Nonprofit Management Blog
Dear Funders: Nonprofit Salaries Make Impact Possible
As a funder, you have important decisions to make about where your dollars can do the most good. With more needs than any one grant budget can meet, it makes sense to ask how funding will benefit the people and communities a nonprofit serves. The way we think about the costs of that work can shape which organizations and activities receive support.
One concern that comes up in discussions about general operating support is that too much of the money will go toward salaries. There’s an assumption underneath that concern that deserves a closer look: that paying staff takes money away from accomplishing the mission. For many nonprofits, staff time and expertise account for much of what it takes to deliver their services.
What a Grant Writing Retainer Actually Includes (and How It Works)
Many nonprofits underestimate what it actually takes to maintain a healthy grant pipeline over time.
From the outside, grant work can look fairly straightforward: identify opportunities, write proposals, submit applications, and wait for decisions. In reality, sustainable grant work involves far more coordination, planning, communication, and strategic judgment than most organizations initially expect.
How to Know What Kind of Nonprofit Consultant Your Organization Actually Needs
Nonprofit leaders are asked to solve increasingly complex challenges with limited time, limited capacity, and growing expectations from funders, boards, staff, and communities. At some point, many organizations begin exploring outside support. The difficult part is figuring out what kind of support will actually help.
Should you hire a grant writer? A strategic planning facilitator? A board development consultant? A nonprofit coach? A trainer?