Standards for Excellence
52 Tips in 52 Weeks: Board Meeting Minutes are Important Now and Always
Things are changing at what feels like lightning speed. It seems that if I turn off my mobile phone for just an hour or two, I miss all kinds of news headlines and updates that impact my work, family, and community. It’s more important than ever to keep careful...
Announcing Author and Activist Dr. Angela Davis as Keynote Speaker for Maryland Nonprofits & MARFY Annual Conference 2020
Maryland Nonprofits is delighted to announce activist, author, and social justice pioneer Dr. Angela Davis as the keynote speaker at the 2020 Maryland Nonprofits & MARFY Annual Conference on the morning of October 14, 2020. Through her activism and scholarship...
52 Tips in 52 Weeks: Fall Brings Board Development Efforts for Many Nonprofits
It’s fall and along with it—the start of school and even in these unusual times, the beginning of many new activities. One traditional fall activity for many nonprofits is the annual (or semi-annual) board member development effort in anticipation of the nominations...
52 tips in 52 Weeks: Responsibilities of Board Members in the Midst of Dissolution
By Amy Coates Madsen and Paddy Morton Since its inception, the Standards for Excellence Institute has always stressed the importance of a strong and well-functioning board of directors. As stated in the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for...
Risk Management is More than Just Insurance Coverage
Like many, the nonprofit for which I work is finding that the traditional ways we offer programs has had to adjust and pivot in the midst of the times of the COVID-19 pandemic. One such example is the move of our annual in-person conference to a virtual conference. A...
52 Tips in 52 Weeks: CEO Evaluations—Time to Take Care of this Important Responsibility
Written by Heather Iliff, President and CEO of Maryland Nonprofits At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us put a range of routine items on hold while we handled the many complexities of the crisis. Now that we have taken stock of the long-term nature of the...
52 Tips in 52 Weeks: Helping Your Nonprofit Live Its Best Life
Earlier this summer, I read an interesting article in Parade magazine called, “Secrets to Living to 100.” I was struck by the tips that the article offered. Some of the tips were the kinds of things you’d definitely expect on such a list, like “eat less,” “exercise...
New, Time Limited Above the Line Charitable Deduction for 2020 Underscores the Importance of Nonprofits Providing Gift Acknowledgements to Donors
By Amy Coates Madsen and Henry Bogdan The “Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security” (or “CARES”) Act established what is called an “above the line” charitable deduction of $300 to stimulate charitable giving in response to the pandemic.[1] Reductions to income...
52 Tips in 52 Weeks: Acknowledging Our Volunteers—Don’t Let the Opportunity Pass You By
With so many nonprofits cancelling, postponing, or moving their big annual celebrations, galas, graduations, and fundraisers, not only are nonprofits seeking new opportunities for revenue generation, they may have also missed out on their annual volunteer appreciation...
52 Tips in 52 Weeks: Employers Should Not Share Private Medical Information
I am an avid newspaper reader. For more than 25 years, I’ve been grateful for the opportunity to catch up on the news of the day from my own home without a computer screen! I’ve been interested in following so many different headlines and stories these days and I’m...