Standards for Excellence

Spotlight on Member Benefits: Unemployment Cost Savings from UST

  If your nonprofit is a 501c3 and you have 10 or more full-time employees, be sure to check out the Unemployment Services Trust (UST), a valued partner since 2010. As allowed by Federal law, UST helps nonprofits exercise their unique unemployment tax alternative...

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Getting Your Next 1,000 Donors

Guest Blog by Rob Leighton, Executive Director, iMission Institute Could your nonprofit use a rapidly growing list of new donors? Of course, the answer is a resounding yes! Your nonprofit’s ability to make our world a fairer, healthier and more humane place can be...

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Donation Page Blunders That Hurt Fundraising Efforts

By Alizah Epstein, Chief Creative Officer, Epstein Creative Group If there is one thing you want to get right on your nonprofit website, it’s the donation page. After all, it is what helps keep your organization operational and allows you to continue providing...

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Avoiding Information Indigestion: How to Consume Data Responsibly

Guest Blog by Susan Crystal-Mansour, PhD , and Polly Karpowicz, CAE, MBA  Nonprofit leaders face a vast flow of information, both in volume and speed. Most organizations and their leaders are expected to respond to the vast...

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Data: The Key To Your Fundraising and Marketing Success by Sonia Pandit, CEO, The Pandit Group

  Guest Blog by Sonia G. Pandit, MPH MBA, CEO, The Pandit Group In an age where funders and donors are evaluating nonprofits quantitatively, an organization’s fate is increasingly tied to its data management strategy. A well-designed and executed data management...

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Why Nonprofit Organizations Need to Adopt a Growth Hacking Mindset

  Guest Blog by P.J. Chambers, President, WebIXI Dubbed the next big thing for marketing, Growth Hacking has been embraced by tech giants and startup organizations that live and die by their ability to drive customer acquisition growth.Growth Hacking is using...

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Protect the Charitable Giving Incentive

Today we sent letters to all 10 members of Maryland’s congressional delegation to raise the concerns of charitable nonprofits in Maryland as the 115th Congress considers comprehensive federal tax reform. Multiple elements of the Internal Revenue Code affect the...

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Getting Grant Ready: Technology Considerations for Your Financial Systems

  Guest Blog by Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman Partners, Jennifer Arminger , CPA and Ian Schuman, CPA  Fundraising and development activities are not only critical to the success of any nonprofit; donors and grant makers are demanding more...

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Make a New Year’s Resolution to Strengthen Your Nonprofit

By Amy Coates Madsen, Director, Standards for Excellence Institute Happy New Year! There are so many things that mark the beginning of the calendar year for me. Choosing or designing a new calendar, enjoying the holiday decorations for a few more...

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Kick Dull, Boring Annual Reports To The Curb

Guest Blog by Alizah Epstein, Chief Creative Officer, Epstein Creative Group  THE END OF THE YEAR IS FAST APPROACHING, and if you’re like some fellow nonprofits, you may be scrambling around to compile that dreaded annual report. But before you...

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