Tag Archive for: success

Creating Performing Arts in a Virtual World

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First, we’ve finally reached the double-digit episode mark of A Modern Nonprofit Podcast! After 10 episodes of insightful knowledge and key conversations surrounding so much information related to the nonprofit sector, we at The Charity CFO want to again extend our thanks to you, and to all of our listeners, for joining us on this exciting journey. We hope that A Modern Nonprofit Podcast has been an opportunity for you to learn about the tips and tricks that others share as these focus on helping your not-for-profit, your business and self be the best they can be.

That said, if your creative and artistic endeavors have taken you down a path of community service, then this is the episode of A Modern Nonprofit Podcast that you have been waiting for!

SUBSCRIBE, THEN LISTEN TO CREATING PERFORMING ARTS IN A VIRTUAL WORLD EPISODE OF A MODERN NONPROFIT PODCAST HERE

On this episode of A Modern Nonprofit Podcast, Tosha Anderson, founder & CEO of The Charity CFO, invites Matthew Kerns, the executive director of the St. Lou Fringe, onto the show. His organization, the St. Lou Fringe, is a space where independent artists and performers gather to celebrate all of the arts. Recent topics and news stories have inspired artists to showcase performances based on the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter Movement and more.

During this insightful episode, Tosha and Matthew discuss:

  • The importance of performing arts in the St. Louis community and nonprofit space
  • Challenges and obstacles as they related to transitioning to online events
  • Understanding outcomes as they relate to hosting events and promotions
  • Lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic for performing arts and nonprofit organizations
  • The future of virtual performing art events and gathering in a post-pandemic future
  • And more!

For listeners who may be considering fundraising events or for those with a keen interest in the performing arts, you are not going to want to rush through this episode. It’s packed with tons of great tips and information.

So, you’ve listened to Episode 10 of A Modern Nonprofit Podcast. Now what?

After you finish listening to this episode, you need to head over to the St. Lou Fringe website. There, you can learn more about the popular Fringe Festival and how the St. Lou Fringe has furthered committed to fostering the work of Fringe Artists through the pioneering medium of the virtual space. This space has allowed art makers and watchers to celebrate the magic of the arts from the safety of their own homes. View the website, discover upcoming performances and support the local performing arts here.

Are you interested in learning more about how Tosha Anderson and her team of certified, expert public accountants can help your nonprofit organization achieve best practices as these relate to your accounting and bookkeeping? Tosha and her team have saved nonprofits thousands of dollars and hours of time, thanks to their commitment towards thought leadership and innovative accounting practices. Request a free consultation with Tosha and find the accounting you need at a price you can afford. 

There’s more in store for A Modern Nonprofit Podcast. Check out the latest video clips from past episodes on our YouTube Channel and subscribe to our podcast on most major streaming platforms.
Also, the conversation doesn’t just stop here. Request to join A Modern Nonprofit Facebook group, a quickly-growing community with hundreds of nonprofit professionals and industry leaders who converse as well as share resources to help nonprofits of all shape and sizes maximize their missions.

Nonprofit Governance and Working with Leaders

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Working with leaders and being part of nonprofit governance is a valuable perspective to possess in the not-for-profit space.

There are many key players within nonprofit governance. Regardless if your nonprofit is a small organization or a larger nonprofit, each individual plays a critical role towards the success of a decision-making process.

Understanding the mechanics of the mission should be your ultimate goal as a nonprofit leader. Thinking about responsibilities, open communication and holding others accountable are just some of the points discussed by Deaconess Foundation Director of Partnership & Capacity Building Kiesha Davis, who joins The Charity CFO Founder and nonprofit accountant Tosha Anderson in this week’s episode of A Modern Nonprofit Podcast.

Listen to A Modern Nonprofit Podcast Episode 6: Nonprofit Governance with Kiesha Davis HERE. 

Kiesha and Tosha cover many important considerations that you must know in order to challenge and grow his or her nonprofit board, including:

  • Helping your board understand their roles and duties
  • Strengthening your overall board through specific training and tips
  • The importance of board assessments- and why you must implement them
  • Utilizing volunteer board members and ensuring balance with strategy
  • And much more!

This is a great episode if you want to take your nonprofit leadership and internal processes to the next level in 2021.

Nonprofit governance is critical towards helping your board and nonprofit accounting.

Cultivating improvement in your board members will stimulate not only engagement, but success and opportunity for staff to support one another.

Who’s All in Episode 6 of A Modern Nonprofit Podcast

Kiesha Davis stewards a program of trust-based philanthropy with the Foundation to build the power to advance its public policy agenda for child well-being. She leads grant making within the foundation’s program portfolio, as well as provides capacity building support and relationship management with funded and prospective partners. Learn more about Kiesha and her organization here. 

As Founder & CEO of The Charity CFO, Tosha Anderson committed her career to working with nonprofits across the United States, with a focus on providing CFO services to even the smallest nonprofits. After realizing an industry need for specialized accounting services with limited financial resources and an increasing pressure to keep costs low, the nonprofit enthusiast has helped hundreds of nonprofits achieve best accounting practices.

You’ve Listened to Episode 6…Now What?

If you have taken a look at your board, or realize that you are a struggling board member bogged down with accounting tasks when you know you should be focusing on other areas of your nonprofit, request a free consultation with our team of expert accountants today, and consider outsourcing your nonprofit bookkeeping.

Want to learn more about nonprofit governance and working with not-for-profit leaders?

The conversation’s only getting started. Check out our YouTube Channel to see episode clips and tricks.

Also, don’t forget to join A Modern Nonprofit Facebook Group, where you’ll have exclusive access to industry secrets and have an opportunity to conduct insightful conversations with professionals from across the nonprofit sector. Join and share this rapidly-growing community with your network.

 

 

Program Outcomes: Measuring The Effectiveness of the Work You Do

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Why is there so much confusion surrounding the term “program outcome?” That’s because nonprofit organizations are often measured by the effectiveness of the work they do.

But, donors, stakeholders, and members of your community may question the processes that not-for-profit organizations implement.

Program Outcomes: Measuring The Effectiveness of the Work You Do Featured in A Modern Nonprofit Podcast

In this episode of A Modern Nonprofit Podcast, Tosha Anderson of The Charity CFO invites Sarah Buek of The IllumiLab to discuss the benefits of measuring success and how mission-minded organizations can foster positive environments. The link to the latest episode is below:

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE OF A MODERN NONPROFIT PODCAST HERE! 

Many nonprofits are afraid to define and measure outcomes because the truth may reveal something a board member or nonprofit leader is afraid to know. While the work your nonprofit may do is hard to define, Sarah suggests many tips and tricks to help your organization find a method to measure your processes.

Some of the tips discussed on this podcast include:

  • Defining success and understanding failure
  • How nonprofits can take risk
  • Knowing how failure can be beneficial
  • Understanding your not-for-profit’s data
  • Balancing pressure from donors and from society at large
  • And more!

Communicating your nonprofit’s value and telling your story is so important in the world we live in. That’s why you must understand how to report and measure your organization’s processes. There is a lot of data at your fingertips, now it is time to learn how to gather, measure, and utilize it to help your non profit maximize its mission. Measuring the effectiveness of your organization is simple if you utilize program outcomes.

You don’t need technical expertise. In fact, you are already probably measuring a lot of the outcome measurement points you might think you are seeking. That’s why you need to listen to this episode and subscribe to future episodes of A Modern Nonprofit Podcast.

To learn more about Sarah’s work in the nonprofit sector and how her organization helps nonprofits increase effectiveness and efficiency, check out this website.

Do you realize one of the ways you can improve your nonprofit accounting is by hiring an expert nonprofit accountant and bookkeeper? Read through the services offered by The Charity CFO and request a FREE CONSULTATION. We can help you define nonprofit bookkeeping success and save you money.

And, did you enjoy this podcast? Keep the conversation moving by joining A Modern Nonprofit Facebook Group today. Converse with nonprofit leaders and enthusiasts, and get access to exclusive information from throughout the industry.

Create a Nonprofit Operating Budget

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Are you looking for new ways to keep up with the hustle and bustle of your nonprofit organization? Have you noticed that the bookkeeping is starting to slip by the wayside? If so, then you need to create a nonprofit operating budget and learn how to manage it effectively.

Doing so can help ensure that you’re staying on task. you’ll find yourself with more financial peace of mind after knowing that there’s a specific purpose for every dollar you raise.

See below for an in-depth guide on how to create a nonprofit operating budget to get yourself back on track. Be sure to consider everything that’s listed.

1. Set Aside Time with Your Team to Manage your Budget. 

Perhaps this is the first time that your organization will be addressing the budgetary needs that you have. Maybe it’s been so long since you kept a budget that you need to reassess where you are currently.

No matter the case, it’s important that you set aside time to hash out a new budget with your team. Find a time period where at least one person from each department can offer their input.

For example, if you have an in-house marketing coordinator, be sure to clue them in on your new budget to ensure your marketing needs are being met.

You’ll find that a great deal of this meeting will be compromised. Don’t get discouraged if it feels like you can’t get anywhere at first. It’s all about compromise. Every department will feel like their side of the operations deserves a higher portion of the budget.

If you need assistance with building your budget, then you can also decide to outsource it to a nonprofit accounting and bookkeeping service. If you need help creating a nonprofit operating budget, The Charity CFO is an expert accountant for charities. 

2. Gather Data

You might be wondering to yourself “where am I supposed to come up with the numbers? How would I know how much to budget for marketing, events, fundraising, and so on?”. By looking at the previous data.

They say business is all about learning from the past; building a nonprofit operations budget is no exception.

 

How do you create a nonprofit operating budget? The Charity CFO explains.

Gather up all your bank statements from the checking account you use for your nonprofit’s finances. This might be overwhelming at first, but take a deep breath and give yourself a few weeks/months to comprise all the data (if necessary).

Decide which expenses fall under the umbrella of the different departments of your business, then add them up on a month by month basis. Did you spend more than you raised in previous months? Are you overspending in one area of your organization?

If need be, sit down with each department chair individually to assess the money you spent and the areas in which you could cut costs. This will give you a better idea of the amount you can set for that department’s monthly budget.

Be sure to get input from your board. This budget is a collaborative effort. Accounting for nonprofit organizations can be tricky, so we encourage you to utilize the resources and information we offer! 

3. Plan Your Activities

Nonprofits are all about the activities and events that you both attend and organize for your faithful following. It can lead to some tremendous fundraising opportunities.

However, too many nonprofits design their budget without considering those activities first and foremost. They’re then thrown out of whack when they can’t find the financial room to either attend the event or put on an activity that represents their brand in the right light.

Start by scheduling your activities as far out as possible (preferably a year out). How much money needs to be allocated to those activities? Which ones take priority?

As much as it might hurt, this is a great opportunity to cleanse your schedule of any activities that you aren’t seeing great returns from.

4. Properly Estimate Income

Planning income and expenses for a nonprofit can be challenging, but it isn’t impossible.

First, be sure to list your estimated income if different tiers of risk. This should be prioritized from “least trustworthy” to “most risky”.

For example, say you organize 4 groups for your income sources: group 1, group 2, group 3, and group 4. You might decide that people listed in group 1 are “most trustworthy”, meaning they’re most likely to donate generously and often.

Let the data guide you while you estimate this part of the budget. Put your most frequent sources of funding into group 1, the least frequent in group 4, and so on.

5. Put a Job to Every Dollar

Disclaimer: the job of your budget isn’t to primarily track the money that you spend. It’s to assign a job to every dollar that you raise for your cause.

For example, (for the sake of simple math), say that you budget to receive $1,000 in funds for this upcoming month.

You might consider putting $200 towards donations, $500 towards operations for the month, $200 towards activities and events, then have $100 leftover. This is the wrong way to do it.

You need to budget for all $1,000 in funds that you receive, down to the very last penny. If things change (which they often do), then your budget can be adjusted. Your ability to create a nonprofit operating budget also involves some critical thinking!

What You Can Do Today

Now that you have seen several effective steps that you need to take when building a nonprofit operating budget, it’s time for you to do so the right way.

Be sure to read this article to learn more about how to raise money with virtual events for your nonprofit organization.

And for more inquiries on our ability to be an expert accountant for nonprofits, be sure to reach out by requesting a meeting and we will be happy to discuss our bookkeeping services.

10 Project Management Tips Every Non-Profit Manager Should Know

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A project manager has a lot of responsibility.

They have to ensure that they meet the desired outcome. They have to manage their time, people and figure out how to manage a budget. There’s a lot that goes into a project manager, especially at nonprofits.

There’s also a need to know the best nonprofit project management tips in order to achieve the most success.

Here’s are 10 project management tips every non-profit should know.

1. Discuss the Scope of the Project

The scope of the project is what goes into it in order to achieve the most success.

As a project manager for a nonprofit, you need to figure out exactly what you are doing. When you have a clear idea of what to do, it’s easier to help a nonprofit that is either just starting out or has been around for years.

Also, a nonprofit may not have a project manager, at least initially, because it’s just starting out. It’s gathering interest from the community. But as nonprofits expand, there’s more of a need for nonprofit project managers. 

The scope of the project should include deliverables. These are the outcomes of any project. This is what you need to deliver by a specific time frame.

Another part of the scope is the available resources you have to complete this project. You need to know what kind of tools are at your disposal so you can complete the project.

Communicate with nonprofit leaders to get the deliverables and know your resources, it will help you become more successful as a non-profit manager.

2. Figure Out How to Resolve Any Problems

As a non-profit manager, you also need to figure out how to resolve issues. If there’s an issue between two people on a team, it’s your responsibility to resolve it.

You need to figure out what issues may arise and what can delay the project you are working on for the non-profit.

3. Have Expectations

Another project management tip is to set expectations. You should set expectations with those who work with you at the non-profit.

You want people to know what your goals are and what how successful the non-profit can be if it meets these goals. That’s why it’s important to lay down expectations.

These expectations should be a guide for a non-profit. They should help others understand what they need to accomplish each day.

4. Know the Risk

There’s always a risk of a project failing. There’s a risk of a fundraiser going completely wrong.

You can’t ignore this consequence. You have to know where in the project the most risk could happen. You have to assess what could make a project fail. When you assess risk, you better know how to prepare for it.

You know what to do in case something goes wrong. You know how to achieve the goals of a non-profit while considering the risk.

5. Anticipate Any Changes

In addition, to risk, you should also expect changes. A non-profit may have to change venues or something else.

Changes can derail a non-profit project unless you know how to prepare for them. That’s why you should anticipate any changes throughout the

6. Help Others Succeed

Another critical part of having an effective project management system is knowing how to help others succeed.

If you are the non-profit project manager, you are responsible for making sure everything runs smoothly. In order for that to happen, you need to make sure that everyone else has the tools necessary to succeed.

You not only want to be encouraging, but you also want to be communicative about progress and ensure everyone knows what they are trying to achieve.

7. Have Mini-Goals

Mini-goals helps give you something to track. You can track your daily to weekly goals, which are considered smaller than having monthly or yearly goals.

As a project manager for a non-profit, you want to have makes sure you are fulfilling your smaller goals because that will ultimately help you accomplish your major objective.

8. Be Organized

A critical part of project management is staying organized. You not only have to know everyone’s roles and make sure everyone is on task, but you also have to run events. You are responsible for making sure an event is run smoothly.

To help you stay organized as a non-profit project manager, you should consider strategies to help keep you organized. Have an online calendar, a checklist, social media updates, and anything else that helps you be more organized.

9. Have the Right Tools In Place

As a project manager, you also need to have the right tools to help you stay organized and productive.

Consider using apps like Trello, Evernote, and other notetaking apps. Another helpful software is Slack, which can help you communicate with those involved in the non-profit, especially if they are working remotely.

10. Know Your Limit

The final tip is to know your limit as a project manager. Being a project manager of a non-profit or anything requires a lot of work.

You have to manage others and you’re responsible for the success and failures of any events. That’s why it’s important to ask for help. Know how you can help others.

Now You Know the Best Project Management Tips

These are the best project management tips. They can give you insight on what to do for a non-profit when it comes to running events and making sure everyone knows their role.

In addition, these tips can also help with other businesses in addition to non-profits. They can help you develop skills that also work beyond project management.

Check out our services if you want help with your non-profit.