Tracy Vanderneck

Bill was one of the first people I met when I worked at a local American Red Cross chapter. Now, a decade later, I mention him often when I train nonprofit staff because he taught me an important lesson. Maybe he can help you be successful in your nonprofit career, too...

I hate to be sad or depressed. I know some people like a good cry; they feel it is cleansing, cathartic. I am not one of them. I’ve even been accused of wearing permanent rose-colored glasses because of the lengths to which I will go to avoid tearjerker movies or sob-inducing novels...

If nonprofit organizations have such tremendous responsibility and represent a large employment sector, doesn’t it make sense for them to operate in a way that enables them to recruit and retain the best talent available? I believe the missions they deliver are worth it...

Many small nonprofits start with a family forming the core of the board of directors; there may also be family members delivering the services. This can result in a significant conflict of interest and should be avoided.

Years ago, long before I worked in the nonprofit sector, I started my own nonprofit organization collecting and distributing school supplies to kids in need. I had no idea what I was doing; I just knew my nonprofit mission was to accomplish “something good.”...

Nonprofits need to be flexible, open to new ideas and willing to change when appropriate. Soliciting supporter input on a regular basis will help organizations stay relevant and in touch with their base...

As development professionals, it generally falls to us (the executive director and the person in charge of finance are often in the boat with us) to keep current on the fundraising regulations of countries and states in which our nonprofit organizations solicit funds to support our missions. It can be difficult to keep up and, sometimes, we may miss things; it happens...

Nonprofits are a positive part of many people’s lives, whether they are clients in need of services, donors giving to organizations or volunteers participating in the mission. While most of us have had favorable relationships with nonprofit organizations, unfortunately, many of us can also cite frustrations with them...

Teenagers are irresponsible. They are lazy and entitled and never look up from their smart devices. Wait, what about Jack Andraka, who identified an early detection mechanism for pancreatic cancer… while he was in high school? He not only invented it, he pitched the idea to 200 research professors to test it and earned workspace in a scientific lab...

Disaster philanthropy is in full swing. People are giving everything they can to help their fellow humans after hurricanes, earthquakes and fires. We’re seeing the best example of why nonprofit organizations exist—to be the conduit that makes it possible for people to help other people...

The term “cult of personality” tends to conjure dramatic images of political or religious leaders influencing the masses. It seems grandiose and powerful. Cult of personality has varied definitions, but they all basically boil down to this: The situation that arises when an individual person gains intense loyalty from a group of people from the sheer force of his or her personality...

I had a math teacher in high school who, when asked questions about the basic rules of algebra, would answer, “It’s algebra. You don’t question why, you just do it according to the rules laid out.” A similar process is used when assessing and reporting Fair-Market Value—if a donor receives something from a nonprofit in exchange for their charitable donation...

Doesn’t it feel like the employee turnover rate in the nonprofit sector is unreasonably high? It sure seems that each time I talk to a nonprofit organization, the person who used to be my contact is no longer there. It can be frustrating for volunteers and donors to deal with what feels like a revolving door of staffers...

Nonprofit boards of directors operate on many different levels of sophistication, from a 25-member national board that follows “Robert’s Rules of Order” to the letter at every meeting, to the five-person local board that has never heard of “Robert’s Rules of Order,” and on which the sitting members are all friends with the organization’s founder...

You wouldn’t leave your house and drive your car aimlessly hoping you’d eventually find your great aunt Marge’s house in Tucson, even though you’ve never even been to Arizona. So as a nonprofit professional or volunteer, why would you just start doing random things to try to raise money for your organization and hope that the outcome is enough money?...