Mission Drift: Don’t let economic pressures set you off course

In a CharityVillage article titled "Are we trying to reach targets or clients?" by Teresa Ierullo, she wrote: "There are some organizations that chase all the money regardless of the purpose. They call it 'mission drift,' when they'll go after...

Volunteer tax credits: Do or die

Let's say your organization is experiencing a decline in volunteerism and no matter what you try, you can't seem to stem the tide. Meanwhile, thanks to the economic downturn, your expenses are escalating, making the lack of volunteers an even...

Seven pillars of democratic governance

What is governance? Most discussions about governance assume that everyone involved has the same notion of just what "governance" means. In fact, there may be substantial differences in understanding of what it does mean. So the best starting point in...

New CRA forms for charities

As of May 2009, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) replaced the Registered Charity Information Return with a new form, the T3010B. The new form contains far more detailed content, and because of the nature of the questions it is essential...

Governance Q&A: Accommodating employees with disabilities

An employee produced a note from a doctor and requested "disability accommodation" requiring me to reassign work between several employees. I know of someone with the same disability who thinks the work is doable, and wonder if this employee is...

The ONN: Finding our common voice

Last month, a group of committed folk came together for the second annual Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) forum. Representing the diverse interests, concerns, and hopes of the Ontario nonprofit sector, it was apparent the 100-or-so attendees were ready to get...

Is it time to look at new fundraising software?

Donors are the lifeblood of nonprofit organizations. You need them to survive. But how do you manage all the information about their giving, along with all the personal details that are key to maintaining successful relationships? As a fundraising professional,...

Search engine optimization: An introduction

What is search engine optimization? There are many charities and nonprofit organizations competing for funding and donations in this economy. How do you ensure that you will stand out in the online world? Search engine optimization (SEO) improves your website's...

Fundraising Q&A: Are our charitable tax receipts incomplete?

What do you mean our charitable tax receipts are incomplete? We’ve been using the same ones for the last 20 years! I won’t pretend to be the authority on tax receipting. I’d prefer to leave that up to Canada Revenue...