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White Paper Archives

Managing Data to Create Meaningful Connections

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No matter your mission, people are the heart of your nonprofit and its work. Think about all the relationships your organization has — program participants, donors, volunteers, partners, event attendees, legislators, and more.

Maintaining these relationships means keeping track of a lot of information — and that’s where Constituent Relationship Management, or CRM, comes in.

Download this e-book to learn how to maximize a CRM to make these relationships a priority and move your supporters toward action.

The Dynamics and Challenges of Growth

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More than 300 nonprofit finance professionals were surveyed across nearly every vertical – including social services, education and healthcare. The discovery was that growth, while broadly defined, is very important to most nonprofit organizations. And the search for additional revenue dollars (whether from donations, grants, services, or other sources) is constant.

Download the 2018 Nonprofit Research Study to discover how your peers are aiming to grow their organizations, as well as their plans for overcoming the challenges that coincide with growth.

    Within the research study you’ll uncover:

  • What growth looks like at nonprofits
  • Biggest growth challenges
  • How nonprofits plan to grow
  • Risk management during growth

Maintaining the Health of Your Nonprofit Budget

abila

The annual budget is a vital management tool for any nonprofit. Working together, the nonprofit’s staff and board members will use the budgeting process to intelligently establish priorities and allot resources for the coming year. But that’s only the beginning of the budget’s lifecycle.

Your budget needs to be continuously monitored, assessed, and revised throughout the year to keep your organization running smoothly. Our guide, Nonprofit Budget Checkup, covers exactly what your nonprofit finance team needs to keep your budget up-to-date and you focused on your mission.

    Inside you’ll find:

  • Critical components of the budget
  • Budget review best practices
  • Routine assessments and screenings
  • Budgetary milestones at six months and year’s end

Plus, you’ll get helpful tips within the guide to assist you throughout the budget review and monitoring process, year ‘round

Maintaining the Health of Your Nonprofit Budget

abila

The annual budget is a vital management tool for any nonprofit. Working together, the nonprofit’s staff and board members will use the budgeting process to intelligently establish priorities and allot resources for the coming year. But that’s only the beginning of the budget’s lifecycle.

Your budget needs to be continuously monitored, assessed, and revised throughout the year to keep your organization running smoothly. Our guide, Nonprofit Budget Checkup, covers exactly what your nonprofit finance team needs to keep your budget up-to-date and you focused on your mission.

    Inside you’ll find:

  • Critical components of the budget
  • Budget review best practices
  • Routine assessments and screenings
  • Budgetary milestones at six months and year’s end

Plus, you’ll get helpful tips within the guide to assist you throughout the budget review and monitoring process, year ‘round

Graham Pelton: Battening Down the Hatches

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Shifting political interests and priorities are putting nonprofits that rely on government funding at risk. From health to the environment to the arts and education, nearly all nonprofit sectors will feel the impact of the reprioritization of core social investments. Now, more than ever, your organization matters to the people it helps, serves, and protects.

And now, more than ever, philanthropy matters. At Graham-Pelton, a global fundraising and management consulting firm, our mission is to elevate philanthropy so nonprofits can flourish – even in the face of uncertainty.

Graham-Pelton President and CEO Elizabeth Zeigler details three nonprofit strategies for weathering stormier, leaner times.

Abila: 10 Reasons Why Nonprofits Need True Fund Accounting

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Many nonprofits use commercial accounting products initially, but as they grow and gain multiple funding sources, they find off-the-shelf accounting software doesn’t meet their unique tracking and reporting needs. Customizing or overlaying features onto commercial software to achieve nonprofit accounting functionality is inefficient, incomplete, and expensive. At worst, it can open the door to costly errors and complex or erroneous audits.

Find out if your organization is in need of a true fund accounting™ system. Download our guide, and ask yourself 10 key questions.

Abila: Nonprofit Audit Workshop 2018

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“Audit” doesn’t have to be a dirty word at your nonprofit! A thorough financial audit gives you a clear picture of how well your organization manages and tracks its funds, which in turn makes you more effective in carrying out your mission. Passing your audit with flying colors builds confidence among donors and staff. Plus, preparing for your audit and remediating any issues it uncovers can only strengthen your financial practices. That’s why we’ve put together this guide – “Nonprofit Audit Workshop 2018” – to help you prepare for a smooth, successful audit. In it, you’ll learn:

  • What an audit should achieve
  • How to prepare for an audit
  • Roles of staff members, board members, and auditors
  • The role of technology supporting audits
  • What you can expect during and after your audit
  • How to fully prepare for next year

Metrics for Mission Impact Ebook

intact

It’s hard to know exactly what funders want when your nonprofit is going through the grant-writing and reporting processes. At Social Solutions, we went straight to the source, asking funders exactly what they take into consideration when giving out grants and assessing data. And the results are in! Read the Foundation Reporting Study today to learn:

  • What foundations are looking for when making funding decisions
  • How your nonprofit data can aid your organization during the appeal process
  • Expectations for reporting requirements in the next 5 years

Follow The Clues: A Nonprofit Finance Sleuth Uncovers Fraud

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With changing donor expectations, the demand for accountability in nonprofits is increasing rapidly. Now more than ever, nonprofits must be able to truthfully report the revenue-to-program delivery chain, as they walk a tightrope to justify overhead expenditures as an integral component of mission fulfillment.

Using advice from sector thought leaders and examples from NetSuite’s nonprofit customers, this ebook will explore the metrics needed to ensure that your organization is financially healthy, spending dollars wisely, delivering successful programs and creating mission impact in an efficient manner.

  • Fraud myths
  • Red flags signaling fraud
  • First steps after you discover fraud
  • Tips for managing a fraud crisis
  • Basic safeguards you can employ
  • Human Capital Planning
And, you’ll receive our anti-cheat sheet for preventing nonprofit fraud. It’s a quick check for preventing fraud, understanding risks, and how to develop a clear plan of action when fraud occurs.

Year-End Survival Guide, 2017 Edition

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In the third edition of our Year-End Survival Guide, we include topics you’ll need to close out your books at the end of the year and prepare for next year, including:

  • Your Budget: Review, Build, Revise, Repeat
  • Closing the Books on 2017
  • Preparing Your Annual Report
  • Compliance Awareness
  • Pre-Audit Preparation
  • Strategic Planning for 2018
  • Human Capital Planning
  • Plus, you’ll get best practices, helpful tips on topics like FASB and filing your Form 990, and tasks you’ll need to be sure you check off your to-do lists!

The Ins and Outs of Credit Card Payment Processing

payway

Your complimentary guide to smart credit card processing

A little knowledge goes a long way, especially if you’re about to accept credit or debit cards for the first time. Payway Complete’s new eBook — The Ins and Outs of Credit Card Payment Processing — was created just for merchants and provides an overview of all the players in one quick read; there are at least seven involved in every transaction! Who represents you? Who represents the credit card companies? Who is responsible for which component of each transaction? Download it now.

Nonprofit Talent Sustainability Strategies

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Your team is critical to your mission. Without the guidance of strong leadership or the driving force of sufficient organizational support, nonprofits are left vulnerable to financial, strategic and geopolitical uncertainties. For a limited time, you can download the eBook to find out the top five ways to combat hiring and succession planning obstacles. Plus, you’ll learn about:

  • Competitive benefits
  • New sector statistics
  • Trending recruitment tactics
  • Key ways to engage new staff

Foundation Reporting Study

intact

It’s hard to know exactly what funders want when your nonprofit is going through the grant-writing and reporting processes. At Social Solutions, we went straight to the source, asking funders exactly what they take into consideration when giving out grants and assessing data. And the results are in! Read the Foundation Reporting Study today to learn:

  • What foundations are looking for when making funding decisions
  • How your nonprofit data can aid your organization during the appeal process
  • Expectations for reporting requirements in the next 5 years

The Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Playbook

intact

Communicate, coordinate, and coach your team to become fundraising champs with our Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Playbook. Nearly 1/3 of all online donations are made through peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. ons. Our playbook will help you set first-time fundraisers up for success.

    What You’ll Get:

  • 25 peer-to-peer leadership best practices.
  • How to boost fundraising with social media.
  • 8 tricks for incredible online engagement.
  • Our exclusive peer-to-peer email series with 4 customizable templates.

The Trust Factor and Nonprofit Financial Management: A Nonprofit’s Guide for Strengthening the Trust Factor

intact

In today’s ever changing landscape, trust is critical for a nonprofit’s success. Trust in internal operations. Trust in reporting. Trust in outcomes. Trust in fulfilling missions. While funding has often been referred to as the lifeblood of an organization, trust is the primary prerequisite. Without trust, there is no gift or grant award.

This new white paper outlines the importance of trust in all key phases of nonprofit management, program management, and outcomes management while also detailing areas that might make an organization vulnerable
:

  • Leverage better data and best-in-class technology to make better decisions, strengthen stewardship, and achieve greater impact.
  • Create the highest levels of visibility, accountability, and transparency – to better tell your story.
  • Benchmark and compare your performance against your peers.

 

Want to learn more? Download this free whitepaper.

Reporting Best Practices by Social Solutions

Blackbaud

Improve your nonprofit’s ability to evaluate programs, making strategic improvements, and create a greater impact through effective reporting. Start your journey to better reporting and actionable data with the “Reporting Best Practices” eBook. In this resource you’ll learn:

  • Common reporting mistakes.
  • How reporting proves impact effectively.
  • People processes that improve reporting.
  • And much more!

Want to learn more? Download this free whitepaper.

How to Build Trust with Strong Internal Controls

Blackbaud

Let’s say you take a more sensible approach. Perhaps your New Year’s resolution is to eat more healthy foods and get more exercise. But you are left wondering, what does that really mean? What exactly am I supposed to put into my mouth? And what form and frequency does exercise need to take to make a difference in my health? It is hard to trust that you’ll see results when there are just generalities without a specific plan or process.

At the beginning of the year, you may have seen a lot of commercials about losing weight without ever being hungry or dieting. Did those big promises of reward with no effort create trust or did they feel a little shady? For nonprofits looking for funding sources, trust is paramount. And if your big promises to donors or funding agencies feel a little shady, you will not be trusted to grow your mission and do the good works you are looking to fund.

Similarly, even when nonprofits balance their desire to do good works with a realistic view of the level of effort required to accomplish those goals, funding may still be elusive if there are not strong internal controls in place. Why is that? How are trust and internal controls intertwined? In this white paper, we’ll look at how to create a climate of strong internal controls in your organization, so you can reap the benefits of greater trust with donors and funders and lower the risk of waste, fraud, and abuse at your organization.

Want to learn more? Download this free whitepaper.

Nonprofit Controls Ultimate Compilation Guide

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According to the 2016 Global Fraud Study, published by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the most prominent organizational weakness that contributed to fraud in its study was a lack of internal controls, which was cited in 29.3 percent of cases, followed by an override of existing internal controls, which contributed to just more than 20 percent of cases.

Good controls are derived from the right policies, practices, activities, and behaviors – together creating a framework of a well-established control environment. Find out how your organization can ensure everyday success and safeguard your mission through proper financial controls that promote clean audits and help deter fraud.

Inside Abila’s Nonprofit Controls: Ultimate Compilation Guide you’ll find best practice policies and procedures around internal controls, key insight into audit preparedness, and ways to help mitigate fraud risk.

Want to learn more? Download this free whitepaper.

Your Essential Guide to Running a Nonprofit: Manage your people, projects and money on the Salesforce Platform

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PEOPLE, PROJECTS & MONEY: MAXIMIZE THE IMPACT OF YOUR NONPROFIT MISSION. FinancialForce is 100% native to Salesforce, and brings back office functions into your Salesforce environment. Now you can manage your people, projects and money on the same platform where you manage your fundraising, programs and communications.

Want to learn more? Download this free whitepaper.

The Non-profit Fiduciaries Handbook

univoip-logo-medA step-by-step guide to investment strategy for non-profit investors. If you serve on a non-profit Board, non-profit Investment Committee, or are the CFO of a non-profit organization, this reference book was designed for you. The Non-profit Handbook provides practical advice, planning tools, and information on best practices to help you understand and successfully fulfill your fiduciary responsibilities. It’s also a great primer for new Board and Investment Committee members.

Want to learn more? Download this free whitepaper.

Abila: 2016 Nonprofit Finance Study – Compliance, People, and Process Complexities

ClearEmployerServicesIt’s no secret that nonprofit finance and accounting can be very complex. Factor in ongoing changes in rules and regulations, such as ACA, FASB 117, and FLSA Overtime Rules, and you’ve added even more layers of complexity.

In the 2016 Nonprofit Finance Study we surveyed more than 400 nonprofit finance professionals in order to better understand the challenges and complexity of the more technical aspects of nonprofit finance – such as how federal regulations (and changes in regulations) impact an organization, the cost of compliance, the overall infrastructure of business processes and people, and how today’s nonprofit can handle the increasingly difficult nature of nonprofit finance.

Want to learn more? Download this free whitepaper from Abila today. Download now.

Clear: How PEOs Can Save NonProfits Time

ClearEmployerServicesHaving employees adds 147 tasks to executive directors’ ‘to do’ lists, ranging from employment law compliance to benefit plan cost containment. At best, these can be time consuming, at worst, put the organization at risk. This white paper explores nonprofits’ evolving HR challenges, and how a PEO can save time, maximize productivity and reduce liability. Download now.

5 Essential Steps for Nonprofit Growth

ClearEmployerServicesLearn more and read about case studies with this FREE download.

To ensure the success of your organization, it’s vital that you are meeting your fundraising goals. In this guide, you’ll learn to identify your best potential donors, find missing information about your donors or alumni, use nonprofit story-telling to boost your fundraising, and much more. Position your organization for growth throughout 2017!Download now.

Blackbaud: Becoming A Master Negotiator

BlackbaudWhat could 9% more revenue do for your organization? When it comes to negotiating for more funding, there are tactics and strategies that you can use to achieve better results. This white paper shows you how! But these tactics should only be part of your strategy. The right nonprofit fund accounting solution can give you immediate access to data and resources to help you with reporting, manage grants, positively affect the bottom line. See how Financial Edge NXT can impact your organization’s revenue, decrease administrative expenses, and help put more money toward your mission. Want to learn more? Download this free whitepaper today.

Outcome Metrics: Measuring What Matters in the Nonprofit World

intacctDownload this free whitepaper to learn how you can quickly and clearly capture, validate, quantify, and report on the appropriate outcome metrics. And learn how the right financial management solution will position your organization for greater efficiency, greater growth, and, ultimately, greater success. Want to learn more? Download this free whitepaper today.

Abila: The Ultimate Guide to Online Fundraising

ClearEmployerServicesThe Ultimate Guide to Online Fundraising contains articles, real-life examples, worksheets, and more to guide you through the six steps of online fundraising: targeting, appeals, websites, donation forms, thank yous, and follow-up communication. Each chapter is authored by a nonprofit expert, diving into his or her niche specialty and sharing practical recommendations. Want to learn more? Download this free whitepaper from Abila today.

Mission Possible: NetSuite Aids Innovation and Impact

netsuite-330These are challenging times for nonprofit organizations. In the face of increasing donor expectations, reporting and transparency that might have been good enough yesterday can become an existential threat to tomorrow. The most successful nonprofits are those that can leverage new business models that blur the boundaries between non-profit and for-profit approaches. And they are increasingly investing in new technologies and best practices to help them amplify these efforts. Download this free ebook to learn how high-impact nonprofit organizations are leveraging NetSuite to accelerate their missions.

Growing Individual Gifts: An Analytical Approach to Data-Driven Success

Wealth-EngineWealthEngine is proud to present our workbook Growing Individual Gifts: An Analytical Approach to Data-Driven Success. This workbook takes readers step-by-step through the strategies needed for success and growth in individual giving, offering guidance from assessing and planning, through building strategies and measuring success. An accompanying toolkit shares electronic tools and resources available for download, to further enable readers to grow individual gifts at their organizations.
Download this free whitepaper from Wealth Engine today!

Blackbaud Mission Infused CFO

BlackbaudThe nonprofit financial world is changing quickly, and the isolated CFO has been rendered obsolete. The future nonprofit CFO is a mission-infused, proactive leader who interacts with a finance-driven program and administrative team. It’s important to understand how everything connects. This white paper will explore financial strategies nonprofits can take to invest in mission and strategy and the connection between finance and mission that leads to organizational success! Download this free whitepaper from Blackbaund today!

UniVoIP: Benefits of the Cloud

univoip-logo-medIs your organization ready for “the cloud”? The time has come for organizations to face the reality of today’s communications. That relying on an old-fashioned legacy telephone system and its limited features is simply not good enough — to maximize limited staff productivity, improve communications and collaboration between constituents, donors and volunteers, or adequately handle workflows. Want to learn more? Download this free whitepaper.

Abila: Donor Loyalty Study

ClearEmployerServicesBuilding upon the 2015 Donor Engagement Study, the Donor Loyalty Study examines what drives donor loyalty, what types of content donors really like to consume, what actions by an organization annoy donors, and what role events and volunteering play. The Study is based on responses from 1,136 U.S. donors, and includes special sections on high-wealth donors (those who earn more than $200,000 annually) and generational trends. Want to learn more? Download this free whitepaper from Abila today.