Posts Tagged: "finance"
June 22, 2020
Sisyphus Looks Inward: Nonprofit Short and Long-Term Decision Making Starts with Honest Self-AssessmentThis article is the second installment in a guest blog series by Russell C. Pomeranz, President and CEO of Claverack Advisory Group. You can click here to read part one, “Sisyphus Had It Easy: The Case for Nonprofits to Prioritize Long-Term Solutions Even When Short-Term Challenges Abound.” Upon finding out in part one of our series…
October 15, 2019
Nonprofit CFOs Shape their Legacy by Defining and Communicating the Big PictureYou are the CFO of a nonprofit that’s focused on long-term mission fulfillment, financial sustainability, and organizational independence. How do you guarantee that your legacy is aligned with the organization’s long-term success? You may have thought that years of successfully ensuring your debits equaled your credits, that audits ran smoothly, and that financial reports were…
August 21, 2019
Blackbaud Financial Edge versus Community Brands MIP Fund AccountingThe number of ERP solutions suitable for nonprofit accounting is growing, and making a decision on which one to go with can be tough. The following is a hard-nosed look at two platforms that have been around for decades, but have managed to keep up with market demand in an increasingly competitive landscape. Before we…
March 5, 2019
Skating The Edge Between Risk and Reward at Your NonprofitEvery nonprofit faces risk, but it doesn’t have to be a liability. Learn to take a holistic view of risk and use the unexpected to your advantage. What if your funding was cut by half overnight? It might sound impossible, but given the precarious financial situation most nonprofits face, it’s a very real risk. You…
August 7, 2018
It’s an Open Book: How Nonprofits Can Achieve Financial TransparencyAll charities differ in their missions, but all are alike in one important way—to succeed, they must practice financial transparency and accountability. In fact, Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities, uses these values as key criteria in rating nonprofits. Charity Navigator defines transparency as “an obligation or willingness by a charity…
May 14, 2018
A Nonprofit’s Guide to Government ComplianceCompliance is a hefty responsibility for nonprofit organizations; indeed, more so than for-profit companies. As the firm Harbor Compliance points out, there’s a good reason for that—nonprofits are exempt from federal corporate taxes and can receive public funding. Both the IRS and states have requirements for nonprofits. The penalties for noncompliance can be severe. A…
May 7, 2018
Integrating Systems to Reduce Financial Risk for NonprofitsNonprofit organizations demand a lot from their software. According to a 2015 survey conducted by Software Advice, a company that provides research and online reviews of fundraising software, nonprofits want greater functionality and tools from their investments. Not only that, they want their fundraising/donor management programs and other platforms to work seamlessly together. In fact,…
February 22, 2018
How Can Nonprofits Measure Success and Impact?How do you know if your nonprofit is making an impact—if your mission is a success? The answer to this question affects everything about your organization, from day-to-day operations to the success of your fundraising efforts. The National Council of Nonprofits alludes to five actions: Identify what success looks like to you. Make a plan…
February 6, 2018
Outputs vs. Outcomes: What’s the Difference and Why Does It Matter?Donors want to know if their donations are impacting the work of your nonprofit through its mission. Increasingly, this means telling your story through numbers—something that nonprofits don’t always do well. Marc J. Epstein, co-author of the book, Measuring and Improving Social Impacts: A Guide for Nonprofits, Companies, and Impact Investors, says that “The need…
How to Tell Your Nonprofit’s Story
How do you measure the success and impact of your nonprofit’s mission? Similarly, how do your donors—be they individual, foundations, or corporate—know if their donations are impacting the work of your nonprofit through its mission? Many nonprofits gauge their impact through statistics such as the number of people served, families fed or housed, or the…
January 30, 2018
From Servers to SaaS: Your Nonprofit’s Journey to the CloudAt some point in your technology journey, you’ll have to decide whether to step up your investment in servers and other infrastructure upgrades—or seek a more cost-effective option. For many businesses and nonprofits, costs related to IT infrastructure, personnel, outside services, and other expenses necessary to keep your critical applications running can consume up to…
January 5, 2018
Nonprofits in the Cloud: It’s More than Cost SavingsMoving your nonprofit financials to the cloud from an on-premises solution can significantly reduce your costs. There are other benefits you may not have considered, though—pluses that are just as beneficial as bottom-line savings. Your fund accounting becomes more efficient, compliance is easier, and you have a better view of your organization’s performance. A closer…