The Idea Incubator: Send us a challenge we can solve together

Tell Us What Vexes You 

Museums in Conversation 

April 14-16, 2013 

Syracuse, NY
Register today 

Share Your Vexation - We'll Fix It Together This year's Museums in Conversation Conference features something we've never done before - the Idea Incubator. We're inviting you to tell us your biggest frustration in creating a truly diverse organization. And you will leave with an action plan. Seriously.

The Idea Incubator - Real-life Vexations, Real Solutions

The Concept: The session will be structured such that the presenter spends more time listening than they do speaking. This will be an opportunity to begin and take responsibility for new pursuits, rather than find closure and completion to old ones. By making their personal views available to others presenters create a space for advancing their understandings by inviting others to confer with them. For some participants, the Incubator might be a sufficient outlet for resolving vexations and
advancing ventures. However, we anticipate that for many, what arises from your Incubator session will provide clarity about your next steps.

Submit Your Vexation: We want you to outline a challenge your are facing along with strategies you might use to address the issue. Submit the following 3 components by email to conference@museumsinconversation.org by March 8, 2013:

1. A Vexation
What is it that "vexes" you about the challenge to diversity that you are facing? Beyond simply venting, carefully explain the source of your frustration, the reason the issue is so troublesome, and the implications of this vexation if left unresolved. Many different possibilities exist, the key is to describe your vexation so others can understand and engage in the problem you are considering.
2. A Venture
Your venture describes a course of action you might initiate to resolve, diminish, conquer, or overcome your vexation. It is not expected that you have yet begun your venture. Instead, we envision that you are approaching a crossroads where a decision must be made about an appropriate venture for your vexation. By identifying potential ventures you provide an entry point for others to confer with you. Describe the ventures, large or small, that seem candidates for you in order to push past your vexation.
3. A Visual
Include a diagram or sketch no larger than a 3 x 5 index card. The ideal visual would be a hand-drawn illustration, think genius sketched onto a cocktail napkin. Or you could recruit your /you're friend's creative skills to translate your thoughts into a clean and simple illustration. When combined with your Venture and Vexation, this image provides everyone with a richer sense about what you are thinking.

 
What's Next?
Your submission will be reviewed and feedback will be provided to those selected to present prior to the early-bird registration deadline of March 15, 2013.

Idea Incubator at Museums in Conversation
If chosen, your vexation be part of the Idea Incubator session, Tuesday, April 16th, 9-10:30. With the help of a facilitator, you will articulate your vexation/venture combination, identify its source(s), indicate its significance, and invite feedback, insights, and suggestions for the other participants. In contrast with typical conference presentations where the person at the front is seen as the provider of expertise (or an authority to challenge), the presenter is seeking support from the audience. 

Most importantly, you will leave the conference with more than inspiration and good ideas - you'll leave with a concrete plan for solving a concrete challenge.

See the whole schedule of presentations and register today to save with Early Bird registration.

Doubletree by Hilton
6301 State Route 298
East Syracuse, 13057
Get information about accommodations and discounts.

Register Now for the most savings

Take advantage of Early Bird Registration by registering before March 15.

More Ways to Save

• Apply for a Go! grants to cover registration fees, travel fees and lodging costs up to $500 to support single participants, $750 for multiple participants. Go! grant applications are available on the Museumwise website. Applications must be postmarked by March 15, 2013
• Organizational-level Members of Museumwise: The Museum Association of NY - Register one person from your organization at the standard early bird or regular registration member rates and get a $10 discount off of each additional registration for employees/volunteers/trustees of the same organization.

Biggest Mistakes Boards Make, Founding Fathers Write a Grant Proposal and more

Practical, Provocative and Fun Food-For-Thought for Non-Profits

The Trouble with "Passion for the Mission" . . . editor notes issue #84

"Passion for the mission is a must" . . . so say many job announcements and board member requirement lists. Wait a minute. Let's examine this sacred cow cliche a little more. Read More>

Surprisingly Uncomplicated Path for Developing Leaders

Kirk Kramer of The Bridgespan Groupsuggests some new approaches to leadership development in his recent papers. For Blue Avocado readers, he cuts right to the chase: Read More>

In the Swirling Dust of Change, Life Still Goes On for an ED

It just makes sense that the founder of the Center for Digital Storytelling would tell his own story in a remarkably compelling way. Here's Joe Lambert with a thoughtful First Person Nonprofit account of how organizational problems can bring out the creativity and best in people and how, through it all, life goes on, though it's your choice how to embrace its everchanging moods: Read More>

The Founding Fathers Write a Grant Proposal

"Just look at this second sentence!" groaned Samuel Adams. "'We hold these truths to be self-evident  .  .' This flies in the face of 'evidence-based practice'! We'llnever get funded!" Read More>

Ten Biggest Mistakes Boards and Executives Make

"To err is human," and as we all ruefully know, nonprofit board members and executive directors are typically human. Here are some of the biggest mistakes we make: Read More>

Take a 3-Minute Vacation to an Oscar-Nominated Film Starring Avocados

Has anyone else seen an avocado in an Oscar nominated film this year? Read More>

To see it online Click Here

Ch-Ch-Changes: Nonprofit Sector Predictions for 2013

WRITTEN BY RICK COHEN

Predictions about the non-profit sector have been made for 2013. While some predictions look promising, non-profits hope that others are mistaken.

For the full story click here.

Data Are Transforming Philanthropy and the Social Economy

Data Are Transforming Philanthropy and the Social Economy

Lucy Bernholz Joins Forces With GrantCraft, Predicts Big Shifts in 2013

New York, NY — January 7, 2013. A GrantCraft publication released today,Philanthropy and the Social Economy: Blueprint 2013, written by leading philanthropy scholar Lucy Bernholz, captures the changing landscape of what it means to use private resources for the public good. No longer the purview of foundations and nonprofits alone, philanthropy is now defined by an array of increasingly diverse activities, such as impact investing, social businesses, peer networks, and crowdfunding. The Blueprint outlines how these and other innovations are transforming the "social economy."

The fourth edition of the Blueprint has joined the suite of materials in GrantCraft — a joint project of the New York-based Foundation Center and Brussels-based European Foundation Centre — which taps the collective knowledge of funders to share insights to help them hone their craft. The analysis and forecasting showcased in the Blueprint provides the GrantCraft community with keen observations about the current landscape, emerging trends, and important breakthroughs likely in the year ahead.

Bernholz notes that the big shifts that matter for donors and "doers" are data-related, and she provides more than a dozen examples of foundations embracing data. Looking into the future, she sees data as transformative for philanthropy, in terms of both practice and policy. Indeed, Bernholz asserts that the use, ownership, and access rules of data will be as definitional for the social economy in the 21st century as the charitable tax deduction was for nonprofits in the 20th century.

"I’m hopeful the Blueprint can contribute to a global discussion about philanthropy, nonprofits, and how we use our private resources for public benefit," said Lucy Bernholz, visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society and author of Blueprint 2013. "There are big changes ahead, and theBlueprint gives readers a heads-up on the most meaningful trends."

In this year’s report, Bernholz includes a scorecard for the previous year’s predictions and a list of 2013 forecasts covering crowdfunding, social impact bonds, and political advocacy. She also points out the catchiest philanthropy-related buzzwords of the year and lists possible "wildcard" world events — legislation, scandals, or disasters — that have the potential to mitigate or accelerate the timing of big shifts in the social economy.

"The Blueprint serves as a finger on the pulse of the social economy," said Lisa Philp, vice president for strategic philanthropy at the Foundation Center. "Lucy’s insights about the changing nature of philanthropy have become required reading for funders and anyone concerned with aligning resources toward the greater good."

Throughout 2013, Bernholz will explore the ideas in the Blueprint, as well as trends in Europe and other regions of the world, in an ongoing conversation atField Notes, the GrantCraft blog, as well as on her own blog, Philanthropy2173.

Philanthropy and the Social Economy: Blueprint 2013 can be downloaded for free at www.grantcraft.org.

About the Foundation Center
Established in 1956, the Foundation Center is the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide. Through data, analysis, and training, it connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to succeed. The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. and, increasingly, global grantmakers and their grants — a robust, accessible knowledge bank for the sector. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance knowledge of philanthropy at every level. Thousands of people visit the Center's web site each day and are served in its five regional library/learning centers and its network of more than 470 funding information centers located in public libraries, community foundations, and educational institutions nationwide and around the world. For more information, please visit foundationcenter.org or call  (212) 620-4230.

About the European Foundation Centre
The European Foundation Centre, founded in 1989, is an international membership association representing public-benefit foundations and corporate funders active in philanthropy in Europe, and beyond. The Centre develops and pursues activities in line with its four key objectives: creating an enabling legal and fiscal environment; documenting the foundation landscape; building the capacity of foundation professionals; and promoting collaboration, both among foundations and between foundations and other actors. Emphasising transparency and best practice, all members sign up to and uphold the European Foundation Centre Principles of Good Practice. For more information, please visit www.efc.be.

View Press Releases

We respect your right to e-mail privacy. If you are not interested in receiving periodic messages about Foundation Center events, or have other comments or suggestions, please send e-mail to communications@foundationcenter.org.

The Foundation Center • 79 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003 •  (212) 620-4230

For the Full Online Article Click Here

Business Plans for Nonprofits

From NYCON's national partner, National Council of Nonprofits:

True or False: “Business planning is for businesses, and strategic planning is for nonprofits." Be honest. When you first heard the phrase "business plans for nonprofits," did you think, "We don't do that"? Many people think that businesses do business planning, and nonprofits do strategic planning. Strategic planning remains a core element of capacity building. State Associations of nonprofits report that strategic planning is perennially one of the most popular educational programs they offer. Funders often want to see a strategic plan along with a grant proposal. But increasingly, we’re hearing executive directors say to one another, “Do you have a business plan?” Are business plans for nonprofits becoming the new hot thing? And are they replacing strategic plans – simply by adding dollar signs? Advertisement Business planning is not the same as strategic planning. Ideally business planning will inform and improve a strategic planning process that keeps evolving. Business planning provides a sound financial context for the planning process and forces us to look at our nonprofit in the context of a competitive environment. It is hard work because it grounds big picture ideas in reality. Understandably given the option we might prefer to paint a canvas with a broad vision and fill in the colors, rather than first determine what it costs to buy the paint and canvas, and how to price our painting. (It’s much more fun to paint the picture and let somebody else figure out whether it will sell and for how much!) The problem for enthusiastic and inspired artists (as with board and staff members) is that the canvas gets bigger and bigger – but when the masterpiece is finished, there might not be a market for it.     For us amateur artists, two recent books approach nonprofit business planning from a strategic planning perspective and explain it in a very accessible way, even for those not familiar with business terminology. The Nonprofit Business Plan: The Leader’s Guide to Creating a Successful Business Model , a new book by David La Piana and his distinguished colleagues at La Piana Consulting, may just change your attitude towards using the words “business” and “nonprofit” in the same sentence. Also take a look at Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability, by the terrific trio Jeanne Bell, Jan Masaoka, and Steve Zimmerman. We think both books are masterful in helping to explain why nonprofits need to pause and take a look at, well…let’s just say it, their “business model.”   Your nonprofit is in the business of something, whether it’s recycling computers, helping veterans rejoin the workforce, or preserving open space from development. And in order to pay for talented employees, that new website you dream of, and the internet connection that makes it work, your nonprofit needs cash. The problem is, assuming your nonprofit is like many others, it’s tempting to continually add new projects or improve existing programs to meet changing needs in the community. Just before a nonprofit launches that new program or makes the necessary adjustments, that’s the time to stop and ask, “How much is this really going to cost? And how will it be paid for?” The question should even be asked for services that clients pay for -- or that are paid by third-parties: “Are all the costs of the program paid for?” What we’re hearing is that many nonprofits have not calculated the full cost of running their operations. Consequently, the revenue received, whether through donations or fees for services (or a combination) might not cover 100% of what it costs to deliver those programs. Private philanthropy is concerned about this funding gap and the strain it puts on charitable nonprofits. The Donors Forum has convened a community of practice on the subject of overhead, bringing together funders and nonprofits to recommend how nonprofits can more easily identify and articulate the true cost of their work, and how grantmakers can become educated about the failure to pay full costs, as well as help nonprofits understand how to calculate the true cost of delivering services.   In today’s challenging economy, the severe consequences of failing to engage in business planning is laid bare when cash stops flowing. The cash flow crunch is a concern for a huge number of charitable nonprofits. The Nonprofit Finance Fund’s 2012 survey found that only 43% of nonprofits surveyed had more than 3 months of cash reserves – and many had less than one month. Nonprofits that continue to focus exclusively on what they do, instead of also what it costs to do it, will find themselves at risk of closing their doors for good. Here is just one example of the need for nonprofits and board members to focus strategically on business models: a 30 year old charitable nonprofit, dependent on donations to pay the rent and stay afloat, is hit hard by the recession when donations dry up. If the nonprofit closes its doors the community’s poor and disabled will be without access to medical equipment, such as wheelchairs, walkers, and oxygen tanks. For 30 years the nonprofit has collected donated equipment, refurbished it, and trained its new owners how to use it. For free. Now at the brink of being forced to shut down, the group’s executive director, reflecting on what happened, explained his mind-shift towards being more business oriented: “We’re not about money, but we have to be right now.”   A solid business plan will take into consideration not only the “vision” and the strategy for how your nonprofit will address needs in the community, but also how everything your nonprofit does fits within a competitive landscape, and how it will fund its activities in a cost-effective way. Done well, business planning is very comprehensive – and requires time. An outside consultant may be helpful to move the process along. The CEO, key program staff, and a few board members are usually tapped for the business planning team so that multiple perspectives inform the analysis of all aspects of the nonprofit’s operations: from mission delivery (programs, services, advocacy) to physical and human resources infrastructure, and marketing, to communications and fundraising activities. A business plan might also include funding projections, and address risk mitigation as well as how outcomes will be evaluated (and the associated costs).   The advantage of having a business plan in place – especially when an attractive new idea presents itself - is that some ventures, partnerships, or projects may strategically fit the mission and perfectly support the vision – but may not be successful financially. With the discipline of a business plan as the “enforcer,” it makes it easier to prioritize the activities that make the most financial sense, and to make hard decisions, such as stopping a program that offers little ROI. As champions for our nonprofits’ missions it is no longer enough to know deep in our bones that “the mission is good.” Instead we need to help boards and staff ask hard questions about money, so that the ability of each charitable nonprofit to deliver its mission into the future is protected. We encourage your nonprofit to take a look at the resources highlighted in this newsletter and on the Council of Nonprofits’ website, and we hope that when your nonprofit engages in this process, business planning will feel much more like painting a masterpiece than counting pennies. Coming soon - a new look for this newsletter and the National Council of Nonprofits   Interested in learning more about business planning for nonprofits? Join us for a free webinar on October 18th with Heather Gowdy and Lester Olmstead-Rose, authors of The Nonprofit Business Plan: The Leader’s Guide to Creating a Successful Business Model. This webinar is an exclusive benefit for members of our network of State Associations. Contact your State Association for the registration link. Not a member? Find your State Association and join today!   This webinar is offered free of charge thanks to generous support from Resources on strategic and business planning (National Council of Nonprofits)    The Nonprofit Business Plan: The Leader’s Guide to Creating a Successful Business Model , by David La Piana, Heather Gowdy, Lester Olmstead-Rose, and Brent Copen   Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability, by Jeanne Bell, Jan Masaoka, and Steve Zimmerman   Business Planning for Nonprofits: What It Is and Why It Matters  (Bridgespan)   Sample business plans for nonprofits (Bridgespan)   Tools for business planning, creating a theory of change, a case for support, and building a revenue plan (for purchase from Social Velocity)   Congratulations to Valerie Lies, President & CEO, Donors Forum, and Ann Silverberg Williamson, President & CEO, Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations, as well as Tim Delaney, President & CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, for being named to the 2012 NonProfit Times Power & Influence Top 50 list.   The National Council of Nonprofits provides information about the failure of government to pay the full costs of services both on our Government-Nonprofit Contracting website and in Nonprofit Advocacy Matters, our bi-weekly newsletter on public policy and advocacy matters affecting charitable nonprofits. An upcoming edition of Nonprofit Advocacy Matters will include an update on federal reforms affecting indirect cost reimbursements. Subscribe today so you won’t miss the latest on this important issue.

Copyright 2012 National Council of Nonprofits. All rights reserved 1200 New York Avenue, NW | Suite 700 | Washington, DC 20005 | www.councilofnonprofits.org

Our Nonprofits Role in Political Activity: Ideas to Consider

Food for thought offered by the National Council of Nonprofits about our involvement in political activity:

The Underutilized – Yet Vital – Role of America’s Charitable Nonprofits 

by Tim Delaney, President & CEO

I just returned from London, where I had the good fortune of meeting with nonprofit leaders from several countries and soaking up English history, culture, and (of course) rain. Whether learning about nonprofit trends elsewhere from international colleagues, listening to debates in both Houses of Parliament, touring the British Museum, or even just walking London’s streets, I couldn’t help but constantly compare home and abroad.

First thing up for comparison was language. One odd term (to me) was calling a meeting a “consultation.” Another particular language difference caught my ear: Europeans engage in “campaigning” rather than “lobbying.” That startled me at first, because here “campaigning” normally means partisan political activity that expresses support for or opposition to a candidate for public office, which nonprofits in our country clearly can’t do. Later, when hearing peers describe how laws in many countries were so complex as to discourage nonprofits from engaging in certain activities, I realized that is how U.S. laws operate regarding many core democracy-building activities: our federal laws allow nonprofits to both lobby and encourage participation in elections, but those laws appear so complex that they frighten too many away.

That insight dialed up a trend I have noticed in the U.S.: nonprofit capacity-builders often shy away from external policy matters because they hear terms that sound like a foreign language to them. Similarly, nonprofit policy advocates frequently flee internal discussions about topics like finances, HR, and IT (activities that capacity-builders deal with daily) because terms used are less familiar to them. Yet our sector can’t be effective in serving our communities if we over-specialize and compartmentalize like this. We all need to have a basic understanding of our sector’s vital role in building democracy – and then operationalize our role as champions for our communities.

After all, as revealed in the now-classic Forces for Good, high-impact nonprofits both deliver services AND work with government and advocate for policy change to accomplish their missions. Indeed, as the Minnesota Participation Project (an initiative of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits) reminds us in this article, Election Cycle Dos and Don’ts, charitable nonprofits are uniquely positioned to nurture democracy.

Another item begging for comparison was public transportation. London’s constant whirl of buses and subways magically achieved their basic purpose of moving oodles of people. Then at night, it seemed advanced drivers would climb aboard the double-decker buses and push them full-throttle, while still safely navigating their behemoths along crowded, narrow streets. But while aboard an open-topped double-decker bus that had to take a sudden detour, I saw some tourists slapped in the face by an unanticipated tree branch (which I fortunately ducked under).

These three ways of moving people – basic, advanced, and popped-in-the-face – also made me think of how we can safely move nonprofits to greater engagement in promoting democracy.

Basic

These activities are so basic, safe, and important that all nonprofits ought to engage in them. Simply remember to remain strictly nonpartisan in these activities. Just as public buses don’t just board only Democrats or Republicans, the goal here is to move more people to the polls; once people arrive there they can choose their own destination.

• Educate and empower. Your nonprofit touches many people. Imagine if each person voted. In California, CalNonprofits has launched an effort – the Vote with Your Mission campaign – to have 100% of eligible nonprofit staff members, board members, and volunteers vote. Start your own effort to get everyone associated with your nonprofit to vote! 
• Register Voters. NonprofitVOTE provides everything you need so that your nonprofit can roll out a successful (and legal) voter registration campaign: from a planning checklist to a downloadable voter participation starter kit, it’s all there.

Advanced
In good conscience, I wouldn’t encourage inexperienced drivers to drive a massive double-decker bus through crowded streets. The Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI) provides an excellent "roadmap" for election-related activities that are legal and safe – provided you have experienced advisors accustomed to navigating the particular requirements of the law.

• Create a Candidate Questionnaire. Here’s a powerful sample questionnaire from the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits. The great thing about candidate questionnaires is that they require all of the candidates to give focused consideration to nonprofit issues. Plus, it’s a unique way to educate future officeholders (see Qs 4, 6, 10 in NC sample). This article from The NonProfit Times provides tips on creating unbiased, informational candidate questionnaires.
• Host a Candidate Forum. Inviting all candidates (remember to remain nonpartisan!) to a candidate forum is a great way to make it easy for your community to learn about the candidates. As a neutral broker, with the best interests of the community in mind, your nonprofit has the opportunity to increase public understanding of the issues affecting your community. Here are tips for hosting candidate forums, including what to do when a campaign comes knocking, courtesy of NonprofitVOTE.

Avoid Getting Popped

The IRS has published materials that make clear that nonprofits may legally engage in nonpartisan election-related activities. But those same materials point out that if the nonprofit moves beyond being strictly nonpartisan, there can be serious consequences. Unfortunately, too many nonprofits freeze when learning about possible “serious consequences,” without ever considering the bountiful community benefits. That’s akin to hiding under the covers quivering in fear that if you get on a plane to London it might get hit by lightning.

• Remain Nonpartisan. Nonprofits have plenty of room – and responsibility – to serve their constituents and communities by encouraging people to use their voices at the ballot box. The main thing to remember to avoid being popped is to pay attention to what it means to remain nonpartisan. 
• Proactive Protections. Consider adopting a political activity policy to keep your nonprofit, board, and staff aware of the importance of remaining nonpartisan. When you hire a new employee, and when you orient board members, make sure they know that as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization, your nonprofit must remain nonpartisan.

* * *

At the Churchill War Rooms, I learned that the now omnipresent expression of “Keep Calm and Carry On” was first printed in 1939 on posters for use if the Germans invaded. After the war, those unused posters were tossed – yet some were found, so the expression remains alive. With the American campaign season heating up and raising the temperature of political rhetoric, charitable nonprofits and their board members would be wise to apply the message from our friends across the pond: “Keep Calm and Carry On.” Don’t let false lore about nonprofits being unable to do anything relating to elections scare you or the blitz of negative campaign ads rattle you. Keep calm. Know there are many legal, easy, and vital ways for nonprofits to advance their missions in serving their communities by helping citizens vote. Then carry on!

Why should nonprofits encourage voting?

Permissible Activity Checklist from NonprofitVOTE
Initiatives & referenda elections, as the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest notes, follow laws regarding lobbying, not partisan electioneering, (because the voting public is being “lobbied” to vote yes or no).

Engaging Online
Influencing Public Policy in the Digital Age: The Law of Online Lobbying and Election-related Activities is a report from the Alliance for Justice that includes information on what nonprofits can and cannot include on their websites during an election.

The Nonprofit Law Blog and Gene Tagaki’s interview on Nonprofit Radio provide a legal overview and explain how campaign activity restrictions apply to websites and social media.

Resources

IRS Fact Sheet on election year activities
Test your knowledge. Here are 21 examples of actions by 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Which ones are permitted under IRS regulations?

Election Year Risks (Nonprofit Risk Management Center)

Help someone get an absentee ballot

Tools

NonprofitVOTE's online starter kit