Heather Iliff
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Curating an Annual Report
When I started with the Standards for Excellence in April 2019, one of my first tasks was to draft the 2018 Annual Report. After reading a few great annual reports for other organizations, I was overwhelmed – what should ours look like? What needs to be included?
Treating Donors with Respect
Earlier this week, I answered my home phone and a paid fundraiser working for a nonprofit that my family and I have supported foryearswas on the line. Despite our past support,the call was a challenging onewhere the caller informed me that she was interested in speaking with my spouse about this institution (and was not interested in speaking with me).
Spending a Week with Maryland Nonprofits
After spending a week in every corner of the state, we wanted to give you a little glimpse of what the week looked like for our team!
Developing a Code of Ethics
Back in the mid-1990s, I had the privilege of working with the volunteer taskforce that ultimately developed and released the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector in 1998.
Creating Nonprofit Volunteer Policies
Volunteers are an essential part of just about any nonprofit organization. As such, it is crucial that volunteers are treated with respect and that they are managed effectively – after all, they are giving you their time.
How Do I Prevent Conflicts of Interest at My Organization?
Its that time of year again! For many nonprofit boards, this is the time of year when all active board members are asked to complete an annual conflict of interest disclosure form.
Nonprofits and Political Advocacy
It’s an election year and it’s important for nonprofits to understand what they can and can’t do when it comes to political advocacy. There is a common misconception that nonprofit organizations are legally prohibited from engaging in advocacy or lobbying activities. This is entirely untrue.
Welcoming Our New Board Members and Officers for 2020
The new year also came with the election of three new members to the Maryland Nonprofits board. We are so excited to see how their experience contributes to Maryland Nonprofits.
10 Things to Know About Board Diversity – Lessons from “Building a Diverse Board of Directors: Turning Intention to Results”
Your board composition influences how your organization is represented to the public and will make all the difference in how effective you can be at creating the change for your communities. Building board diversity doesn’t have to be an urgent task “fill in the gaps.” Instead, if you approach the process with thoughtful intention with an eye toward embedding equity, inclusion and diversity values into the board’s work, over time, you can shift your board composition and achieve the appropriate mix of talent, diversity, and connections that advance the organization’s mission delivers service to the community equitably.