How much does your nonprofit spend on its mission? Besides wanting to say, “Every dime” what is the real answer? [...]
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Is it enough for the board to care about the clients? Many think so. It certainly was several years ago. Today, the competitive landscape has changed. [...] The board is the guardian of the mission. It is responsibility of the board to ensure that the mission succeeds. The board must put the mission before all else when making a decision. [...] There is a common assumption that boards should fundraise. However, we think there are only four things boards are responsible for: planning, setting policy, monitoring activity, and self-management. Where or how does fundraising fit in? [...] The end of the school year is here. There is a rush to complete dozens of projects. Students, teachers, and the administration all have several projects that must end in a few weeks. The opposite is true for the board. [...] Every parochial school has the potential to be operating at capacity. There are more than enough children in every neighborhood. Every community has more than enough money to scholarship the students with needs. The reality is that most Christian schools are operating below capacity. They have very little community support. Children walk past them daily [...] Everybody wants an engaged board. The engaged boards are the high performance boards. How do you create an engaged board? Before we tackle that question perhaps, it would be good to define what an engaged board looks like. Every board member … [...] We believe that the majority of the parochial schools across the country are struggling. By our definition, a school is struggling if enrollment has declined for the past three or more years. Fundraising is stagnate or declining. It has had an operating loss for two or more years. In short, the longevity of the school is in doubt. [...] What is the difference between a desire and a goal? Without a plan, more vitality, strength, and sustainability are just desires. Without a plan, how will you convince the staff, donors, referral sources, and others that you are serious, intentional, and know how to do it? Unless you write down your plan how will others follow it? Without milestones how will you know if the plan is working? [...] Numerical growth is only one example of growth. Is it the right one for your favorite nonprofit? It is the most popular measure because it is the most important measure to retail operations and retail is the most visible business activity around us. However, other growth measures can be more important. [...] |
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