Tip of the Month: Board Governance

Our Tips of the Month share simple, practical advice inspired by our Principles & Practices guide to help you strengthen your organization, connect with your community, and reach your mission.

Check out this month's tip to keep your board engaged and equipped to navigate challenges with steady leadership.

Board Members Are Advocates

If you’re keeping up with the news, you know that nonprofits continue to face challenges and uncertainty amid the stream of executive orders and policy actions at both the federal and state level. In this environment, our board members’ role as advocates is more important than ever. “As business leaders, community volunteers, philanthropists, and thought leaders, they have the connections, confidence, and respect needed to speak up when policy decisions are being made that could impact their organization’s ability to achieve its mission.” (BoardSource)

Yet, BoardSource research reveals that many boards are not fully engaged in this work. Only 52% of boards actively advocate for their organizations’ missions, missing opportunities to shape public policy and influence funding and resources that could strengthen our nonprofits and the communities we serve.

Equip your board members to champion your mission through training, education, and encouragement. While several resources from the Center’s Mission Advocacy Tools can help you jump into advocacy work with your board, a good place to start is the Stand for Your Mission board advocacy discussion guide.

Stay Informed – Take Care

The challenges for nonprofits delivering services under federal grants and contracts are changing day by day. The National Council of Nonprofits continues to update their chart of effects of executive actions and frequently asked questions they’ve been hearing from nonprofits nationwide.

They’ve also created a new resource to address what a nonprofit should do if you’re notified that your federal grant or contract is terminated. NCN notes that a lot will be determined by the particular agency and language in your award agreement, but their checklist provides high-level guidance on steps to take.

Our sister association New York Council of Nonprofits also shared sage advice on taking care of our organizations and ourselves in this moment.

Financial Fortitude

Diversify funding, explore earned revenue, improve financial management – these strategies can all help strengthen your organization’s fiscal resources and stability. Check out some opportunities to support you and your team in those efforts.

Financial management and fundraising are two key topics covered in the Nonprofit Management Institute. This virtual learning cohort is an opportunity for nonprofit leaders to learn from experts and each other as they assess their organizational practices, identify successes and challenges, and build strategies for long-term sustainability. Register now for the 6-week series that begins April 15.

The Financial Leadership series not only provides insights into the fundamentals and best practices of financial management (think: budgeting, cash management, cost/benefit analysis), but also offers Excel tools that work with your current accounting software to simplify financial monitoring, analysis, and reporting. Register now for the 6-week series that begins April 2.

Full cost accounting is essential for nonprofits to understand true program costs and make informed financial decisions. This workshop explores principles and practical tools to help nonprofits track revenues, expenses, and total program costs from start to finish for a clear view of true sustainability. Register now for the June 25 workshop.

An important component of fundraising: grant writing. The Ultimate Grant Proposal Blueprint series provides a self-paced approach to understanding and writing clear, compelling, and fundable grant proposals, along with strategies, planning tools, worksheets, roadmaps, and fillable templates. Register for the 8-session on-demand series.

Grateful for Our Nonprofit Community

We’re so grateful for you – our nonprofit community. Your partnership and support over this last year helped us make an impact towards our shared vision of a more equitable, inclusive, and resilient nonprofit sector. Take a few minutes to read about it in our 2023-24 Annual Report.

Upcoming Training

• Joining Together, Looking Ahead: A Policy Briefing & Collective Action Strategy Session for Triad Nonprofits, March 24
• Financial Leadership Series, April 2-May 7
• Navigating the Waters of Unemployment Liability, April 9
• Nonprofit Management Institute, April 15-May 20
• Fayetteville Nonprofit Policy Conversation, May 5
• Charlotte Nonprofit Policy Conversation, May 19
• Full Cost Accounting, June 25
• The Trainer Academy (on-demand, 16-session course)
• The Ultimate Grant Proposal Blueprint: Your Step-by-Step Roadmap and Build-It-Yourself Toolkit for Crafting an A+ Proposal (on-demand, 8-session course)
• Bookmark the Nonprofit Calendar for ongoing training and events

Thank You, Supporters!

We appreciate the support of these new businesses in Business Finder, our online directory of businesses and consultants that work specifically with nonprofits. Check them out or promote your services.

Welcome, New Members!

We appreciate the members of our growing nonprofit network. Your support and partnership make it possible for us to educate, connect, and advocate for and with nonprofits across North Carolina.

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