Running a nonprofit or charity isn’t an easy task. To be successful, an organization needs to be doing a wide variety of things right, and leaders have to keep an eye to integrating key practices into existing operations, while keeping an eye on future needs.
To help you boost your nonprofit or charity’s effectiveness, we’ve gathered resources in each of the 10 key areas we believe are necessary for leading a successful nonprofit or charity.
1. An engaged and effective board of directors
A strong organization needs a strong board of directors, one that is committed to good governance practices. Start recruiting board members on CharityVillage by posting a free volunteer ad – here’s how to get started. Help potential volunteers understand their commitment by encouraging them to watch this recorded webinar about what to expect when joining a board. With your board members in place, help them to work together in a cohesive fashion with the Better Board Kit, a 3-step process to ensure your board members are prepared to work as a team to plan and accomplish the organization’s goals.
2. Compliance with new and existing legislation
Whether you are just incorporating as a nonprofit, are pursuing charitable status with the Canada Revenue Agency, or are a long-running organization with an established legal entity, understanding your legal responsibilities as an organization is a must. Since new legislation related to the sector can be passed at any time, we recommend signing up for our newsletter, Village Vibes, for the latest news.
In the meantime, stay on top of your legal requirements by checking out this recorded webinar outlining the top 10 compliance issues for Canadian registered charities. Also, since how to issue donation receipts is a major compliance problem for charities, take a look at this article outlining the top 10 areas where charities make errors in their donation receipts.
3. A strong commitment to fundraising
For most organizations, a stable and diverse flow of funds is vital to being able to carry out their mission. Whether it’s writing grants, focusing on major gifts and planned giving, engaging individuals through online giving, or running a successful event, we’ve got articles and webinars that can help you refine your fundraising strategies. Once you have your strategy in place, our crowdfunding platform can help you connect with your community to tell your story and raise those much-needed funds.
Need to get volunteers, staff, or board members up to speed on the basics of fundraising? We have a variety of fundraising eLearning courses available and have even pulled together 5 in our popular Fundraising Bundle.
4. A well-developed human resources plan
Some organizations will be wondering how to hire their first staff member, while others will have larger staff teams they are struggling to continue to engage remotely. At the end of the day, if you have staff, you’ll need to have a solid approach to your human resources. Use our free Recruitment Guide to help you find your next great team member, and be sure to follow our onboarding tips once they are hired to set them up for success. To attract the right candidates and to better retain your current staff, use our Canadian Nonprofit Sector Salary & Benefits information to keep your compensation packages competitive. You’ll also want to check that your HR policies are compliant with labour laws and are setting you and your staff up for success.
5. Financial practices that promote stability and organizational health
Good financial management at your organization is ultimately the board’s responsibility, so you’ll want to start by having a skilled Treasurer sitting on the board. But the board’s financial responsibilities don’t stop with the Treasurer – each board member also needs to understand how to read financial statements to ensure they understand the organization’s financial health. It’s also important for the board to lead the organization’s financial strategy and set up the internal controls to ensure financial accountability.
Most board members and nonprofit staff won’t have a financial background – and that’s ok! But it does mean that you might need to brush up on your budgeting skills, understand how to file the T3010, get comfortable with managing expenses, and learn how to work with an auditor for the year-end wrap-up.
6. Effective marketing to spread your message and reach new donors
Most organizations have a goal of reaching a wider audience, either to spread the message about their cause or gain new donors (or both!). These days, that most likely means an online presence, with a website and social media as a bare minimum. But you’ll also need to know how to use storytelling to share your message, craft effective emails, market your events, grow your social media following, and use SEO to improve your online reach. All in all, you’ll need to ensure you have a solid digital marketing strategy in place to keep your organization moving forward.
7. A meaningful and responsive volunteer management program
Volunteers are the lifeblood of many nonprofits and charities, from boards of directors to those delivering programs on the frontlines. But with Canada facing a potential crisis in volunteering, how can your organization continue to successfully engage volunteers? Start with designing the right roles, then move on to recruitment by using your website to attract potential volunteers and posting a free volunteer ad on CharityVillage. Once volunteers are in place, remember to protect their legal rights, engage in meaningful retention practices, and create a succession plan for when the time comes that they leave your organization. Bonus tip: remember, volunteers often make great donor prospects!
Need criminal record checks for your volunteers? We’ve got you covered with our fast and affordable online service. And if you’re setting up a volunteer program from scratch, not to worry – our Volunteer Engagement online course can help you get started.
8. A commitment to put diversity, equity, and inclusion values into action
To truly reflect the communities they serve, nonprofits and charities must have a strategy for turning diversity, equity, and inclusion work into meaningful action. That can mean improving the hiring process, including using our free tools for creating inclusive job postings, and creating an equitable interviewing experience. It should also include working with volunteers, diversifying your board, and improving your fundraising practices, not to mention working with clients and the community at large.
Whether it’s creating disability-inclusive workplaces, hiring people with lived experience, taking action on 2SLGBTQIA+ hate, advancing Indigenous reconciliation, calling out anti-Black racism, or creating better leadership pathways for women, committing to a proactive approach to DEI practices creates better organizations and better communities.
Want to understand more about DEI in the nonprofit sector? Check out our free report exploring the current state of DEI in the sector or take one of our online courses to learn more about DEI best practices, unconscious bias, and decolonizing the boardroom.
9. A safe and secure technological foundation
In today’s digital age, keeping up to date on the latest technology is no longer a luxury for nonprofits. And still, for many reasons, organizations in the nonprofit sector tend to fall significantly behind their for-profit peers when it comes to digital transformation. But technology has the potential to help organizations large and small advance their mission.
Nonprofits are grappling with how to best leverage technology in their work, including managing cybersecurity risks, concerns about AI, and questions about equity. Having a documented technology plan is important for navigating these challenging issues – take a look at this checklist to get started or, if you’re looking for more, consider our online course on digital transformation.
10. A succession plan for long-term success
For your nonprofit to truly be successful, it needs to be able to continue to evolve and grow even when your current leadership team is no longer in place. A successful organization is much bigger than just one person (even if that’s the founding executive director!). That’s why it is essential to have a succession plan in place, both for the board and for staff. Future-proofing your organization is sometimes seen as a nice-to-have in a busy nonprofit office, but for long-term success and survival, it’s a must. Of course, individuals play an important role in this process as well, so here are some bonus tips on how to leave your current job in the best way possible!
We hope you find these resources helpful in ensuring that your nonprofit or charity stays successful and impactful well into the future. Looking for a resource that wasn’t included in this article? Reach out to us at marketing@cv-test.careerleaf.com and we’d be happy to do what we can to help.
