Planning is Key to Effectiveness
You got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there. – Yogi Berra Imagine a scene with me…You are on a plane and you strike up a conversation with the person seated…
Nonprofits Must Navigate Stormy Economic Waters
Reading the headlines these days is enough to give anyone heartburn. Just yesterday the stock market posted its largest drop since early 2009. The odds that a double dip recession may be around the corner are rising and most Americans…
10 Business Essentials for Nonprofits
It often seems that when otherwise business-savvy individuals become involved in a nonprofit organization, they set aside all they ever learned in business and proceed to operate their nonprofit as if business rules do not matter. As most soon find…
How to Start a Nonprofit
Helping people start nonprofit organizations is one of the most important things we do at Foundation Group. In fact, we have helped over 14,000 organizations get started since 1995. The following is really more of an overview than an exhaustive…
Thoughts on Nonprofit Leadership Part II
This is installment #2 in our ongoing series on leadership. Our first installment was more of an introduction. In this post, we are going to explore the concept of governance vs. management. Governance and management: For many, these are interchangeable…
Thoughts On Nonprofit Leadership (Part I)
The word “leader” conjures up a variety of images: your old Little League coach, a military general, your boss…even the president of the United States. Regardless of who (or what) comes to mind, there is the common thread of someone…
You Get What You Pay For
One of our staff members was rummaging around in the back of a closet here in the office the other day looking for some Christmas decorations. She came across a framed quote that someone stuffed into a box years ago. …
Questions Other Nonprofits Are Asking
If you are operating a nonprofit organization, chances are good that you have questions…lots of questions. And, it probably wouldn’t surprise you to know that your contemporaries in other nonprofits have lots of questions, too. Here at The Foundation Group,…
The Efficiency Trap
Ok, it’s confession time. As a lot of preachers do with their sermons, this article rises of out some self-evaluation I’ve been engaging in since I picked up Timothy Ferriss’s book, The 4-Hour Workweek. While my goals are certainly different…
Common Myths Concerning Nonprofits
Just yesterday, I was interviewing a new student intern candidate in my office. During the course of our wide ranging discussion, the conversation turned to some of the interesting misconceptions we encounter with clients. I made the comment that we…