The Grantsmanship Center News Articles Archive

CLASSIC ARTICLE - More and more grantmakers are demanding program evaluations as a condition of funding. Management consultant Carter McNamara lays out a framework for conducting these evaluations, and he charts the various methods available for gathering valuable data.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - For superstar athletes, charitable foundations are about more than good works. They're also good business. Steve Tappan explains why so many athletes are starting foundations-and why their agents insist on it.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - What are the best capacity-building techniques for grassroots groups? To find out, the Environmental Support Center interviewed a number of technical-assistance providers as well as representatives of the organizations that use their services.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - In some big cities, the quickest way to make friends in high places is to make sizable contributions to elite institutions.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - For many in the nonprofit sector, borrowing carries with it an undeserved stigma-it's seen as a sign of poor management. Yet most for-profit businesses would flounder if they couldn't borrow to stabilize cash flow.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - As the nonprofit sector expands worldwide, grantmakers are combining resources, building regional networks, and promoting new forms of electronic communication among their grantees.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - The IRS recently revised the regulations regarding goods and services that a charity may offer in exchange for contributions. Attorney Pamela McAllister explains what the new rules mean for 501(c)(3) organizations and their donors.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Figuring out what to pay an organization's top executive is one of the biggest challenges facing any board of directors. The National Center for Nonprofit Boards offers some guidelines for carrying out the process.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - As the needs of nonprofits for technology increase, so do the numbers of grant proposals for tech-related projects and equipment. America Online's Michele Cavataio has pored over thousands of requests for tech funding.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Because of the frequently intangible nature of nonprofit work, job performance can be difficult to appraise.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Jed Letterman's Top Ten List of Famous Last Words of Failed Social Entrepreneurs.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - To succeed at fundraising, nonprofit organizations should start from a position of strength, not desperation. How strong is your organization?

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Many nonprofits have an unfounded fear of borrowing money, but the ability to borrow can help deal with unpredictable income steams, growing service demands, or outdated equipment. Financial consultants Susan Kenny Stevens and Lisa M.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - How do the organizers of a charity auction go about collecting the things that bidders want? Professional auctioneer Sandy Bradley gives an insider's guide to soliciting items from businesses, friends and family.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - The Council on Foundations now recognizes 37 separate affinity groups, voluntary associations of grantmakers interested in specific issues and population groups.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Most managers hire people who make them feel comfortable. According to management expert Robert I. Sutton, that may be the wrong thing to do if you want your organization to become more innovative and productive.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Salary surveys are a window on the job market. They show what other employers are paying their personnel, and indicate whether your own wage levels are competitive. Here's a nuts-and-bolts guide to designing a salary survey for your own agency.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Every group has a mission, but how do you distill that mission down to a single, concise paragraph? Communications expert Janel M. Radtke has some answers. She also gives several illustrations of mission statements that work.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - The explosive growth of non-governmental organizations overseas has opened up vast new opportunities for grantmakers.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - In the wake of recent corporate scandals, Congress has imposed strict new standards for the governing boards of public companies.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Should a nonprofit corporation form a subsidiary when it starts a business venture? Not necessarily. Creating a subsidiary can protect the parent corporation from liability and might attract new revenue.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Recruiting good board members is a persistent challenge for community-based organizations. Grantsmanship Center trainer Judy Gooch suggests a dozen places to start looking for prospective members.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Grants managers often find themselves struggling with two or more unintegrated software systems. Tiffy Barnett has experienced the problem first-hand, and she suggests some ways to address it.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Right-wing pundits routinely complain about the left-leaning bias of major foundations, but a new report from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy argues that conservative funders have been much more effective than their progressive counterparts in

CLASSIC ARTICLE - When an Oregon-based agency's federal grant application was rejected solely because of a formatting glitch, the incident sparked raillery and outrage. Susan Compo reports on the Case of the Narrow Margins for The Grantsmanship Center News.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Both volunteer board members and paid employees typically feel a strong emotional attachment to the nonprofits they serve, leading them to see merger as more of a threat than an opportunity. Management consultant Dan H.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - One of the most effective ways to raise big money is with a capital campaign. But community-based groups often lack the resources and the know-how to undertake such an ambitious enterprise.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Starting an earned-income venture takes more than a good idea. It also takes careful planning. Rolfe Larson shows how to assess venture ideas and how to decide which ones are worth pursuing.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - They go by the humble acronym RAG (the one in Washington, D.C. goes by the doubly humble "WashRAG"), but regional associations of grantmakers can be a valuable resource for local nonprofits.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Board conflicts can present some of the most formidable challenges that a nonprofit manager must face. They generally come in two forms--conflict between members of the board and conflict between board and staff.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Many nonprofit groups assume that because their cause is noble, their employees should be willing to work for little money. But without the ability to attract and retain good workers, any enterprise is doomed to failure.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Membership campaigns aren't just a good way to build your donor base. They can also increase your political clout--by educating the community and by showing elected representatives that your organization has a strong constituency.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Unlike for-profit business owners, social entrepreneurs cannot measure the success of their efforts in financial terms alone.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Reducing your agency's budget is never simple. If you have little in the way of unjustified spending to eliminate, there are no easy targets. And imposing a wage or hiring freeze can diminish morale and adversely impact services.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - The principles of "social entrepreneurism" have had a transforming effect on New Economy philanthropists. For the social service agencies that embrace those principles, the effects may be even more profound.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Can small groups realistically expect to get big gifts? Grassroots fundraising expert Andy Robinson argues that contributions of $500 to $5,000 are well within reach- if you know how to ask for them. He lays out a three-step plan for getting the job done.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - More and more grantmakers are making it possible (and in some cases, mandatory) for proposals to be submitted electronically. Contributors to The Grantsmanship Center's Alumni Forum have some suggestions for handling the process more smoothly.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - While there are important differences between grant proposals for research and grant proposals for programs, there are also many parallels. Grantsmanship Center trainer Charles R.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Donated labor often accounts for a significant portion of the in-kind match used to secure a grant. Here's how to calculate its dollar value.

CLASSIC ARTICLE - Grantees often view site visits with dread, but the vast majority of grantmakers have fairly benevolent motives for wanting to observe your work.