When I ask audiences of nonprofit leaders to indicate how many of them engage in strategic planning, have an annual action plan, or make time to plan out the projects and activities that are critical to their success, the all too familiar response is that many don’t.

Ironically, those same...

Chris Thompson, BoardSource’s numbers guy (and experienced ATM user) explores what can be learned from our recent financial literacy quiz.

Of the 10 basic board responsibilities, “finance” appears prominently in two of them: “ensuring adequate financial resources” and “protecting assets and...

Financial oversight is probably one of the most important board responsibilities. It’s important because an organization’s nonprofit status can come with some really nice benefits that may include:

• no income taxes
• no sales taxes
• no property taxes
• donations to the organization are tax-deductible

...

In 1994, Amazon was launched, the infamous Lorena Bobbitt went on trial and was found temporarily insane, Michael Jackson married Elvis’s daughter, and Howard Stern ran for governor of New York. Given such momentous cultural milestones, it is hardly surprising that the first-ever BoardSource...

Unprecedented crisis requires equally unprecedented response and risk taking. Undoubtedly, this is not an entirely foreign concept for many of us in the nonprofit sector. Most likely, we’ve heard one variation or another of this statement. And, often times, our willingness to take on risk comes in...

Some of us just can’t get enough of the Wounded Warrior Project scandal, and that includes me. In the same way that people get hooked on a scintillating TV series or book, I’ve been captivated by the onslaught of articles taking aim at WWP. These stories are a constant reminder that the public is...

Based on our most recent field study and national nonprofit index, Leading with Intent, 95 percent of nonprofit organizations have conflict-of-interest policies in place. So, right now, you are asking yourself, “Then why should I read this? I am busy!” The answer is simple: Because many nonprofit...

Which general areas do you think will, or should, concern nonprofit boards the most in 2016? In a “pulse” survey recently conducted by BoardSource and the Nonprofit Quarterly, “General economic uncertainty, increased volatility, and shocks” was identified as the main concern. This issue was one of...

BoardSource’s director of research and evaluation suggests how nonprofit research newcomers and students can best wrestle this beast to the ground and extract value (without too many scars that you wouldn’t want to show around the office).

Staying relevant in a world that is constantly changing is challenging for many nonprofits. To plan for the future and the risks that come with change, best practices direct boards to be inquisitive, think strategically, and remain relevant and connected to their communities. But how can boards,...