the effectiveness of budgeting, and which may prevent the organization from achieving the maximum benefits.
Strategic planning made simple
Strategic planning doesn’t have to happen with an outside facilitator. Jack Shand shows how nonprofit leaders can take control of their strategic plan, creating a simple planning process.
Governance Q&A: Board and funder are too close for comfort
I sit on the board of an organization that is greatly intertwined with a major funder. The board members of the major funder are also the only members of my organization.
Fundraising Q&A: Recruiting advisory boards
This article will help board of directors, chief executive and fundraisers set the stage for recruiting an effective team.
Measuring what matters: Why monitoring and evaluation is the root of all good
Measuring and evaluating your organization’s sustainability initiatives.
Keep your donors and stakeholders close to you
In nonprofit marketing, a great deal of the time and effort goes into finding new donors, volunteers and supporters, causing many nonprofits to ignore their existing stakeholders.
Career Q&A: Networking and job searching for newcomers
Advice on networking and starting a job search for newcomers to Canada.
Volunteering is the new Botox: Inject some into your life
Mayo Clinic research study indicates that volunteering is good for your health.
What about the people we don’t pay with money?
This article suggests creative methods of engaging a new generation of volunteers.
Human Resources Q&A: Electronic onboarding
How to use electronic onboarding and elearning to orient your new employees.
How to build your legacy
Strategy is the key to building a legacy.
Governance Q&A: Misrepresentation on social media
I want to ask all my friends to “like” each other’s causes and post very positive messages on social media sites about the work we do. We can give them the words. Why are people saying this is wrong?
The dangers of slackervism
This opinion piece argues that “liking” a page or wearing a pin does not help a cause in the long run.
Goals to save the world: How to prioritize and set strong, realistic sustainability goals
Increase your organization’s sustainability by setting goals.
Mobile will change everything
Mobile is the future of nonprofit marketing.
Career Q&A: Job searching over the holidays
Advice on whether or not to shut down your job search over the holidays.
Managing your receivables
Having difficulty managing your cash flow? Follow these tips.
How to write the perfect fundraising letter
Strategies to help write the perfect fundraising letter.
Governance Q&A: Leaving a board of directors under difficult conditions
I want to resign from my position on a board of directors due to mismanagement by the board chair. How can I leave on a positive note, with a good reference?
Spontaneous “online volunteers”
This article explains ways to use volunteers as online first responders.
Making the case for a pay raise
Follow these tips to negotiate a raise in salary.
Third-party fundraising: Boon or bust?
On Sept. 22 of this year, the CBC produced an investigative report examining the nature of fundraising in the Canadian charitable sector and looking specifically at where donor dollars go. There’s now been time for some sober reflection on the good that actually came out of the report and how third-party fundraising techniques aren’t necessarily the evil incarnate that some would make them out to be.
Help wanted in the nonprofit sector: Skilled immigrants need not apply?
When Erick came to Canada, he had a master’s degree in psychology from an American university and over 10 years of experience in community work. He says now that he also had a “false sense of confidence” in his expectation to find appropriate employment.
Social media rules of the road
Best practices for launching social media efforts
Social media success stories: 5 tips to take away
Top five tips for making your social media effort a success
Fundraising Q&A: The implications of having no donations
This article addresses the numerous potential issues that can arise if your organization has no fundraising income.
Fundraising Q&A: The implications of no fundraising
This article explores what happens when a charity hasn’t done any fundraising over the course of a year and how it affects their charitable registration status.
Volunteering for career development: Seven steps to professional growth
Make sure your volunteer work shows you to your best advantage on your resume by following these tips.
All a-board!
Is serving on a board of directors the right way to help grow your career?
Developing your green team: How to engage your internal sustainability champions to make a difference
How to engage staff to move your organization along the path towards sustainability.
Access Ontario 2012: It’s coming
Nonprofits and for-profits in Ontario need to start paying attention to legislation making its way down the pipe and that comes into force on January 1, 2012. What the province is now calling its “AccessON” campaign – ostensibly to get all organizations on-board to ensure people with disabilities are able to conduct business and access services wherever they choose — is building in a slow roll-out over the next year.
Career Q&A: Defined roles
Advice on what to do if your job has poorly defined duties and responsibilities.
The Canadian nonprofit sector: A health warning for UK big society?
Article discusses the UK government’s Big Society proposal and discusses the pitfalls of government funding.
Nonprofits have an advantage in securing future talent
The nonprofit sector may have a reputation for low pay but the sector also has unique advantages that should be used to recruit new staff.
Human Resources Q&A: Workforce planning is part of strategic planning
This article outlines an eight-step process to workforce planning and explains why it is an integral part of strategic planning.
The giving (r)evolution
There’s a palpable evolution that’s affecting how we give, what we give, who gives and what we expect in return. It’s a topic that will be addressed in an upcoming event on November 16th hosted by Social Venture Partners Toronto (SVP Toronto). Titled Toronto’s Changing Face of Philanthropy, speakers will include Aditya Jha, Helen Burstyn and Salah Bachir.
Governance Q&A: The importance of an independent auditor
My board chair wants to change audit firms to one where a friend of hers is a partner. If their quote is reasonable, is that ethically OK?
Assessing the executive director’s performance
Tips for the executive director’s performance appraisal, conducted by the board of directors.
Face Time: What’s in it for you?
Walk the streets of any major Canadian city and you may start humming the My Fair Lady tune I’ve grown accustomed to your face. I’m talking about street canvassers, ubiquitous mainstays of our streets, particularly when the sun is out and our boots are still buried deep inside our closets. Chances are you’ve even walked by a canvasser today, with clipboard in hand, a smile on his face and a welcoming offer to chat.
Fundraising Q&A: How to count fundraising costs
This article outlines how to count your charity's fundraising costs in line with Canada Revenue Agency regulations.
So you want to be a manager?
It’s often assumed that all employees eventually want to move up the ladder into management positions, but that isn’t actually the case. Find out if a career in management is right for you.
Employee volunteerism: A profit for the nonprofits?
This article explores new projects working to promote volunteerism within the corporate world.
