Depending on your country, charities may get involved with advocacy, but should be mindful of the restrictions.
Governance Q&A: The ethics and legalities of lobbying
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Articles
Developing a business case
If you have ever pitched a project idea, you have likely been asked what the business case for the project is. Developing a business case is your opportunity to articulate what is in it for the organization.
Collaboration Nation: Expert advice on working with other organizations
Regardless of whether you want to work with a sister organization inside the sector, with various government representatives and committees, or with businesses in the for-profit sector on joint charitable ventures, learning what works and what doesn’t in collaborative practices is a first step to successful programming.
Communications audits: How effectively are you communicating?
A communications audit is a way to monitor and evaluate communications and marketing efforts – in this case, in our organizations – to gauge effectiveness.
Rules for charities that operate a related business
Competition for nonprofit funding is increasing all the time, and many organizations are turning to business ventures to generate additional revenue. While this has proved very successful for many, registered charities must walk a fine line with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
Tools for nonprofit leaders: Tips for chairing meetings
Congratulations. You have been elected or appointed to chair meetings. Here are some tips on how to do a great job.
Talk amongst yourselves: How internal communications can impact your mission
When an organization ignores internal communciations, the results can be disastrous. Here are some tips and tricks for keeping your employees and volunteers informed.
Career Q&A: The right way to leave your job
Thinking about quitting your job? Follow these tips to keep things positive, ensure great references, and avoid burning any bridges.
Career Q&A: The best time to respond to a job ad
Maximize your chances for making a great impression when responding to a job ad by applying at just the right time.
Human Resources Q&A: Common recruitment problems
Ten common problems in the recruitment process and how to fix them.
Government funding of the NFP sector: A year of trials and tribulations
A summary of the past year’s budget cuts and how organizations are dealing with them.
Governance Q&A: Nonprofit sector consultants – are they ethical?
What to look for when considering expert help from a consultant.
Conducting a legal audit of your organization
All nonprofits need to be as accountable and transparent as possible. Adam explains what a legal audit entails, what a lawyer will be looking for, and the common issues that are uncovered during the process.
Rating and evaluating prospects: Whom do you ask for how much?
Grant application forms have a blank space where you fill in the amount requested. But when it comes to individual donors, we seem to think it is a different kettle of fish. It isn’t.
Community Economic Development: Moving out of the margins
Community economic development (CED) is a community-based, community-directed and holistic approach to deal with marginalization. CED describes local action by people to create economic opportunities and enhance social conditions in their communities on a sustainable and inclusive basis, particularly among those who are most disadvantaged.
Marc Kielburger and Leaders Today
An interview with Marc Kielburger, Ashoka fellow, co-founder of Leaders Today, and executive director of Free the Children, about social enterprise in Canada.
Tools for nonprofit leaders: The old SWOT analysis still works very well…when used to advantage
An example of a SWOT flipchart and how to use SWOT planning and analysis.
The Federal Accountability Act: Going to the lobby
If you’re a nonprofit or charitable organization with a mandate that frequently requires you to dialogue with government officials, you’re likely already aware of the Federal Accountability Act (FAA). If you’re not aware, you should read this.
Handling donations between Canada and the US
Canada and the United States share the longest undefended border in the world and we consider ourselves to be good neighbours, but when it comes to cross-border donations things can get a bit tricky.
Taking your event to the next level
How to use an auction or other mini-events to increase an event’s success
In god we trust…and give
When Professor Ida Berger of Ryerson University’s Centre for Voluntary Sector Studies published a study in Voluntas last summer, the nonprofit sector received some additional discourse for their boardroom tables. The report, The Influence of Religion on Philanthropy in Canada, compared and contrasted the philanthropic behaviours of Canadians across religious groups.
Online collaboration tools for nonprofit board members
How to use Google documents for board collaboration.
Before you think of recruiting for any position…nail the job requirement
Maximizing the effectiveness of interview questions using metrics.
Human Resources Q&A: Incorporating HR in organizational strategy
This article explains why HR is not viewed as a strategic function, and how it could be.
Building quality into the project
The first step in ensuring a quality project is knowing exactly what you are to deliver. You need to clearly define and communicate the project scope with all project stakeholders. What are you going to create?
Operating a charity internationally
For charities with international causes, there are rules and procedures to follow. Adam explains what Canadian charities must have in place before they can operate overseas and what they can and can’t do once they are there.
Governance Q&A: Is it ethical to hire children of staff?
The pros and cons to consider when hiring children of staff as summer students.
Identifying Canada’s future leaders: The Top 20 Under 20 Award
What were you doing when you were a teenager? Founding a nonprofit organization? Heading up two successful business ventures? Discovering an effective and natural alternative to immunosuppressive drugs? Me neither! Yet, these are just some of the extraordinary activities that this year’s Top 20 Under 20 award recipients are up to.
Meetings: A necessary evil
Key guidelines to improve your next meeting.
Understanding directors’ liability issues
Adam explains what directors are actually liable for, what happens to a director who is found liable, and what protections organizations can put in place for their directors.
Using your networks to get your key messages out there
In this article, find suggestions on how to use your networks to get your message and your mission out there.
Career Q&A: Handling an interview outside of an office setting
Not all job interviews take place inside the office. Be prepared for potential pitfalls by following these tips.
All Abroad! The ins and outs of operating internationally
Many people and organizations that learned to “do good” in Canada now want to help causes overseas. Though the impetus is pure and the intentions are good, there is some information one must know before trying to raise funds for charitable causes beyond the Great White North.
Why new nonprofits shouldn’t use direct mail to raise funds
If your nonprofit is fairly new, it might be a good idea to hold off on direct mail fundraising until you’re a little more established.
Governance Q&A: Compensation for executives and senior management
How finance committees determine compensations and what to do when conflict of interest arises.
Tapping the philanthropic well
Principal fundraising truth: You go where money you think you can get is to be found in the greatest quantities and most of the time that means you look to the individual donor.
Making the decision to outsource non-core services
It can make sense to outsource essential but ‘non-core’ business processes, such as human resources, bookkeeping and accounting, as well as entire staff functions such as Controller or CFO.
Parallel foundations: Does it make sense for your nonprofit to set up its own foundation?
You’d be hard-pressed to find a nonprofit organization that doesn’t spend an incredible amount of time focused on resource development. As a result, some organizations establish their own foundation – known as a “parallel foundation”.
Career Q&A: Tips for mastering the telephone interview
Mastering a telephone interview takes a slightly different approach than the standard in-person interview. Follow these tips for to make a great first impression – over the phone.
Retaining a volunteer workforce: Advice from the experts
We asked two experts in the field of volunteerism to provide their advice on how best to recruit and retain a voluntary workforce. Their answers are as enlightening as they are practical.
Volunteer fatigue: What impact on the future of volunteerism?
This article explains how volunteer fatigue differs from burnout, and how to handle it at your organization.
Time management: Does training work and where do we start?
How to to train others and yourself to use time effectively.
Human Resources Q&A: Keep talented staff and help underperformers
What managers should do to retain talent.
Understanding the disbursement quota
Adam discusses the rules of thumb for the disbursement quota, what happens when there is a disbursement quota shortfall, and how to deal with generated income.
Measuring greatness: Defining quality standards
Quality is often an elusive concept in project delivery. How do we know that we have delivered a quality project? More importantly, how do we know that we have delivered a quality product?
Governance Q&A: Are newspapers being ethical when reporting on nonprofit scandals?
Dealing with media stories about misuse of funds and how it affects the nonprofit sector as a whole.
Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver: 50 years and counting
A profile of Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver, an organization celebrating their 50th anniversary. Find out how things have changed for the organization over the past half-century.
Just like sticks and stones, words can hurt you!
Public engagement campaigns pivot on words. Get the words wrong and they will end up hurting you or your cause.
Should NPOs be at the P3 table?
Despite the oft-maligned paradigm of governments entering into contract with private firms to provide services and/or build infrastructure for the public good, public-private partnerships, or P3s, continue to gain steam in Canada. Where do nonprofits fit in?
Before putting pen to paper, understand your donors
An interview with one of North America’s leading authorities on fundraising communications.
