The Nonprofit FAQ: Development Basics

Select an FAQ   (10):

Are Ratios Useful? For Donors? For the Community? (Added 2/24/96) When should donors be concerned about average costs (ratios) in evaluating the performance of organizations which seek donations as one of the ways they raise the money they need to operate?

Does anyone ever say 'no' to a gift? It's best to think this question through before the issue arises and to have an established policy that relates any restrictions on donors or donations to the mission of your organization.

How can foundations better evaluate the impact they are having? What are the major benefits of doing so? Measuring the performance of a foundation can be a tricky and difficult process, especially when it's the grantees that actually deliver. But these days, more and more foundations are developing rigorous self-assessment systems. Find out why, and learn how to develop a results-based measurement system to help determine the impact that a foundation is making.

How can nonprofits evaluate their fundraising productivity? An expert in nonprofit accountability and evaluation shares his insights on how to interpret fundraising costs in a collection of essays called the Fundraising Productivity Series.

How can nonprofits set more realistic expectations with their funders? Funders favor organizations with the leanest overhead costs, encouraging nonprofits to under-report costs and slash their infrastructure. This item outlines how to set more realistic expectations with funders.

How will the Net affect the work of Fundraisers? Early discussions of many possible ways for fundraisers to use the net.

What about calculating fund raising ratios? These calculations are more difficult to interpret than they might appear.

What are the 10 'Immutable Laws of Fundraising'? The act of fundraising is really the art of relationship-building. If development efforts haven't worked in the past, thinking about these laws will help in the formulation of a more realistic fundraising plan.

Where are useful nonprofit & fundraising resources on the net? An annotated list of resources of interest or use to nonprofits.

Where do we start looking for support for a new organization? Some very basic advice for people who are just beginning to think about this possibility.