101| Community resource. Strategic planning often unfolds in a series of five phases, with each phase building on the one that came before. When beginning a new phase of strategic planning, it is important to keep a few key questions in mind.
101 | Community resource. What happens when, during the strategic planning process, a nonprofit realizes it needs to redefine its vision? A BoardSource senior governance consultant provides the answer.
101 | Community resource. BoardSource’s board and senior staff reflect on our recent strategic planning process, sharing insights about how this method was different from our past strategic plans and what we learned from the process.
101| Community resource. Merging two or more organizations has a major impact on the boards, staff, funders, customers, and the rest of the constituents. Before deciding to merge, each participant must go through thorough self-analysis and be convinced that this is the right solution for its restructuring needs.
201| Members only resource. Creating a separate but affiliated fundraising organization — a foundation for the purpose of raising funds — is not for every nonprofit. If your board is considering the option, it is important to identify the various challenges and benefits such a foundation might bring with it.
201| Members only resource. There may come a day in the life of every nonprofit when a difficult question must be posed: Is it time for us to close? For some, the final answer will be no, but asking the question may stimulate necessary changes. For many, the only honest answer will be yes.
201| Members only resource. Planning the future of an organization is a major endeavor and involves a great number of people. It cannot happen in a vacuum. The success of the final plan — and the actual planning process — depends on the engagement of the right people at the appropriate phases of the process.
101| Community resource. Key elements in meaningful, successful, and clear strategic thinking are vision, mission, and values of the organization. The mission guides the organization today; a vision statement reflects the impact of the organization in the years to come; and the values define the ethical guidelines and standards that direct all action.
101| Community resource. Is your organization governing green? Is it practicing good environmental stewardship? It’s up to the board to lead the way.
201| Members only resource. In this article, we introduce you to OneJustice, the grand-prize winner of the 2013 Prudential Leadership Awards for Exceptional Nonprofit Boards. We hope this organization and its board inspires you to seek new approaches to strengthening and building your own organization’s impact through exceptional board leadership.
301| Members only resource. Over a 30-year history, Chelsea Neighborhood Developers (CND) has developed its mission and vision in Chelsea, Massachusetts, viewing its role as a catalyst for building great neighborhoods that empower people to grow and prosper. So, when the mayor of Revere, Massachusetts, a neighboring city, approached us to expand our model to Revere, our board engaged in an exciting and challenging discussion about what this might mean to us.
101| Community resource. The creation of mission accomplishment measures allows you to identify your “mission gap” and to then work at closing it.
201| Members only resource. There are many types of planning techniques a nonprofit can use to try to become financially stable. More popular in the corporate sector, business plans are an often-overlooked practice for nonprofits. They make good business sense when crafted to test or start a new program, service, or a business venture.
201| Members only resource. Relocating offices — whether that means leasing new headquarters, buying a building, or moving across town or to a different city — without exception creates turmoil for an organization.
201| Members only resource. Does your brand fit your organization? Does it accurately reflect and communicate the work you do? If not, meet Clarifi.
201| Members only resource. Planning the future of an organization is a major endeavor and involves a great number of people. It cannot happen in a vacuum. The success of the final plan — and the actual planning process — depends on the engagement of the right people at the appropriate phases of the process.
201| Members only resource. Plans need updating on a regular basis. Sometimes it is necessary to start from scratch; other times it suffices to focus only on certain aspects of an existing plan. Scenario planning allows the board and staff to dissect an overall plan and concentrate on specific endeavors or approaches to the organizational work.
201| Members only resource. By creating a for-profit subsidiary, a nonprofit organization can achieve objectives that are difficult to pursue within the framework of its normal activities, mission, or legal status. The subsidiary is under the formal control of the parent organization. It is not a division, department, or a chapter but a separate organization. There are both tax-exempt and for-profit subsidiaries — here we focus on for-profit entities.