Staffing & Human Resources

You will meet many colleagues in the nonprofit business. If you are extremely fortunate, you will maintain relationships with valued colleagues for a number of years. Besides just going to and from work each day, I encourage you to meet and engage with colleagues. When you do, your knowledge expands greatly...

What is your biggest fundraising challenge? For many fundraisers, the answer is “fundraising by committee.” In fact, when I asked my readers to share their greatest challenges in creating their organizations’ fundraising appeals, their answers were telling...

She was the director of the annual fund at a small Midwestern college. He was director of planned gifts. What should have have been a productive professional relationship soured into a bitter, on-the-job rivalry that eventually prompted the annual fund director to resign. The annual fund director—who asked that her name be withheld in order…

Your board meeting or fundraising committee meeting ends with a buzz. Everyone is excited about the direction things are heading at your nonprofit organization. People even agreed to take on tasks. With deadlines. Yet, a month or so later when you meet, you are disappointed—again. Calls weren’t made. Tickets weren’t sold. Doors weren’t opened. Reports weren’t reviewed. You aren’t even sure…

Severance pay should be considered whenever an employee is laid off, is terminated with or without cause, or resigns from employment. Termination can result from a variety of circumstances, some of which may involve contentious people or situations, and difficult issues. Thus, severance pay may be a good risk-management tool for avoiding potential 
litigation, adverse publicity and other claims against a nonprofit employer...

When it comes to fundraising, far too many nonprofit organizations are wedded to “magic bullet” thinking, mistakenly believing that a miracle solution will arrive and answer their prayers. The problem is, that method of thinking falls into the category of distractions, ultimately wasting your time and diverting your focus from what truly matters. And it is costing you...

We register for them. We speak at them. We go to their education sessions and receptions. But, are those industry conferences really worth it?...

Let’s discuss the right way and the wrong way to build a leadership team. A while back I coached a very smart and ambitious young woman who, for the sake of privacy, I’ll call Meg. Meg recently had been promoted to run the communications department of a mid-sized nonprofit. She had never held a senior…

Kevin Spacey said, "If you have done well in whatever business you are in, it is your duty to send the elevator back down and try to help bring up the next generation of undiscovered talent.” I’m not sure when Spacey’s iconic role in "The Usual Suspects" became the go-to for life advice, but I surely agree with the sentiment...

Each candidate must be prepared for a job search and what that entails. A major piece of that process is the dreaded job interview. You would think experienced professionals, over time, would improve in this area, but, sadly, many do not improve because of lack of focus and preparation...