No matter the size, scope or focus of a nonprofit organization, they all share one thing in common: the need for innovative solutions for staff to coordinate their efforts and work together. I had the opportunity to consult with the staff of a department in a mid-size organization. They presented a number of issues that exemplified the challenges they encountered in trying to coordinate their efforts with their colleagues in other departments within the organization. One common occurrence is that people under pressure to complete tasks often perceive working with staff members from other departments as making it more complicated for them to complete their work Often we feel that it is easier and more efficient to do the job ourselves rather than spending the time and effort to involve others. … Continue Reading

Nonprofit organizations thrive when their fundraising campaigns is made up of knowledgeable, skillful, personable and enthusiastic volunteer solicitors. Of course the real challenge is developing a cadre of such volunteers who know how to best represent the agency and can approach potential contributors for support during the course of the year. Organizations that have their financial resource development (FRD) process usually have professional fundraisers working with them. However, the presence of a professional does not take the place of committed volunteers who are involved in soliciting people in the community. Several decades ago the preferred way of fundraising for the Jewish community and Israel was known as back of the bus solicitations and would generally take place during a fundraising … Continue Reading

by Shuey Fogel “Why or why not should one be incorporated?” is the question American lawyer Don Kramer asked in his Weekly E-Newsletter back in 2010. For Mr. Kramer, the question is a legal one. The pros and cons that he outlines deal with personal liability and procedural/substantive questions. His fantastically succinct answer refers to state statute and case law. For some, incorporation is relevant not because of legal concerns but rather taxation benefits. Others might contemplate incorporation through the lens of fundraising and its effects on donors. And yet to others, the act of incorporation or registration is simply a question of time and money - lacking either of the two might automatically render incorporation as an unwarranted expense. As a banker, and more specifically, … Continue Reading

Recently, I received an interesting phone call from a client who works for an Israeli based nonprofit organization who asked me the following question, “We just received a grant from the Chaya Foundation in Chicago. They want us to sign a contract that stipulates any legal disagreements will be settled in the State of Illinois. Should the organization sign this agreement with this specific clause?” (In order to protect the privacy of the foundation the name and state have been changed.) When I heard this a red light went off in my head. I immediately thought of the nature of the relationship between the funder and the recipient organization. What goes into establishing the ground rules for receiving a grant from a foundation? What are appropriate requests that a funder can make of a recipient … Continue Reading

Who will pay the electric bill? Calculating and presenting overhead in donor proposals By Jeff Kaye [A further article in a series aimed at guiding Israeli nonprofits towards successful resource development.] Writing a proposal for a potential donor is no mean task. Given that this may be the Israel-based organization's primary opportunity to impress a donor or foundation, a great deal rests on the shoulders of the person doing the writing, compounded by obvious time-differences, cultural nuances and language. It is typical that the most difficult aspect of the proposal and the issue which leads most often to misunderstandings is how to determine and display the overhead cost appropriate to include in a donor proposal. Today it is rare for seasoned donors to deny an organization even a … Continue Reading

Here's a simple question: Why is your nonprofit looking to hire a new employee? The obvious answer would seem to be "Because we have a current need in the position." While hiring for the present is all well and good, nonprofits also need to make sure they are keeping the future in mind. This can be a difficult idea to sell. After all, the present needs of the organization are much clearer than those years from now, and there is seemingly more to gain by focusing on the here and now. In reality, there is much more to be gained by looking towards the future. One of the best ways to do this is hire employees who have multiple areas of expertise. Even if you are hiring for a fundraising position, you should make sure this person has more to offer than the proven ability to raise money. For … Continue Reading

Several clients requested my assistance in assessing the need for a staff workshop that would not address the day-to-day activities of the organization. In each case either the director or the supervisor felt the need for the opportunity to address issues that were outside their normal work purview. Often the staff of nonprofit organizations feels competing pressures when needing to respond to requests for services and having to implement programs. At times the impact on the staff can be overwhelming. In light of this, the initial enthusiasm a social worker, community worker or teacher has for their job soon becomes lost in the pushes and pulls of a regular work day. When this happens one of the ways of counterbalancing this is to provide an opportunity for the staff to remove themselves from … Continue Reading

by Robert I. Evans and Avrum D. Lapin While every charitable gift is planned, some are “more planned” than others. And in today’s charitable giving arena the importance of testamentary giving is more punctuated than ever, especially as Jewish Baby Boomers are aging ... quickly. Yet, America’s Jewish congregations lag far behind other Jewish nonprofits in reaching out to secure commitments by wills, trusts, estates and other revocable and irrevocable approaches, complementing current gifts. In fact, planned giving is acknowledged to be among the most critically important, but often overlooked, aspects of a synagogue’s overall fundraising strategy. Higher education, arts organizations and hospitals have successfully pursued testamentary gifts for decades. But why not … Continue Reading

by Sherri W. Morr What you may wonder do these two very different concepts have to do with Jewish organizations? At first glance you may think, not much. But if you understand the major gift process in nonprofits in connection to staying the course then you may think again. In the mid 1900s a horse jumping off a ledge on the Atlantic City Steel Pier was a great feat and a huge crowd pleaser. Hundreds of people would watch the horse way up high with a practically naked rider jump into the water. Back then animal rights people were either nonexistent or silent. Then 60 years later a promoter, seeking to again draw crowds to Atlantic City in today’s sluggish economy announces this crazy stunt is coming back ... with no thought to the public or the horse who actually faced grave danger way back … Continue Reading

Many organizations depend on employees to remember decisions that were once made and the implications of those decisions for the organization. That is a mistake. Even if we trust in our staff, there is always a risk involved in depending on the memory of any one person or even of several people in an organization. Not too long ago I received a telephone call from “Sarah,” an administrative staff person at ABC organization that had leased space to the nonprofit I worked for years ago. I was asked if I remembered principles of the last lease agreement between ABC and the nonprofit that I had directed. I found it quite interesting that no one in the organization I worked for or in ABC had documented the details of the lease agreement. It was fascinating to me that Sarah was calling on me, a … Continue Reading