Many individuals start off already knowing their purpose, having several ideas for a nonprofit, or even believing that they need to jump on filling out Form 1023 as soon as all parties agree on a mission. Well, my journey was a little different. In fact, it was a little backwards. I started a community organization that, by choice, has yet to be registered. But before I jump into why I have made the decision to hold off on registering my wonderful organization as a 501(c)(3), I think I should give you some background on the little gem.

Let me take you back to March 2012. During that month my friend Magui and I had both received some very unpleasant news about our health condition. Apparently our M&M nickname went from “Mel and Mags” to Medical Mystery! We were both frustrated with the fact that although we led very active lives and were at the top of our physical goals, our immune system always appeared to say the opposite.

Well, because we both felt the most invincible when we ran, and because we wanted a way to feel like we were getting back at our ridiculous immune system, we decided to sign up for our first full marathon. We agreed that no matter how bad the diagnoses or the news, illness would always have to try its hardest to catch us!  That night we discussed starting a Facebook page to document our training and gain our friend’s emotional support, but our random spurts of creative ideas led us to something bigger. Creating a…

One of the greatest challenges facing nonprofit organizations is garnering volunteers and, more importantly, the right kind of individuals. The ideal volunteer brings more than a bagged lunch – he or she provides innovative ideas, fresh enthusiasm, and a sincere interest in a volunteer setting. Below are five suggestions that have helped Garage Community and Youth Center form lasting and meaningful relationships with current and prospective volunteers.

1. Offer titles within organization

Even though a volunteer may not consider their position that important, it is our job to dissuade such feelings. Providing volunteers with a title will reinforce that they are an essential part of the team, examples including “brand coordinator” and “social consultant.” Volunteers who are in college or are still establishing their careers may appreciate the opportunity to enhance their resumes, and such roles encourage progression within the organization. While setting up an awareness concert to raise money for cancer, the Garage grouped high school students from different locations. We gave these volunteers the titles “brand ambassador” and “brand promoter”. Even though the students did not know each other, their similar titles were a factor in bringing them together as a team.

2. Allow volunteers to flow through organization

Should you change your nonprofit’s Facebook profile image to show support of a hot political issue? What do you do if someone comments with a racial slur on a photo of your volunteer? How do you react if you find your page to be the victim of the ever-dreaded troll?

As they say, “With any social media profile, comes great responsibility.” (Just kidding, no one really says that. But they should!)

If you have ever found yourself in one of these situations, then you know that making a wrong or inconsistent decision can have disastrous results. And those disastrous results are very, very public. Having a social media policy in place will help you answer these questions, and inform you or your social media manager on what to do in similar situations. And it’s extremely easy to create.

What’s in a social media policy?

Every nonprofit’s policy is going to be different, because every nonprofit has different needs, different audiences, different missions, and different campaign goals. But to give you an example of what a social media policy consists of, here’s a sample of the ASU Lodestar Center’s:

• • Who can post: We determined which employee is ultimately responsible for all of our social media profiles and which other employees are allowed to post on behalf of the Center.
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• • What to post: Here…

Question: My board of directors and staff are working, doing their jobs in the day to day, but they don’t seem to have the energy or interest in the overall mission and future of the organization. We need to develop a plan for the future, but I can’t seem to muster up their enthusiasm and creativity for the effort. How can I increase engagement in order to lay strategic groundwork for the future?

A friend of mine once gave me a card that pictured a crisis center, on fire and afloat on a river, about to fall over a cliff.  I was the director of a crisis center at the time, so it was amusing and a bit true to my experience.  Unfortunately, the portrayal of a crisis center in crisis is not so farfetched. The day-to-day work of nonprofit organizations is often so demanding, the big picture is often overlooked in response to the daily “crisis” of staying afloat.

It is tough to transition from daily demands to thinking about five years down the road or the organization’s long term future. There are tools and methods available to help transition and engage the creativity of your stake holders.  The first step, however, is to make planning and forward thinking a priority.  Management guru…

There is a long history of nonprofit organizations partnering with the government, usually at the state level, through contracts to help provide for and respond to community needs. Through this powerful partnership, local services have improved, such as: enhanced human services, increased community development, greater economic development, and superior environmental protection.

Although these positive developments are possible, the Urban Institute Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy and the National Council of Nonprofits are well aware that there are many challenges and problems that have wormed their way into the system. In 2010, the Urban Institute conducted the first comprehensive national survey of nonprofits to assess the problems with government contracts and nonprofits (view the full report here).

Here are the problems they found:

Unreasonably complex applications and reporting: The contracts are ridden with endless amounts of red-tape, bidding complications, and unavoidable inefficiencies that occur through complex bureaucracy. When the applications and reporting requirements are so complex, staff productivity, time and money are spent needlessly.

Changing terms mid-contract:…