It’s Back to Business-Basics for Nonprofits

Former HBS professor Jeff Bradach shares practical advice on how nonprofits can improve their strategy and produce measurable results for their cause and donors.

Paul J. Jansen and David M. Katz

Donors should recognize that gifts to effective organizations that put their money to work quickly will achieve far better results than those with strings attached. Donors who understand this are also likely to encourage endowed nonprofits to speed up disbursements. At present, many givers ask how their contributions will be put to work, but few ask when they will begin generating benefits for society.

Collaboration for a Change: A Practitioner’s Guide to Environmental Nonprofit-Industry Partnership

This report provides decision-makers in business and environmental nonprofits with the practical tools required to launch or improve effective partnerships. Designed as a compendium of best practices and key learnings, this report targets practitioners who recognize the enormous potential of nonprofit-industry partnerships but need a framework for approaching structured collaboration and a compact, handy reference to aid implementation. Our objective is to outline critical success … [ Read more ]

Cause Marketing: Taking a Cue From the Private Sector

Are you working for a nonprofit or promoting a social cause? Many of the for-profit rules about marketing strategy apply there, too.

boardnetUSA

A decade of explosive growth of new U.S. charities, combined with a stick-to-your-knitting economy, has led to a shortage of board diretors at nonprofits. Worst off are organizations with budgets under $10 million, which account for 95 percent of all U.S. nonprofits. As many as 3 million board seats are collecting dust, according to a report by the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton and Volunteer … [ Read more ]

A point of light in Mumbai

By developing a low-cost distribution channel, an Indian nonprofit organization can deliver child education and nutrition programs for just a few dollars a child per year.

Nonprofits and the $100 Billion Opportunity

Nonprofits are wasting billions through inefficient business practices. A Harvard Business Review excerpt co-authored by former senator Bill Bradley offers fixes.

Editor’s Note: This article doesn’t offer a detailed prescription and I found some of the logic to suffer from excessive enthusiasm and theory but the concept addressed is an important one and the facts given are useful and interesting.

Leadership: Called to Serve

As the nonprofit sector grows and organizations become increasingly complex, more and more executives are being invited to lend their skills as board members. Here are eight principles for effective governance that can help a broad range of nonprofit groups be more successful.

The Challenge of the Multi-site Nonprofit

Multi-site nonprofit organizations shouldn’t be run like companies that make money, say HBS professors Allen Grossman and V. Kasturi Rangan. The key for nonprofit managers is to embrace a balance between affiliation and autonomy.

Balanced Scorecard Step-by-Step for Government and Nonprofit Agencies

Today’s insistence on demonstrated organizational performance is not limited to private-sector corporations. Public and nonprofit agencies are also finding that, as financial resources decrease and demand for results increases, they too must institute performance goals along with programs and processes to consistently progress toward those goals.

Balanced Scorecard Step-by-Step for Government and Nonprofit Agencies identifies the opportunities-and helps eliminate the obstacles-of bringing the popular and … [ Read more ]

Doing Good By Doing Well

Nonprofit organizations should consider creating wealth rather than merely redistributing it.

Venture Philanthropy Embraces Key Strategies of Venture Capitalists

The problem: Find a way to get more bang for the buck out of charitable donations. The strategy: Adopt techniques that worked well for venture capital firms in the 1990s – greater interaction between giver and recipient, and an emphasis on measurable results. The upshot: The birth of the movement variously called “venture philanthropy,” “social entrepreneurism,” “strategic philanthropy,” and “e-philanthropy.” But is it really a … [ Read more ]

Nonprofit Good Practice Guide

This is a simple, useful site for the new nonprofit manager who wants to review standards of practice in the industry. You’ll find suggested dos and don’ts on a variety of nonprofit issues including fundraising, governance, staff development, volunteer management, and advocacy. The site was developed by The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership at Grand Valley State University. [HBS Working Knowledge … [ Read more ]

Not-for-profit management: The gift that keeps on giving

Nonprofit organizations should focus on building a lasting organization and on developing effective performance metrics. To make this possible, donors must change their approach to philanthropy.

Full Disclosure: A Strategy for Performance

Americans expect results from their business, government, and nonprofit organizations. We also expect information about the performance of those institutions: Who’s in charge? How is money spent? And what have they accomplished? In the business world, the demands imposed by lenders and investors — and, of course, the Securities and Exchange Commission — force companies to disclose precise details of their operations — earnings, expenses, … [ Read more ]

Measuring What Matters in Nonprofits

Every nonprofit organization should measure its progress in fulfilling its mission, its success in mobilizing its resources, and its staff’s effectiveness on the job.