Proverbs and FAQs
We’re very excited that our executive director, the “wildly practical Kate Barr,” is featured in this month’s Nonprofit Quarterly. Her article, Improving Nonprofit Decision Making amid Economic Crisis, highlights the importance of taking action:
Over the next year or two, budgetary challenges are clearly in the cards, and there are likely to be successive and different situations requiring action. Change may be inevitable, but the impact of this change on an organization depends on which decisions are made and how.
Although Kate doesn’t use the old adage “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today,” she does illustrate the dangers of allowing a problem to “fester until it [becomes] a crisis.” She also offers some suggestions for how to improve organizational decision making.
After reading the article, you can use our resources to start making decisions at your organization.
This Week’s Harvest: Frequently Asked Questions
Audits
Not-For-Profit Accounting returns to answer some frequently asked questions, starting with questions on audits:
Our nonprofit is getting ready for our first audit. What are we supposed to do, and what does the auditor do?
You should receive a letter of engagement from the auditors that helps spell out the relationship. You’ll also get a lists of things to do and get ready before the auditors come to your offices for the field work. This article also talks about the process. But if you have any questions you should ask your auditors before things get going to avoid any confusion and additional cost.
Read more about audits in Balancing the Mission Checkbook and see what other FAQ’s Allan tackles in blog post.
Collaboration
- Mergers seem to be the hot topic these days. But there are many ways to collaborate beyond mergers. The Foundation Center provides information on different types of strategic alliances, including few different typologies, which underscores the range of possible collaborations.
Stimulus
- 2009 Recovery Act Resources for Nonprofits from MCN’s Public Policy team
- Want Stimulus Money? Act Fast! from Fieldstone Alliance
- Special Reports on Economic Stimulus & Recovery from the National Council of Nonprofits