If your nonprofit is feeling burned out, you’re not alone. In fact, the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s 2024 report revealed that 95% of nonprofit leaders expressed concern about staff burnout, and nearly 50% struggled to fill staff vacancies.

There's a lot of talk about Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially revolving around helping staff teams with limited resources accomplish more. This article is written by Jordan Dwight, founder of J. Dwight Labs, which helps nonprofits leverage software to achieve their goals and further their missions. Jordan has worked in tech for 10+ years at Amazon and startups.

Nonprofit leaders often face the challenge of balancing ambitious missions with limited staffing and financial resources. Many organizations operate with small teams while responding to increasing community needs, expanding programs, and ongoing operational demands.

Most nonprofit organizations, with a few exceptions, are required to file an annual form with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The form is officially named “Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax.”

Relying on the same cycle of grants and annual campaigns can leave your organization vulnerable to donor fatigue and shifting economic tides. Tackle financial uncertainty head-on by diversifying your revenue streams and making it fun for your donors to give!

Most of you have probably implemented the overtime and minimum wage changes that went into effect on January 1, but we want to ensure that organizations are aware of all the provisions of these regulations and are not leaving themselves open to fines, back wages, or court cases by being out of compliance.

Capital campaigns are major undertakings that have high stakes and potentially transformational benefits for your nonprofit and the community it serves. This is why it’s essential to conduct a thorough capital campaign feasibility study ahead of time to ensure you’re ready to launch such a large campaign.

Starting a new job triggers feelings of excitement but also some level of anxiety. Haphazard or nonexistent onboarding can be detrimental. It may portray the organization negatively (as not caring about its employees) or just being lackadaisical in all its operations. However, an official onboarding plan can alleviate feelings of discomfort and point new employees in the right direction as they begin their association with you.

Most leaders will agree that the engines moving them forward are their people. So, making smart hiring decisions is critical. Although all businesses have recruitment challenges (especially in the current turnover environment), nonprofits often have unique staffing issues that make it more difficult for them to find and retain exceptional talent.

A lasting legacy of the pandemic has been the rise of virtual galas and other types of online fundraisers as a viable way to raise dollars. As one of the newer opportunities in the nonprofit world, online events generally have the most potential for improvement.

It is now time to plan your GivingTuesday campaign!

As we move to address the various challenges brought upon by the pandemic and related economic burdens, let's take this as an opportunity to rethink how we run our organizations from the top to the bottom.

Of the 87,142 foundations operating in the United States, 1,329 are in Washington State, and they awarded more than $3.9 billion to nonprofits in 2013. While individual gifts are an important avenue of generating revenue, the importance of grants and applying for grants cannot be ignored. We provide helpful grant writing resources and referrals that can help you raise the funds you need to support your mission.

Nonprofits are resourceful, but sometimes you need an extra hand with more in-depth expertise to help you find new donors or work out kinks in your strategy. If your organization needs a fundraising boost but isn’t sure how to get there, hiring a fundraising consultant could be the answer.

Nonprofits have led the charge on many of the major movements that have changed our country. Whether it’s child labor laws, food regulations, women’s right to vote, racial and LGBTQ equality laws, or employee rights – the nonprofit sector played a substantial role in giving these movements life at the grassroots level.