Free Articles

Accounting & Finance

Create a Budget that Works for You
by Ann Rotondi
Your budget is more than numbers. It's a tool you can use to motivate employees, control expenses, increase revenues, make effective plans, and fulfill your organization's goals.

Analyze Your Finances to Ensure Your Mission
by H. Breckenridge Little
Calculating trends can help you manage your money and turn deficits into surpluses.

Board Member's First Duty: Accountability
by Fisher Howe
Use this checklist to evaluate your own performance.

NP Boards: 8 Leadership Development Stories
by Joseph Walsh
How does your board compare? Which signs of strength or weakness do you share?

Are You Using Double Power of Focus Groups
by Larry Lauer
Your focus group can be more than a research tool.  You can use it to send your message to your most important audiences.

Tell Me a Story: Using Case Studies to Discover Unmet Needs
by Gerald Berstell & D Nitterhous
The first step to revitalizing your programs - or starting new ones - can be as simple as asking, “Tell me the story....”

Making the Accounting Software Decision
by Don Frey
Use this checklist to choose the best accounting software for your needs.

Need to Update Your Information Technology?  Try Service Learning
by Robin A. Alexander
High-tech needn’t mean high-cost. Consider a service-learning project.

Improve Media Relations with Your Web Site
by Susan Lewandowski
Compare your Web site with those in a recent study to see if you are making any of these fatal errors.

You Can Bank on It
by Bridget McCrea
Use bank envelopes to deliver your message. It’s the newest idea from a nonprofit entrepreneur.

Why You Need to Be More Entrepreneurial - And How to Get Started
by Peter Brinckerhoff
Use these checklists to create an innovative, self-sufficient organization.

Learning Not to Spend It Now
by Peter Brinckerhoff
Saving is tough, but it doesn’t have to be painful.

Will New Accounting Rule Doom Fundraising?
by David Johnsen
A new rule will change the way you allocate your costs. How will it affect your fundraising efforts?

Mama Said Never Put All Eggs in One Basket
by Terrie Temkin
Use these checklists to guarantee a steady income for your organization.

High-End Strategic Alliances as Fundraising Opportunities
by David Campbell
It may be the biggest nonprofit trend of the decade. Use this assessment tool and strategy list to make sure you’re ready.

Courting Female Philanthropists Makes Good Financial Sense
by Anne M. Connor
It’s time to throw out old assumptions about women and giving. Here’s what you need to know.

General Support vs Project Support: A 77-Year-Old Debate Revisited
by Michael Seltzer and Michael Cunningham
This inquiry into funders' and nonprofits' attitudes highlights innovative ways to meet the need for operating support.

Why Predict the Future?
by Paul Lemberg
A futurist explains which predictions are worth making and which aren’t.

Use Campaigning to Win Support
by Paul Brannen
Campaigning can be more effective than fundraising in gaining support, as many global nonprofits have discovered. Here’s some hard-earned advice from Great Britain.

The Politics of Risk
by Pamela Davis
A new law now makes insurance pooling a better option to reduce insurance costs.

How to Accommodate Disabilities under ADA
by Brian Kleiner & Eric Neumann
Here’s a method to assure you’re following ADA rules.

New Regs Unravel Intermediate Sanctions Snares
by Sarah Schmidt
The IRS has clarified some of nonprofits’ most troubling concerns about the Intermediate Sanctions Law. Here are the basics.

Are Membership Dues Deductible?
by E. Turner & Mike Jamison
Some nonprofits say yes, some say no. What does the IRS say?

Is Your Organization Lawsuit-Proof?
by Brian Kleiner et. al.
Test yourself. Then follow these steps.

Don't Wait for Intermediate Sanctions Guidance
by Ben Tesdahl & Jodi Finder
The new law can be a trap for unwary nonprofit managers. Here are rules to follow to make sure you don’t incur the large penalties.

Do You Qualify for Postal Discounts?
by Neal Denton
Here are guidelines for nonprofit mailers.

Study Shows Gaps in NP Management--and Ways to Improve
by Lisa Wyatt Knowlton
New research shines a light on ways to strengthen your management and hiring practices.

 
Personnel & Volunteers

NPs Aren't Immune to Computer Crime
by LLoyd Doney
Computers are making crime easier at nonprofit organizations. Here’s how to keep it from happening to you.

NP Salary Update
by Steven Langer
How does your salary compare?

The Top 10 Reasons You Know You're a Volunteer
by Linda Marshall
Why volunteer? This exploration of voluntarism goes to the heart of the answer.

Using Mission to Create Dynamic Board
by Paula Gavin
Your organization can’t get far without its mission or its board—its heart and its soul.

The Board Development Kit
by Richard Linzer & Annie Hansen
Can’t spend big bucks for a board retreat facilitator? This kit is the next best thing.