The sustainable nonprofit
The Sustainable Nonprofit (TSN) examines critical issues related to nonprofit sustainability through the eyes of nonprofit leaders, practitioners, and consultants. For more information, contact Mitch Nauffts, PND's publisher and editorial director, at mfn@foundationcenter.org.

Are you inspiring action for change with both a short- and long-term approach?
April 2, 2021Derrick Feldmann shares insights about the need to involve donors in a nonprofit's longer-term agenda to address some of the root causes responsible for the challenges it works to address on a daily basis....

A case for self-support: serving ourselves in a time of stress
March 16, 2021Wildstein, a fundraiser at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, offers suggestions for what fundraisers can do for themselves, and their team members, that will result in a happier, healthier workplace....

2020: A year to remember
February 19, 2021Derrick Feldmann shares highlights of the social issue engagement surveys he and his colleagues conducted in 2020....

Fundraising learnings from social media
February 5, 2021Wildstein, a fundraiser at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, shares a few fundraising lessons he's learned from social media....

The 'stay interview': how an HR practice can help nonprofits engage their supporters
December 30, 2020Wildstein, a fundraiser for the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, writes that "stay interviews" — as opposed to "exit interviews" — are a great way to help encourage donors and supporters to stick with the organization for the long haul....

Learning as compromise: a hard look at evaluation in today’s nonprofit sector
December 10, 2020In the context of capacity and funding limitations, the authors argue, learning serves as a more flexible form of evaluation practice than traditional outcome evaluation, in that it addresses clients' needs and funders' expectations while remaining feasible within existing constraints....

The next crisis: nonprofit leadership exodus
December 7, 2020In addition to providing emergency funding, funders should be thinking about what they can do to support exhausted nonprofit leaders on the front lines of the pandemic response. In her latest, Putnam-Walkerly shares five things funders can do to disrupt the scarcity paradigm....

The role of offline and online behavior in advancing social causes
November 2, 2020An analysis of how young Americans responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and protests against police brutality against African Americans found that social media tends to bring together both like-minded people and people with polarizing views across all types of divides for "conversations" that unfold in real time....

Evaluation has a key role to play in racial equity work
October 29, 2020The founder and CEO of BECOME, a nonprofit organization that uses evaluation as a tool to advance social justice and thriving communities, argues that evaluation is most effective when it is culturally responsive and engages multiple stakeholders — especially those likely to be impacted by the intervention — in the process of developing questions, designing solutions, and recommending next steps based on lessons learned....

How to achieve brand consistency for your nonprofit
October 16, 2020The president of the Red Rooster Group outlines seven steps to ensure consistent application of a unified visual identity and messaging, which is critical to building brand recognition....

Donors have an opportunity to build on last year's strong giving
September 16, 2020The the immediate past chair of the Giving USA Foundation and founder and CEO of Dunham + Company observes that charitable organizations that have maintained donation levels did so by pivoting quickly to donor-centric communications that emphasized the challenges donors might be facing while also affirming the relevance of their missions, and that many donors have cited COVID-19 as the main reason they plan to give more....

Nonprofits: it's time to redefine your corporate relationships
September 4, 2020Feldmann, whose latest book is The Corporate Social Mind, argues that nonprofits have an opportunity, even a responsibility, to help companies successfully engage customers, employees, and stakeholders in taking action on social issues....

How to work effectively with an outside consultant
August 12, 2020The president of the Red Rooster Group offers tips for partnering with an outside consultant in a way that ensures outcomes that meet the organization's needs....

Thinking twice before hosting a virtual fundraiser
August 3, 2020Wildstein, a fundraiser for the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, outlines important questions and considerations nonprofits should examine before deciding to host a virtual fundraising event....

Young Americans, racial equity, and the pandemic
July 23, 2020In his latest, Feldmann shares five key takeaways from a series of survey questions posed to young Americans (ages 18-30) conducted immediately after the killing of George Floyd....

Maintaining a consistent fundraising stream: lessons learned from COVID-19
July 1, 2020During this unprecedented public health emergency, Neal, board chair of the Valleywise Health Foundation, and development staff at Valleywise Health have found three approaches to be critical to the organization's ability to maintain a consistent funding stream....

The power of diverse boards: an argument for change
June 19, 2020The CEO of BoardBuild explains how diversity drives organizational performance, inclusion drives action, and the outcome is equity — and calls on nonprofit board members to speak out about developing policies that strengthen diversity and building leadership that supports change....

A good RFP attracts better partners for your project
June 12, 2020The president of brand strategy firm Red Rooster Group outlines steps for creating a clear Request for Proposal and selecting the right branding agency or fundraising consultant who can help a nonprofit revise its strategic plan and shape its future....