Have you ever saved for something really important? A car, a house, an education? If you’re saving now, you’ve noticed how low interest rates are. It can be hard to see your savings grow so slowly. Your organization, if you have an endowment or reserve funds, saves too. Your finance director or board finance chair […]
How to challenge the White Walkers of nonprofit life
As I write this, Harvey is finally lumbering his way across the country. Behind the storm is an area of devastation from floods that’s hard to comprehend – at least not in the U.S. And right behind the concern is the usual conversation about what role charities play in disasters. Which organization is doing too […]
Experience or energy: what do you need in your staff?
It sure caught my eye A question that I hope was a mental exercise was posed recently on an online forum: Should staff and board be limited to 10-year terms? The question received a variety of responses – all of which, to me, highlighted an unfortunate divide. Younger people felt they had the fresh thinking […]
Beyond salary – ideas for keeping employees happy
Why do some organizations manage to hang on to good people? A month ago, I wrote about a topic raised by colleagues at a small gathering, finding a good development director. My colleagues reported this problem as one of the most pressing for their clients. At the meeting, I spoke up, passionately, and explained why […]
Are you worried about new overtime rules?
Be the change that you wish to see in the world. ~Mahatma Gandhi Let’s be the change Last week, the Obama administration issued new labor rules about overtime. Salaried employees who earn less than $47,476 now must be paid overtime for hours in excess of 40 hours in a week. This is great news, right? […]