NonProfit PRO Leadership Conference: 8 Nonprofit Leadership, Board Trends for 2015

NonProfit PRO is hosting its inaugural Nonprofit Leadership Conference May 5 in Washington, D.C. View more details here and register here. Use the promo code NPPNEWS for $50 off the full registration price.

The conference will tackle leadership issues for nonprofits of all sizes and missions, hitting on topics that range from:

• Shifting thinking from a scarcity mind-set to an opportunity mind-set
• Working with a difficult board
• Breaking down silos within an organization
• Seeking out untapped resources
• Dealing with legal issues
• Assessing risk
• Branding your organization
• Fostering collaboration
• And so much more

Heading in to 2015 NonProfit PRO rounded up some of the nonprofit industry’s finest, who were kind enough to share their nonprofit trends for 2015, including these eight trends on nonprofit leadership and boards of directors.

Richard Perry, founding partner, and Jeff Schreifels, senior partner, Veritus Group
1. Nonprofit leaders and donors valuing impact and outcomes of nonprofit programs vs. how much they spend on overhead. This trend is professionalizing nonprofit personnel and infrastructure and moving organizations to operate more effectively, efficiently and professionally. There will be more emphasis and resources allocated toward reporting back on impact from nonprofits.

2. A move from power and control on the part of leaders and managers to participative involvement by all: donors, staff, board, etc.

3. An increase in ethical behavior, truth-telling, transparency and openness as donors continue to demand it and general and social media expose its lack.

Allison Porter, president, Avalon Consulting Group
4. The overhead myth is holding less sway, but we aren’t there yet. We are chipping away at the assumption that nonprofits should do the best they can on shoestring budgets and replacing it with the more nuanced mind-set that nonprofits should invest responsibly in strategic opportunities for impact and growth. 2014 brought more visibility to this issue, including some inspiring industry conversations around charity evaluators, strategic overhead ratios and donor perceptions. I’m determined to continue advancing this conversation in 2015, and I hope to see proactive effort on the part of the whole fundraising community — to bring this issue to the press in a positive way, to get clear on organizational messaging and to advocate tirelessly on behalf of the strategies that will best advance your missions.