Recent surveys confirm what we know: demand for nonprofit services continues to rise while the best we seem to be able to hope for is a stabilization of our financial condition. In the ever changing landscape of today’s nonprofit environment, among the few constants are the needs to have an in-depth understanding of our organization’s business model and to make adjustments that respond to the winds of change. Our ability to survive in this climate, let alone thrive, depends upon our ability to make the right strategic decisions in a timely manner. Doing so must encompass both financial viability AND mission impact.

“Social Enterprise (SE)” – if you are plugged into the nonprofit sector in any way you have probably heard the term. What is it though, and what does it really mean? Although the phrase and some of the better-known SE success stories have been bandied about lately, many nonprofit professionals have a hard time wrapping their arms around the concept. 

This blog post was originally written by Richard Patton, director of Vision for Children at Risk for the VCR website.  We thank VCR for their use of this blog and their insight in to Collective Impact.

The use of "collective impact" as an approach to creating large-scale social change is sweeping the country.  Is this a  strategy that we need to employ in the St. Louis region?

Collective impact was examined in the Winter 2011 edition of the Stanford Social Innovation Review. It has created a buzz among local civic leaders, foundations and nonprofit agencies.  Now representatives of Strive Cincinnati, the leading collective impact initiative in the country, are coming to St. Louis to talk about the concept of collective impact and the workings of the Strive model.

Links to the the Collective Impact article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review and other valuable resource materials are also included in the blog post.

Thought leadership is a concept crucial in differentiating a product or service in a competitive market – it is the basis for innovative change.

Succession planning is more than just hiring a new executive director.  Is your board prepared for the inevitable? 

We have all read that approximately 10,000 baby boomers will be retiring every day starting on January 1, 2011 and that number will continue for at least the next five years. Are you one of those baby boomers planning to retire this year or within the next three to five years? Are you presently in a key management/leadership position in your agency? Are you preparing your Board, staff, funders and yourself for that inevitability? Isn’t that part of your responsibility? How you and the Board prepare the organization for the departure of its key leadership, will have significant impact on the legacy left for the future.

Nonprofits are not immune to the economic conditions which have affected banks and their willingness and ability to lend.  Banks have pulled back on commercial lending and some have reduced and/or not renewed lines of credit to nonprofit borrowers.  For many nonprofits, particularly the larger ones, a line of credit is a critical tool to sustain operations and cover costs through their inevitable rollercoaster of operating cycles. 

Compelling content, Google Analytics, and more!  Maryanne Dersch of 501creative gives us the run down on the five ways you can improve your website right away!

More and more companies are connecting direct consumer engagement with their philanthropy. Donna McGinnis asks, is seeking online votes worth the time?

How do young nonprofit professionals truly develop as professionals in a meaningful way?  The most important step is the first: setting goals.