Staffing & Human Resources

You may lose some staff due to proactive changes, but you must think about the institutional direction going forward.

Having had the opportunity to work with nonprofits that hit huge growth periods and those that wanted to and talked about it but could never achieve that takeoff, I offer the following observations.

Here are some of the signs that give fakers away, so you can avoid the costly mistake of shackling yourself to a faker when you need a fundraiser.

In our most recent print issue, Nancy Schwartz, president of GettingAttention.org and member of the FS Editorial Advisory Board, took a cue from Seth Godin to explain that "You Can Change the People That Matter."

Whether you’re new to a development leadership role or a seasoned executive, you must consider personnel issues. Much like a football coach who takes over a team, think about each part of the organization and how the pieces fit together. A fundraising coach knows that success depends on a total team concept. Each fundraising organization has elements of governance through its board of directors and administration with executive leadership and staff. These various individuals must execute strategic and operational plans for success to occur.

If you want to attract and retain someone who will develop a sustainable financial engine for your nonprofit, don’t leave your fundraiser out in the cold. Fully integrate your head fundraiser into your organization, and provide the tools, support and resources necessary to succeed.

Getting the right team around you is one of the most important factors in your fundraising program's success. Here are five guidelines for ensuring that you make the right hire.

The winning formula? Hire smarter + train better + fire faster = grow stronger. And sleep better.

The man who helped bring "Sesame Street" to a global audience for the past 11 years will take over as president and CEO of NPR, the public radio network announced Sunday. Gary Knell, the longtime president and CEO of Sesame Workshop, will start at NPR on Dec. 1.

Knell, 57, told The Associated Press on Sunday that he wanted to "depoliticize" NPR by highlighting its commitment to hard-hitting local, national and international journalism across multiple platforms.

The growth in nonprofit jobs slowed in 2010 compared with other recent years, according to a new analysis of U.S. labor statistics.

The number of nonprofit jobs grew by just under 1 percent from 2009 to 2010, according to a study of figures in 45 states by the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Civil Society Studies, in Baltimore. Year-to-year nonprofit job totals increased by 1.2 percent in 2009 and 2.6 percent in 2008.

However, nonprofits fared better in 2010 than for-profit companies, which saw a 0.9 percent decrease in jobs last year.