A hands-on resource that shows nonprofits how to adopt entrepreneurial behaviors and techniques

The rising spirit of social entrepreneurship has created all kinds of new opportunities for nonprofit organizations. But at the same time, many are discovering more than their share of challenges as well. This essential book will help anyone in the field gain the necessary skills to meet these challenges. Written by the leading thinkers and practitioners in the field, Enterprising Nonprofits offers concise and engaging explanations of the most successful business tools being used by nonprofits today. The authors clearly describe all the concepts so you’ll be able to embrace the methods of social enterprise for your organization. With this book, you’ll learn how to use practical business techniques to dramatically improve the performance of your nonprofit.

Praise for Enterprising Nonprofits

"I can’t imagine a better team to bring powerful insights and practical guidance to social entrepreneurs. Readers will be inspired by the examples, and then they will roll up their sleeves to apply the many useful management tools in this engaging book."–Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School, Author of Evolve!: Succeeding in the Digital Culture of Tomorrow

"In one book, Enterprising Nonprofits does for social entrepreneurs what countless volumes have done for entrepreneurs in the business sector. A wonderful mixture of analysis, practical advice, and inspiration."–Paul Brest, President, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

All of the royalties from this book will be used by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to support continuing work on social entrepreneurship.

Learn the latest accounting and auditing developments affecting not-for-profits so that accountants, auditors, and financial managers can prepare financial statements with confidence. This work covers new FASB requirements and information on the latest OMB and Yellow Book developments. It features major program determination and case studies related to revenue recognition and auditing documentation and covers hot topics including: NFP financial statements Risk assessment Documentation Leases Yellow Book Major program determination Key changes GASB updates including GASB Statement No. 91, Conduit Debt Obligations AICPA activities including changes to the auditor's report FASB updates including revenue recognition, grants and contracts, updating the definition of collections, and implementation issue surrounding the financial reporting standard Federal government activities including updates to the Compliance Supplement and proposed changes to the Uniform Guidance

An entertaining, informative, and eminently useful guide that draws on psychology, data, and real-world experience to explain what really drives successful fundraising. In The Forgotten Foundations of Fundraising, Jeremy Beer and Jeff Cain, cofounders of American Philanthropic, a leading consulting firm for nonprofit organizations, offer practical lessons and unconventional wisdom for both nonprofit leaders and novices in the art and science of raising money. Drawing upon a wealth of experience, deploying an army of anecdotes, and using eye-opening American Philanthropic survey data, the authors provide a brisk, irreverent, and supremely useful introduction to fundraising for charities and nonprofits. The book explains the hows and whys of a variety of fundraising techniques, from direct mail to planned giving programs. It explores the benefits and pitfalls of prospect research, the keys to donor retention, and the essential elements of a healthy nonprofit culture. It gives insightful advice on making personal meetings count, soliciting foundations, and training young fundraisers. And it does so with sprightly prose and sharp observations. You'll never read another fundraising book quite like this one. Expertly deflating the pretensions of those who would make fundraising a bureaucratic and esoteric profession, Beer and Cain elucidate the practical knowledge and relationship skills that still matter more than anything else. They make an impassioned plea for the importance of civil society to American democracy and build a compelling case for fundraising as an honorable component of a healthy civic culture. Philanthropy is not about bottom lines and return on investment--successful fundraisers provide a platform for donors to affirm their ideals, values, and morals. Fundraising is serious, but learning about it needn't be a chore. The Forgotten Foundations of Fundraising is at once eminently practical and absolutely delightful.

Policy advocacy is an increasingly important function of many nonprofit organizations, as they seek broad social changes in their concerning issues. Their advocacy practices, however, have often been guided by their own past experiences, anecdotes from peer networks, and consultant advice. Most of their practices have largely escaped empirical and theoretical grounding that could better root their work in established theories of policy change. The first book of its kind, Nonprofits in Policy Advocacy bridges this gap by connecting real practices of on-the-ground policy advocates with the burgeoning academic literature in policy studies. In the process, it empirically identifies six distinct policy advocacy strategies, and their accompanying tactics, used by nonprofits. Case studies tell the stories of how advocates apply these strategies in a wide variety of issues including civil rights, criminal justice, education, energy, environment, public health, public infrastructure, and youth. This book will appeal to both practitioners and academicians, as each gains insights into the other's views of policy change and the actions that produce it.

Women are still underrepresented as public-sector organizational leaders, despite comprising half of the United States public-sector workforce. To explore the factors driving gender imbalance, this Element employs a problem-driven approach to examine gender imbalance in local government management. We use multiple methods, inductive and deductive research, and different theoretical frames for exploring why so few women are city or county managers. Our interviews, resume analysis and secondary data analysis suggesting that women in local government management face a complex puzzle of gendered experiences, career paths and appointment circumstances that lend insights into gender imbalanced leadership in this domain.

This practical book is dedicated to building ethical organizations. It has been written for college students preparing for careers in public service as well as for elected and appointed officials, administrators, and career public servants in the United States and elsewhere. Concise and comprehensive, Ethics Management for Public and Nonprofit Managers takes a managerial ethics approach to building and leading ethical public organizations. It includes: a discussion of the U.S. constitutional and administrative environment in which officials carry out their duties; descriptions and assessments of the tools available to elected and appointed officials who are committed to building ethical organizations; an overview of legislative and administrative measures taken by Congress, presidents, the judiciary, and the fifty states to foster ethical governance; unique coverage of ethics management around the world, with a focus on the US, Europe, and Asia; and hands-on skill-building exercises with active learning opportunities that conclude each chapter. This third edition includes a new chapter on 'achieving ethical competence,' exploring a wide range of ethical issues that confront public and nonprofit managers in their efforts to lead and build organizations of integrity. Examples and cases from both the public and the nonprofit sectors are incorporated throughout the third edition so that the book acts as a kind of 'field guide' for ethical behavior, with descriptions and assessments of the tools available to elected and appointed officials at every level. Accompanying the third edition text is a series of exercises that build ethical competence skills, asking the reader to judge the ethical competence of key actors in cases drawn from recent headlines.

This volume accesses governance in public and non-profit organizations. Building on and challenging recent research in this area, this volume critically examines the contextual, behavioural and historical factors of governance.

Nonprofit organizations need smart, informed managers. This comprehensive introductory textbook aims to expose students to the range of responsibilities expected from modern nonprofit organizations and their boards, executive management, frontline staff, and community volunteers. Section 1 focuses on the characteristics of a nonprofit organization, with an explanation of the specific attributes of both charitable and member-serving nonprofits. It considers the historical development of the nonprofit sector as a whole and of the human services subsector in particular, culminating with a review of the political and economic climate in which nonprofits operate. Section 2 considers theories of leadership. The multiple roles of the nonprofit professional leader are delineated, to recognize that the same person may serve as manager and administrator, motivated by different priorities when functioning in each capacity. Ethical issues are also considered, along with the theoretical and practical aspects of decision-making, and the relationship between organizational culture and organizational change. Sections 3 and 4 address the specific skills of the nonprofit leader involved in securing material resources and managing human resources, respectively. The book concludes with a focus on the role of volunteers and the need for organizations to provide them good experiences if they want volunteers to keep coming back. Featuring an extended case study, this book is a useful guide for students and professionals new to the workplace on topics such as successfully managing change, strengthening programs, nurturing a dynamic board of directors, diversifying revenues, and building a strong, committed staff and volunteer corps.

A practical, proven system for finding, applying for, and winning grants for your small business This year alone, there is at least $350 million worth of grant money available for small businesses. But plenty of small businesses will miss out on that money because they either don't know it's there or don't know how to get it. Written by a consultant who helps individuals, local governments, and nonprofits find and receive grant money, Find Grant Funding Now! provides proven, step-by-step guidance on applying for and win the grant money they need to succeed. Utilizing the simple five-step process that the author successfully uses for her own clients, this is virtually the only book on the market dedicated to helping small businesses get grants. It features a wealth of valuable resources and even a customized Grant Readiness Assessment Tool that helps entrepreneurs and small business owners make sure they're fully prepared before they file the paperwork. * Includes a proven and effective Five-Step Prosperity Process for finding and landing grants * Features sample forms, checklists, budgets, merit reviews, 30- and 60-day grant project management plans, and more * Written by the founder of a full-service funding firm that helps entrepreneurs, communities, universities, trade associations, and cooperatives obtain grant funds from governments and foundations If you need cash to start or expand your small business, Find Grant Funding Now! offers a practical system that gets real results.

Originally published by Stevenson, Inc., this practical resource presents a variety of recruitment strategies including: how to identify and target particular types of volunteers, procedures for enlisting groups of volunteers, techniques for recruiting through publicity and the media, and more. Examples of useful forms, letters, and brochures used to attract volunteers are also included. Important topics covered include: * Low-tech recruitment efforts * Retirement outreach * Minority outreach * Overcoming recruitment obstacles * Volunteer brochures * Collaboration * Tapping new constituents, i.e. single parents, baby boomers, techies, youth * Tapping companies for volunteers and grants * Corporate partnerships for volunteers, grants, and funds * Volunteer recognition * Volunteer incentives * Communication plans * Pro Bono consultants * Staff preparation * Volunteer continuity Please note that some content featured in the original version of this title has been removed in this published version due to permissions issues.

Originally published by Stevenson, Inc., this practical resource features publicity strategies for nonprofit leaders and professionals. It includes techniques and procedures to create awareness, increase visibility, strengthen media relations, and build an organization s reputation. Many successful publicity ideas are given from a variety of nonprofit organizations, along with tips for gaining greater exposure through a variety of media outlets and channels. Important topics covered include: * Newsworthy events * Organizational branding * Radio pitches * Collaboration * Outdoor advertising * Using well known faces * Editorials * Effective communications * Press releases and media blogs * Online press kits * Community profiles * Twitter * Special events * Marketing campaigns * Radio and TV exposure Please note that some content featured in the original version of this title has been removed in this published version due to permissions issues.

A complete and easy to understand guide to the fundamentals of how not-for-profit organizations are formed and run, as well as their structure and the unique accounting and reporting issues they face.

Providing you with a comprehensive understanding of how to maintain the "books" of a typical nonprofit entity and comply with numerous reporting requirements, "The Simplified Guide to Not-for-Profit Accounting, Formation & Reporting" equips you with everything you need to know to form a Not-For-Profit, setup an accounting system, record financial transactions and report to donors and regulatory bodies.

Topics include: Step-by-step guide to forming a Not-For-Profit and applying for tax exemptionBecoming familiar with unique Not-For-Profit accounting rules such as classifying contributions/grants and recording restrictions, allocation of expenses to programs and supporting services and investment classification and reportingBudget development, payroll processing and accounting for personnel costsShows how to prepare and understand required Not-For-Profit financial statement and their componentsProvides you with a broad understanding of the numerous filing requirement required by donors, grantors and government regulatory agencies

Practical and comprehensive in scope, "The Simplified Guide to Not-for-Profit Accounting, Formation & Reporting" offers a wealth of practical information to accountants and non-accountants alike for understanding Not-For-Profit financial transactions, financial statements and the many internal and external reports they must prepare.

Traditional economic and accounting theories focus on investor - owned enterprise which deal with the production of goods and services to maximise its economic value for shareholders. This book offers an alternative perspective. It focusses on non-profit organisations that produce goods and services with the intention of maximising social value for the broader community. Traditional accounting theories face limitations when dealing with these organisations as their bottom line is not based on the traditional model. Nonetheless, such entities have to consider economic and financial equilibrium as a requirement for long-term survival. Accordingly, this book presents research addressing three main subjects: the limitations of conventional accounting for nonprofit organisations, the meaning of accountability in relation to their broad scope remit; and the potential of social and environmental accounting for contributing to the accountability of social and non-profit organizations. After a description of different types of NPO organization, the authors analyse the performance measurement adopted by NPOs and propose the development of broader and multidirectional accountability models.

What motivates public employees to work hard? This Element systematically reviews answers from public administration research. The authors locate this research in a novel two-dimensional typology, which shows that public employees can be motivated for other- and self-interested reasons and extrinsic (motivated by outcomes) and intrinsic (motivated by work itself) reasons. Public administration research sheds significant light on extrinsic motivators: working hard to help society (public service motivation), one's organization (organizational commitment) and oneself (financial incentives). Future research should focus on hitherto understudied motivators: symbolic rewards and intrinsic motivators, such as enjoyable work tasks, warm glow, and relatedness with colleagues. Supplementary material for this Element is available online.

Non-profit-maximizing behavior in supply chain management focuses on the human component in supply chain management. It develops behavioral models that consider individual and social preferences of supply chain members in order to improve our understanding of actual decision-making in supply chain management. The author challenges the common assumption of a selfish homo economicus and introduces the human component in three experimental studies: In the first study, he examines the effect of individual risk preferences in the Newsvendor context. In the second study, a common group identity to overcome incentive conflicts in forecast sharing is studied. The third study explores underlying cognitive processes in contractual decision-making. Potential readership includes scholars and graduate students who are interested in the field of behavioral operations management and practitioners looking for behavioral aspects of decision making in supply chain management.

Praise for the Second Edition of "The Executive Director's Guide to Thriving as a Nonprofit Leader"

"This book is a gift for nonprofit leaders in all stages of their careers. With clarity and profound simplicity, it dissects the otherwise overwhelming role of the nonprofit executive director into understandable components that can then be made workable (and even fulfilling ). It is a highly readable and practical road map for success."
--Molly Polidoroff, executive director, Center for Excellence in Nonprofits

""The Executive Director's Guide to Thriving as a Nonprofit Leader" not only clearly and concisely identifies the most critical issues of nonprofit leadership, but it also provides the resources and answers to those challenges. It will be required reading for both the most seasoned executive as well as the emerging leader."
--Bill Coy, director of leadership practice, La Piana Consulting

"I provide "The Executive Director's Guide to Thriving as a Nonprofit Leader" to all new executive directors placed by my firm. They find it to be a great resource during their orientation to a new organization, new people, and new challenges, and it continues to be a support as issues come up in their work over the years. It's comprehensive and sensible, and the authors' great knowledge and respect for nonprofit executives shine through."
--Susan Egmont, consultant, Egmont Associates

Praise for the Previous Edition

"How would I describe this book? Practical. Helpful. Encouraging. Realistic. Thought-provoking. Accessible. Focused. Honest. Refreshing. It should be on every nonprofit leader's desk."
--"Barry Z. Posner," former dean and professor of leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University, and coauthor, "The Leadership Challenge"

"In this new age of nonprofit management, executive directors are getting over their fantasies and past their fears, crafting change-the-world ideas and executing them every day. Mim and Margaret now provide real-life, real-time help in coaching and guiding executive directors from survival to success. I can't think of a more important contribution in today's drive to strengthen the sector."
--Roni Posner, former executive director, The Alliance for Nonprofit Management

Tackling Wicked Problems in Complex Ecologies is a call to action, focusing on the role that evaluators can play in addressing social and economic problems. Evaluation extends beyond theories and methods, encompassing a range of proven approaches for addressing ecological complexities that drive inequities around the globe. Bringing together leading thinkers and problem-solvers, this collection traverses the range of contexts at the frontiers of the field-from inadequate food supply and housing to unemployment and poverty. Editors Rodney Hopson and Fiona Cram demonstrate the effects of an engaged approach to evaluation, in which three considerations take center stage: its relevance, the relationships it engenders, and the responsibilities it requires. This is a handbook for tackling the social and economic problems of the twenty-first century which, though wicked, are amenable to the tools of the trade.

Nonprofit Hero is written by Valerie Jones, who has raised more than $175 million for nonprofits and coached thousands of people to authentically and successfully ask for the causes they care about. She's addressed more than 50 audiences from Baltimore to Beijing and is one of fewer than 10,000 Certified Fund-Raising Executives (CFREs) worldwide. In addition to running her boutique consulting firm, Valerie M. Jones Associates (VMJA), she's volunteered extensively, serving nonprofits as president, chair, board member, and committee member. Her method works. Trained boards report increased comfort and willingness to ask. Many indicate they are prepared to ask for bigger gifts, can identify more prospective donors, and intend to contact these prospects sooner. Her book, Nonprofit Hero, contains stories, tools, and exercises not included in trainings. Readers will learn how to: *Honor their fears. Surprisingly, these contain their personal prescription for success. *Channel their passion by tapping the energy of why they want what they want. *Discover their asking personality, including how they should and shouldn't ask. *Get started with tips on thirty simple things to do right now for free to help raise money. *Follow five easy steps, starting with thanking, not asking, and with givers, not prospects. *Cast themselves as stars, finding the step they'll most enjoy and at which they'll excel. *Attract support by listening, understanding motivations, and helping fulfill donors' desires. *Elevate their speech so that they can make their case sincerely and with compelling confidence. *Get in the right frame of mind to show up ready for "yes," not braced for "no." This book also helps readers form an in-depth description of their asking personality. It illustrates how they can best thank, steward, research, cultivate, and ask; which of the five steps they favor; how to address their fears; play to their strengths; overcome their weaknesses; and how to get what they need to excel. There are 16 different and distinct profiles, one suited to each reader. Finally, this book includes a toolkit of practical samples and templates, such as sample giving dos and don'ts, asking scripts, and fundraising plans.

The Nonprofit Risk Book guides you through the process of finding, managing and mitigating risks that sap your nonprofit organization's time, finances, and resources. The book will lead you through a systematic process of evaluating what you know best: your organization and its operations. You will learn how to build a list of risks and evaluate each one for its likelihood and impact. After assigning a priority to each risk based on its severity and determining the resources needed to address it, you will be able to create a risk register. From this, you will be able to plan mitigation actions to address each risk and set dates for mitigation plan review and completion. Learn how to use the tools nonprofit leaders need to manage risk in programs and other operations.

How to access the power and profitability of pro bono resources

Savvy nonprofits use strategic management, marketing, technology, leadership to be competitive. With strapped budgets, many nonprofits cannot afford to pay for these resources.? However, businesses are an often overlooked as an effective source of skilled professionals who can supply the needed skills. This book shares the acclaimed Taproot Foundation's pro bono best practices and shows nonprofit managers to apply them to their own unique challenges in a low-to-no-cost way.? The author offers keys to identifying opportunities for using pro bono sources, recruiting pro bono resources, and managing pro bono projects effectively.
Reveals how a nonprofit can partner with a global corporations to further their mission in an effective and low-cost manner
Aaron Hurst is the president and founder of the Taproot Foundation who pioneered a new field in community investment and continually breaks new ground through its signature, catalytic programs designed for the emerging global pro bono marketplace
Gives nonprofit managers and staff the keys to identifying opportunities for using pro bono resources

Taproot's Aaron Hurst offers a hands-on guide to managing and engaging pro bono resources directed at nonprofit organizations.

Now in a thoroughly revised and refreshed fourth edition, Research Methods in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management is beloved by students and professors alike for its exceptional clarity and accessibility and plentiful illustrations. This new edition integrates quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches, as well as specific up-to-date instruction in the use of statistical software programs such as Excel and SPSS. Changes to this edition include: A new section, featuring two new chapters, to explore mixed-methods approaches to research, including fundamentals, research design, data collection, and analyzing and interpreting findings A new, dedicated chapter on Big Data research Updated exhibits and examples throughout the book A new companion website to accompany the book containing PowerPoint slides for each chapter New exhibits, tables, figures, and exercises, as well as key terms and discussion questions at the end of each chapter Research Methods in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management, 4e is an ideal textbook for use in all research methods courses in undergraduate and graduate public administration, public affairs, and nonprofit management courses.

This book addresses a specific subset of nonprofits that are chartered with a single mission: decrease the burden of government. Designing and engaging nonprofits to lessen the burden of government requires a specific description and acknowledgement of the burden to be lessened, and these may include the provision of infrastructure, the relief of debt, or the provision of general public services that are not motivated by charity. It also requires the assignment of specific operating powers to the nonprofit including the power of eminent domain. This book explores these and other related topics including the avoidance of resource dependence on government when attempting to reduce its burden. The book is addressed to the policy makers and rule makers who design policies that affect the ability of the nonprofit to effectively lessen the burden of government. It is also addressed to public administrators in search of innovative ways of implementing these policies consistent with the laws, and to the creative nonprofit managers who are charged with carrying out the mission often in collaboration with the government or other entities. To the advanced student in all related fields, the author offers not only material for discussion, but enables discovery of what is possible by giving key examples of organizations meeting the terms and objective of lessening a significant burden of government.