What societal trends will have the greatest impact on nonprofits in 2012? Convio, a firm that tracks nonprofit donor trends and provides software to help nonprofits manage their constituent relationships, predicted the following trends in a recently released report: (1) the maturation of social media,... Continue

In 2006, the Association of Fundraising Professionals and The Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute launched the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP), a nationwide, ten-year groundbreaking study designed to conduct research on fundraising effectiveness and help nonprofit organizations increase their fundraising results at... Continue

As we head into the last quarter of the year, the time during which most individuals donate to their favorite charities, it’s a good time to assess how well these charities have been faring during this difficult economy. Last month, the Nonprofit Research Collaborative released... Continue

Almost any day of the week, you can find the staff and volunteers of many local nonprofits spending countless hours writing grant proposals to present to charitable foundations and businesses to meet their application deadlines. According to the American Association of Fundraising Counsel’s annual study... Continue

It is far better for members of a nonprofit organization’s leadership team to spend time planning ways to build a strong relationship with a donor than it is for them to plan how to get a donor or prospective donor to give money to their... Continue

As nonprofit organizations grow to meet increased community needs, the leadership of these organizations must often decide whether or not to engage in a capital campaign to raise the necessary funds that growth requires. A capital campaign is characterized as a significant fundraising effort to... Continue

In this difficult economy, an increasing number of individuals are suggesting that nonprofits with similar missions consider merging as a survival strategy. Before organizations consider a merger, its leaders should ask themselves if the merger will result in a stable organization that can more effectively... Continue

Do leaders in the nonprofit sector exhibit more effective leadership skills than their for-profit counterparts? That’s what a major study has concluded. In a national study of 2,800 leaders conducted by the Community Resource Exchange, researchers discovered that nonprofit leaders scored higher in 14 of... Continue

We are fortunate to live in a place with so many talented individuals who are committed to serving their community as members of the boards of directors that guide the important work of Sonoma Valley’s nonprofit organizations. Finding the right match between a prospective board... Continue