Nonprofit Finance for Hard Times Leadership Strategies When Economies Falter

by Raymond, Susan U.; Hoffman, Michael P.

• ISBN13: 9780470490105
• ISBN10: 0470490101
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-12-30
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

How to make strategic plan to help your nonprofit navigate turbulent financial waters and achieve strengthened revenuesDuring this time of upheaval and instability with the country's financial markets and economy, you might be wondering how your nonprofit can emerge stronger from this unprecedented turmoil and prepare for future economic cycles. Practical and timely, Nonprofit Finance for Hard Times: Leadership Strategies When Economies Falter helps your nonproft get strategic in the weak economy.Nonprofit Finance for Hard Times shows you how surviving the current economic conditions means dedicating yourself to understanding the details of the current financial crisis and identifying those Board members and other leaders who can give you deep analysis on the crisis and act as your analysts of the winners and losers in real time. Emphasizes that the core of all strategy is engagement Helps you reassess your nonprofit's communications tools for both messages and markets Asserts that the operative need is for strategy, not panic Revisits all assumptions Explains how to sort and cull past supporters for those who will emerge from the turmoil first and strongest Reveals how to identify new audiencesProviding the guidance your nonprofit needs-not to just hang on for the white-knuckle ride, but to plan their best strategy to survive and succeed-Nonprofit Finance for Hard Times equips you with the tools you need to get started.

Author Biography

SUSAN U. RAYMOND, Ph.D., is Executive Vice President for Research, Evaluation, and Strategic Planning at Changing Our World, Inc. She has extensive experience in research, analysis, and planning, most recently with the prestigious New York Academy of Sciences. Prior to this, she was a project officer at the World Bank and a consultant to the U.S. State Department and to various private organizations, including the Carnegie Corporation, specializing in health care and international eco-nomic research. Susan serves as Chief Analyst for OnPhilanthropy.com, a global resource for nonprofit professionals. She has written for many publications, particularly in the areas of economics, health care, and corporate responsibility, and is the author of two books with Wiley.

Table of Contents

List of Exhibits	p. xi
List of Cases and Commentary	p. xv
Preface	p. xix
Acknowledgments	p. xxi
About the Author	p. xxiii
Beginning at the Beginning: Public Charities on the Economic Landscape	p. 1
The Present Departs from the Past	p. 2
A Complex and Poorly Documented Sector	p. 4
An Economic Engine	p. 7
Nonprofits as Masters of Their Own Fate in Economic Turmoil	p. 8
Setting the Larger Stage: A Philosophy of Philanthropy	p. 11
A Fundamental Question	p. 12
Engagement as Differentiator	p. 13
Passion and Leadership	p. 14
Philanthropy within Financial Structures: Defining Overall Nonprofit Revenue	p. 17
Sectoral Distinctions and Revenue Structure	p. 19
Size Distinctions and Revenue Structure	p. 29
Summary: The Prerequisite for Strategy Refinement in Hard Times	p. 31
Emerging Nonprofit Revenue Parameters: Accommodating Change in the Interests of Stability	p. 35
The Definition of a "Nonprofit"	p. 36
Globalization of Economies, Leadership, and Philanthropy	p. 40
Technology: The Emergence of Social Networking	p. 41
Demographics as Destiny	p. 45
Summary	p. 57
Institutions Blaze New Trails: Innovations in Philanthropic Financial Support Strategies	p. 61
Traditional Foundation Giving	p. 62
New Strategies for Supporting Societal Missions	p. 65
Cause-Related Marketing	p. 74
Capitalizing on Innovation: The Prerequisite of Planning	p. 77
Does the Economy Matter? The Complexity of Economic Cycles and Nonprofit Revenues	p. 81
The Opportunity of Cycles	p. 82
Nonprofits and Economic Change: Treating Mission as a Sail, Not an Anchor	p. 82
The Past Record of Private Contributions and the Economy	p. 84
Disaggregating Data for Deeper Relationships	p. 88
Disaggregating to the Level of State Economies	p. 90
A Note on Government Roles	p. 95
Five Insights to Guide Strategic Directions	p. 95
A Systems Approach to Revenue Strategy	p. 103
The Imperative of Letting Go: Paradigmatic Shifts	p. 104
The Shifting Basis for Strategy	p. 107
The Context of an Analytic Framework for Strategy	p. 109
Proposed Analytic Framework to Organize Strategy	p. 114
Populating the Framework	p. 118
Common Principles for Robust Strategy	p. 121
A Note on Mission	p. 122
Strategic Principle One: Value the People	p. 123
Strategic Principle Two: Innovate	p. 126
Strategic Principle Three: Expect and Accept Nothing Less than Excellence	p. 129
Strategic Principle Four: Passion Matters but So Do Skills	p. 132
Strategic Principle Five: Know Yourself	p. 133
Getting Down to Specifics: Strategy for Complexity	p. 135
Understanding Movement within the Analytic Framework	p. 135
Expressive Philanthropy: Strategy Base = Communicating Shared Values	p. 137
Rising Expectations: Strategy Base = Evidence and Interest Alignment	p. 143
Quasi-Markets: Strategy Base = Competitive Self-Reliance	p. 151
Pure Markets: Strategy Base = Linking to Outside Commercial Success	p. 157
Crossing the Strategy Area Boundaries	p. 161
Prevent Where Possible, Cure Where Necessary: Strategic Steps to Prepare for and Respond to Economic Crisis	p. 165
Steps to Prevent Organizational Crisis in Economic Hard Times	p. 166
Steps to Cure the Effects of Organizational Crisis in Economic Hard Times	p. 172
Final Comments: A Call to Leadership	p. 175
Reprise on Philanthropy: Why Bother?	p. 177
Making a Difference in the World by Aligning Yourself with the Poor	p. 181
Index	p. 191
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