Staffing & Human Resources

How Much Less Do Nonprofit CEOs Get Paid Than For-Profit CEOs?
October 18, 2016 at 9:56 am

Nonprofit CEOs may play an invaluable role in changing the world, but they still make less than their for-profit counterparts. The average nonprofit CEO makes a little more than $120,000 a year, according to the 2016 Charity CEO Compensation Study by Charity Navigator. The exact figure is $123,362, taken from an analysis of tax filings…

Use the Wall Exercise to See Your Direct Marketing Program More Clearly
October 18, 2016 at 9:25 am

Last week, I had the pleasure of talking to someone who runs one of the largest direct marketing programs in the nonprofit industry. This program is not just massive from a revenue perspective, but also from a complexity perspective. Running this program is a large job. So, I asked how she manages to keep her finger on everything. She told me about the "wall exercise"...

'What Good Does a Major Gift Officer Do?'
October 17, 2016 at 10:11 am

If you find yourself in the discussion of new money or “what have you done for me lately, major gift officer,” then, hopefully, the content of this post will be helpful to you. If nothing else, I hope it will serve as a reminder to seriously value the good donors who are currently in your care. They are good people who have made a commitment to you. They deserve your careful attention, respect and love. Let me explain...

New Overtime Rules: 3 Questions and 5 Suggestions for Nonprofits
October 6, 2016 at 11:50 am

New federal overtime rules take effect Dec. 1, 2016, and compliance with these rules is mandatory for for-profit and nonprofit employers alike. Among other things, the rules mandate that full-time, salaried employees who are paid less than $47,476 per year must now be paid overtime. 
This can certainly place financial stress on nonprofits already staring down general funding cuts or those whose fiscal-year budgets already are in place...

Chief Development, Marketing Officers Cage Match Yields Department Restructure
October 5, 2016 at 11:37 am

Recently I met with a client—one of the top 10 health care nonprofits in the U.S. I asked for a meeting with its marketing and donor acquisition staffs. Much to my surprise, this was the first time this group had been brought together in the same room. At another client, recently an entire layer of the marketing department had been released, with new personnel being brought into the development department to do marketing....

Nonprofit Groups Attract CFOs From For-Profit Companies
October 4, 2016 at 9:47 am

As a former finance chief of four public companies, including mortgage giant Fannie Mae, David Johnson knows about investments. “When I think about investment, I immediately think about hurdle rates, return on investment and return on equity,” he said. At International Rescue Committee, the refugee-aid charity that Johnson joined last March, the term investments refers…

Take a Vacation! (And Do It Right)
September 30, 2016 at 9:14 am

Many nonprofit executives are lucky if they can spend 10 percent of their work year on vacation. This 10 percent could easily affect the 90 percent left on the job. Be sure to take your vacation and try to take it the right way. How? Focus on body, mind and spirit...

14 Things the Best Nonprofit Organizations Do Right
September 30, 2016 at 8:00 am

Nonprofits are messy. It’s true even for the best nonprofit organizations out there. Not enough money. Too many cooks. An abundance of passion. Often on this blog I write about what nonprofits are doing wrong and how to fix it. After all, “nonprofits are messy” is more than just my tagline—it’s my mantra. And my…

7 Virtues of High Achieving Fundraising Shops
September 28, 2016 at 9:59 am

I got to spend time in Omaha this week, one of America’s great philanthropic cities, and was happily reminded of the force for good that is a high-functioning fundraising department. Show me a focused group of professionals devoted to donor relationships and revenue targets, and I can anticipate world-class results. We have had a fond…

29 Tips for Being a Horrible Supervisor That Everyone Hates
September 27, 2016 at 11:12 am

Last week, I wrote about the importance of firing people faster. Some employees are not effective, and sometimes they’re downright toxic, and we need to let them go. However, often it’s not the employee who is incompetent or toxic, but his or her supervisors. So, to bring balance, this week I am writing about horrible…