NPO CONVERSATION

Nonprofit leaders are accustomed to justifying their continuous need for operating support in appeals to potential donors. In a “proposal letter” written in June of 1788, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart makes his case to benefactor Johann Michael VonPuchberg :

“If you will do me this kindness, I shall primo (being thus provided) be able to make necessary payments when they are due and therefore more easily, whereas I now continually delay and must then often pay out at once all I have received, and that at the most inconvenient moment. Secondo, I shall be able to work with an easier mind and a lighter heart, and thus earn more.”

While Mozart may not be a model of good nonprofit management, his second point still resonates: funders do tend to favor financially secure organizations whose leaders are able to lead with “easy minds” and “light hearts.”

However, requests for unrestricted support have long made foundations uneasy. In the first place, private foundation resources are no match for the nonprofit sector’s operating needs, which are vast and growing. Secondly, by giving up control over exactly how a grant is spent, the connection between the investment and its results can be obscured. How should today’s funders think about the potential impact of grants for operations?

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NPO CONVERSATION

We invite leaders of nonprofit organizations to join us each quarter for a brown-bag lunch discussion about issues, ideas, and concerns in the nonprofit and philanthropic community.

The meetings are a time for us to “talk shop” and move beyond the usual conversation between foundations and nonprofit organizations.  Guests learn a little about GMA and a lot about their peers’ perspectives on important issues.

Attendance is limited to seven organizations with one representative per organization, preferably the executive director or director of a major program. The lunches are held in GMA’s ninth floor conference room at our 77 Summer Street offices.

Topic for Tuesday, June 11th:     UNRESTRICTED SUPPORT

Should foundations allocate larger sums for general operating support in their grantmaking program?   Certainly, this is not a new question, but one that nonprofit leaders must consider at least annually.  We work closely with dozens of foundations, each with a different perspective on this question.  At our next NPO Conversation, we’d like to hear from you. Continue Reading »

NEWS AND INSIGHTS

From the 100-year old charity to the start-up organization, effective nonprofits are constantly reinventing themselves.  Nimble nonprofits continue to live their mission and meet the needs of their target audience even when those needs, other available services and the economy are changing around them.

Masters of reinvention, these leaders infuse their organizations with new ideas and energy.  They take action, but not without taking time for pause and reflection.  In our work with nonprofits we have noticed five things that these adept leaders do to continuously adapt.  Although this list is not a recipe for success, certainly these habits support reinvention that keeps a nonprofit relevant and effective.                                   Continue Reading »