I (23F) have been working at a grassroots, youth led organization for over 4+ years. I’ve done so much for the org and have grown so much through it - from grant writing, leading programming, building a space, etc. but now, I am incredibly burnt out. I feel that the ED and I don’t get along well anymore, and I find myself feeling micromanaged and under stimulated in my role. This sucks because we’re great friends in our personal lives.

However! There are also so many pros: I have a managerial position where I have lots of leadership and mentorship to the youth we work with, they lend me so much tech I can’t currently afford like a laptop, and the hours are incredibly flexible and dependant on my schedule. Basically it’s a nice side job for extra income (which is always nice as a broke post grad), but at the cost of me feeling really really unmotivated and sad in the role.

I need your advice: should I cut ties with this non profit, or continue to stay on? Im currently on a 2 month leave as I transition into a full time job, but the ED reached out asking if I’m coming back on a part time basis because she really needs my help writing grants. Any advice is very appreciated!

Hi everyone! I have a question about sales tax on event tickets for non-profits. I'm in Quebec, Canada, and I'm wondering if events hosted by non-profits are required to charge sales tax on ticket sales. I've looked through a lot of resources but haven’t found any specific info on this for Quebec. Has anyone here had experience with this or knows how it works? Thanks in advance!

I'm one year in, and I believe there is a major divide between "new" and "career" case Managers, regardless of specialization, in terms of practical knowledge.

What so you wish you had known before starting your career path? What do you think new case Managers should know that they aren't being taught?

Hello, I checked the rules and these are not a CRM and I am not asking how to use. I checked the Wiki and these types of programs were not covered.May I ask if anyone has used either of these programs from SutiSoft and a simple rating reply (1-5 with 1 being lowest)? No details, pricing, etc. If not allowed, please remove or advise and I will.

Thanks!

So our new-ish ED seems to think it’s not their job to raise money? We have a three person development team which involves a CDO, a grants person and a marketing/events person. How big of a red flag is it that he thinks fundraising is only 10-20% of his responsibilities?

Hi. I have inherited an art collection of about 50 pieces. I have many years on nonprofit boards and working with fundraising of different kinds, but I know nothing about, and have no experience with, art. I would like to donate it. Anyone have any suggestions for how and where? (Los Angeles area)? The work is not high value, but they are all mid/late 20th century artists with an exhibition and auction history.

Through a series of adhd task avoidance and hyper fixation I just found out my teachers union has not had tax exempt status since 2016 for not filing a form 990 for at least the previous 3 years, nor do they have an active EIN or business registered through the state. I point blank asked them and received this response:

It is my understanding that the tax situation started when our auditor died awhile back. We were in the process of correcting the tax status issue when, coincidentally, our new auditor died as well. We weren't informed by the respective companies of these deaths until well after they happened. The issue is now in the hands of the auditor we've been using for PERC certification, who is also a tax specialist. We do not have a resolution to the problem yet, but once we do, we will let the Reps know.

On a scale or 1-10, how screwed are we? Also, should I be concerned for the safety of the 3rd auditor?

I apologize if this isn’t an appropriate use of this sub.

We’re preparing our year-end campaign and have already started sending non-solicitation emails - more of updates, etc. - to let people know how grateful we are and our (their) impact.

We sent one email in October and are planning another email in early November just focusing on gratitude.

We intended to send the email on Nov. 1 but I’m behind schedule. Normally I’d send it next week, but with the election, I’m not sure if it’s better to wait until the end of the week or delay it to the following week.

How are your organizations handling communications during the election?

Thanks all!

hi,

i was just invited for an interview for a job at a startup nonprofit (between 30-50 employees), i won’t name it but it assists people in getting affordable housing and social services. the role would be directly working with clients and the description sounds similar to when i was a case manager. it also pays pretty well, much more than any other case manager job i’ve seen.

i was really excited about this, but then i was warned by someone about potential downsides of working for a startup. after some googling and reddit searching, im terrified. it seems like startup employees rarely work less than 50-60 hours per week, and overall startups foster a cult-like environment that requires employees to bend over backwards for their job.

most things i read about startups were related to tech, marketing, sales, etc. that’s why im posting here because im curious if a startup nonprofit would be different?

my current job in healthcare has 9-5 hours, but a long commute and in office every day. it’s an intense high stress job and i’m miserable. i’m seeking better work-life balance in a field im more comfortable in. the potential job i’m interviewing for offers a hybrid schedule which is appealing to me but im so worried about getting sucked into a job that requires me to work long hours routinely. although i have passions and strive to be good at my job, i am not the type of person that goes above and beyond for a job. i work because i have to, and im generally not driven or motivated by work. i’m afraid a startup environment would be bad for me but the job, based on description and salary, looks great.

any experience or advice on this?

Hi! So I am an outreach worker for a mental health agency, and part of my job is to find places willing to let me set up a table just to give out information (and help people who are interested sign up). We only accept patients with Medicaid, or people who qualify for it(in CA so Medi-Cal), though we also have wellness centers that anyone over 18 can visit. Does anyone have any ideas for where I can inquire about setting up a table?

What are your suggestion on how to negotiate wage, etc. after being offered a role? I could use some help.

Some context: The nonprofit recently received a sizable state grant that is resulting in an 800% increase in staff. I have more experience negotiating wage and other benefits with a for profit and would be grateful for insights with nonprofits, especially small nonprofits.

After consulting the PNP Staffing Group's 2024 NONPROFIT SALARIES AND STAFFING TRENDS, their offer is 7-16K below market rate in this part of the country.

Beyond the wage, their benefits are fairly lean compared to my previous employers:

• Healthcare reimbursement of up to $450 per month
• PTO accrued at 10 hours per month
• Sick time accrued at one hour per 40 hours worked

Thanks for your suggestions and advice!

hello everyone,

I will be going to a donor’s house tomorrow. This donor invited me to his apartment at our last breakfast meeting. This would be the third time that I have met with him and I will be discussing the projects that are happening within the organization.

There has been a growing concern about the age of our donors and this donor in particular is 93 years old. The executive Director told me months ago that he felt that he should be the one to speak on endowments or Legacy giving since he has a years long relationship with this donor.

The Director that I am speaking of will be leaving in December and he decided to ask me if I would feel OK asking about legacy giving or endowments. I do not have much experience in development and I do not feel comfortable with doing this at all.

This donor currently funds our fellowship program at $70,000 per year. If I were to ask for an endowment that last 10 to 15 years, how much would the endowment need to be?

Please entertain me, if I had a gun to my head, what do you think the best thing I should say to get this donor to even think about an endowment.?

I have worked in non-profit for many years and while I have never really experienced pressure like this (making a goal). I have had a lot of success already (have only been there about 6 months), but the ED, without me knowing before I began, decided to run a deficit budget. So she's all over me to make more revenue. The job is only 30hours/week (she changed the terms during the final phases of hiring) and the pay is mid to low. I took it expecting a pleasant work place with nice people and flexibility. I'm also being pressured to take their in-house Bible study and have been told I must do it within the first year or basically I am fired. This was not disclosed during the interview process. So, I mean, this is all weird right. . .

Yes, I’ve resorted to asking Reddit…

Is it appropriate to share correspondence between the nonprofit (written by nonprofit employee/contractor) and a government agency with a member of the nonprofit who isn’t a Board Member (this is US-based)? Nonprofit is a trade association. Concern is that the nonprofit works on behalf of all the members and by sharing information to any individual member this might be construed as giving an advantage or helping a specific member over the rest? I can see why sharing with the Board makes sense since they’re the governing body.

Thanks in advance!

I get at least monthly request for per diem for our sponsee's travel, etc. As a policy we don't issue payments without invoice support. Does anyone else experience this dilemma? How do you handle it/what's your policy?

I have been working in professional fundraising for about five months. I am in charge of all fundraising fields at a non-profit with a budget of about $2.5M annually and 15 full-time staff members.

Recently, I solicited a $100K donation from a major donor. Everybody at the organization was very excited, but I would like perspective for re-writing my CV. I have mentors from larger organizations who specialize in 6-figure donations.

Is $100K "impressive" for an organization that size or is it expected?

What is everyone using for cloud storage of the board's policies and documentation? Ideally it would be great to find one that allows for easy collaboration undocuments that are in Microsoft Office as well as Google suite. We have a small agency and right now everyone is maintaining these policies on their own devices. Of course that makes me very concerned for a number of reasons.

I’m in higher ed and am really struggling to navigate getting quality assignments - I had an initial portfolio assigned, which my manager barely glanced at at the time of assignment and it turned out to be a dud - it was basically 90% discovery, extremely low giving, with only 2 handoffs of decent prospects from other gift officers.

I’m being encouraged to refresh but kind of forced to build my own portfolio from scratch using prospects from various list pulls. I’ve never been in this position before at a large org and the assignments are very murky waters since some outreach has been done with a number of these prospects by other gift officers. In the past I’ve been a one person dev office and could find my own top prospects or I’ve only taken over portfolios from former gift officers or been assigned very warm leads to upgrade with, maybe, 20% discovery.

Very curious to hear what the process of being assigned prospects is at your org. Especially if you are a major or principal gift officer.

Hoping someone else has had to address this issue with their organization and has some advice.

The non-profit I work for does a lot of travel/meeting with various members of local government, companies and our constituents. 3 members of our small staff (10 people) spend 80%+ of their time traveling, in meetings or at conference/events.

We are looking for a very lightweight, super user friendly tech option to allow these staff members to record audio notes and have those transcribed and stored digitally for other staff to review/edit and action. Obviously, as a non-profit cost is a major factor.

I was thinking/hoping for an app (these staff members are not the most tech savvy) that could be loaded onto their phones and record with a few clicks.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I want to get a few logo items made as end of year thank you gifts for some key volunteers at the NPO I work for. I'm thinking about a tote bag with our logo and then a few extras in the bag. (A insulated travel mug, a nice notebook, etc.)

Our NPO does have a place they use but the company only does larger orders (100+ of items) and I really only need about 20-25 each of a few different items.

I feel like every place I look online is either suspiciously cheap/low quality, or highly out of my budget (Moo, for example).

Do any of you have recommendations for online swag printing that's good but won't break the bank?

I have a final interview for a larger not-for-profit in my area. It's for a Community Engagement Manager position. My background is in education. I helped to start a not-for-profit school, but I have never been a community engagement manager. The first interview felt pretty easy in terms of the line of questioning. They were important questions, but they felt relatively general.

What kinda of questions should I expect for a second (it's the final) interview with multiple organizational leaders?

Key responsibilities include:

Develop and implement program infrastructure to support the organization's place-based initiatives. Perform other administrative duties as needed.

Community Partnerships and Outreach: Cultivate strong relationships with community members and place-based initiative partners through active participation in gatherings and events. Support various outreach initiatives that align with the organization's mission and place-based initiatives.

Inclusive Event Coordination and Facilitation: Plan, implement, and facilitate events to support The organization's place-based initiatives that actively promote inclusivity, learning, capacity building and/or meaningful connection across diverse community leaders.

Collaborative Engagement: Foster collaboration across different organizational departments to ensure cohesive and effective support of the organization's place-based initiatives and community engagement strategies.

Resource Connection: Connect place-based initiative partners with internal and external community resources and opportunities including connecting individuals and corporate partners to meaningful volunteer opportunities.

Strategic Community Engagement: Support the Director of Community Engagement in developing and implementing long-term plans to engage the community strategically in support of the organization's goals, particularly focusing on children, youth, and their caregivers and/or families and aiming for equitable outcomes.

Advocacy Implementation: Support the Director of Community Engagement in planning, implementing, and/or facilitating convenings to gather community feedback for the development of the organization's advocacy and policy initiatives, fostering involvement and awareness among diverse groups.

Feedback Evaluation: Systematically collect and evaluate community and partnership feedback to fine-tune strategies, ensuring maximum positive impact.

I have some ideas of what might be asked, but I would love some input from others. I want to make sure that I know what to prepare for.

Thoughts?

Thank you!!

Hi everyone,

I'm having my second interview for a Director of Development role at a US-based non-profit on Friday. I currently work in business development, where I focus on acquiring corporate sponsorships for events and initiatives. I also have some experience with grant writing from my work at a 501c6 organization.

I feel confident that I could perform the duties expected of a Director of Development, but I recognize that it's a significant step up from my current manager-level position. I'm looking for advice on how to best position my skills and experience to land this role.

• What are the key skills and experiences that a successful Director of Development should possess?
• How can I effectively translate my business development experience into the non-profit sector?
• What are some common challenges faced by Directors of Development, and how can I prepare for them?

I would be grateful for any insights, advice, or suggestions for additional questions that I should be prepared to answer.

Thank You!

I was recently approached to create and deliver a training class (by Zoom) for Quickbooks Online. I would like some input from all types of users. I am thinking the finance & accounting team would have different issues than the BOD. This is a pretty open question but what would you like to see in a training class for QBO?

Any friends out in the non-profit world / charity event planning that would be willing to share their “corporate sponsorship” package with me? 😍

From Fast Company: https://www.fastcompany.com/91217785/nonprofits-and-social-entrepreneurships-election-trump-harris

"Just over a week from Election Day, the 10% of the American workforce who are employed by nearly 2 million nonprofits face political uncertainty that could dramatically alter their job security and reshape their organizations’ operations, advocacy efforts, programs, and funding. For a subset of these organizations focused on civil liberties, human rights, social justice, and environmental protection, this uncertainty comes at an already perilous moment. 

Though separate from the government, their civil society and social-services-oriented roles are deeply interconnected and interdependent with it. As such, the outcomes of political shifts will undoubtedly ripple through their ability to serve communities in need. 

Innovative social entrepreneurships, on the other hand, are facing challenges of their own. After years of defending everything from environmental sustainability and racial diversity to ethical investments and the freedom to peacefully protest, they find themselves increasingly hamstrung by a climate of even more polarized consumers and a hostile legislative and judicial landscape at both federal and state levels. From threats to ESG and DEI/B to heavily publicized congressional hearings, Pride Month blowbacks, and TikTok boycotts, there has been a shift from the smooth sailing days of the mid-aughts into decidedly choppier waters.

Regardless of the election outcome, whether these organizations are prepared to respond to the new political environment and administration will determine their ability to continue fulfilling their mission and engaging their customers or clients. Sadly, it’s no longer hyperbolic to say that this preparation may ultimately determine whether they continue to exist at all."

I work in Development at a nonprofit that has about 400 employees running 5 separate units that provide, among other things, medical care, parks, sports leagues and public facilities, as well as facility rentals for events in locations that range about 25 miles between our campuses. Our volunteer program really needs leadership -- the units have cobbled together a pretty cohesive central intake process and in theory that then enables volunteers to basically sign on to a volunteer system that includes opportunities. The problem is a. supervision and guidance of volunteers, and b. some of the units are seasonal and/or very reluctant to employ volunteers to actually do much of the work that is required. So we just kind of have a funnel to nowhere for specific kinds of volunteering that people have signed up to do, at times. Obviously we have some situations where HIPAA or other privacy/security stuff is in play, but they're also just...reluctant to engage in general with volunteers in some cases. The units are variable in how their budgets are doing and how many resources they perceive themselves as having, so there's all kinds of pushback.

Management is not willing to pay for a volunteer lead at this point -- they don't see the ROI yet, and we have other areas where we have more crucial needs. But as a person in Development, (who's also charged with participating in the existing cobbled-together structure, and runs one of our volunteer boards, who luckily are all volunteers in he active, well-run units) I feel a certain amount of need to ensure that the program exists and is somewhat feasible and a good experience for any donors or supporters who volunteer. Have any of you had success with a volunteer in a volunteer management role? Or a volunteer management committee that is composed of volunteers? If so, please tell me how they work, what they do, and what makes them so successful. Or if it's the opposite, tell me about that, too?

Hi everyone Does anyone know where it would be best to post looking for volunteer (Canadian if possible) grant writers for our charity? Is that something that we should just post on regular job banks? Or LinkedIn? Or is there any suggestioned websites? We're looking for them to help with some of the data collection side as well ie: completing the application forms, determining what funders require just a LOI, have a online application, etc.

Hi everyone,

This question is more for EDs or at least management / board members.

Has your charity bought into a pension plan for your staff? If so what one / where?

Because we have staff in Ontario and a member of ONN - it makes our national team eligible for the OPTrust Select Pension Plan. (it's a Public Pension Plan with the Ontario Government).

For context, I live in Quebec, Canada. I speak and write decently in French, but could definitely improve. A lot of the good jobs here are in French.

There is a certificate at a well known French university for philanthropy that I'm considering. The program is interesting because it is in French, it could help me improve my language skills and it could help me grow my network.

I work as a grant manager - I write grant applications and manage reporting. It's a very strategic job - I am involved in program design and development as well as planning. I don't built or manage budgets though, our financial officer does (but I have experience with budgets and bookkeeping from previous work experience). I also support fundraising (annual fundraising event, case for support writing, appeals to donors and foundations, prospecting, etc).

I would like to transition into broader, high level fundraising job long-term. I'd like to ultimately be a director of fundraising, ideally in my next role.

I'm my early 30s and already have a masters degree (not really in a related field but I learned how to write and research). I have over 5 years working in non-profits full time, in addition to several years of experience in academia, the arts, and student leadership that all required lots of community work and grant writing. I've raised multiple millions over the years and I have a high success rate with grants.

So I'm wondering if it makes sense to do a certificate at this point, or if I should just start applying for director of fundraising jobs and seeing if I can get those. I'm not unhappy in my current role, I just want to make more money and have a higher level job, so I'm not really in a rush.

Alternatively, if you have gotten your CFRE, was that worth it? I've been a bit overwhelmed by the requirements so I haven't seriously considered that route, but I could probably qualify in a year with more webinars and a few conferences.

Trying to decide on jobs and was wondering how much union dues eat into your paycheck if at all?