Right up front, I want to urge you to notice the free giveaways that you can access in this issue:
• Our special supplement on nonprofit education programs, complete with a buyer’s guide. This is our first of a number of such supplements aimed at helping you to be a wise consumer of the products and services offered to nonprofits, and to the people who work in them;
• A free downloadable copy of a special issue of the Nonprofit Quarterly that describes the national “infrastructure” intended to support nonprofits. This is the first publication to describe and map that network of groups.
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• A free subscription to the Nonprofit Quarterly’s e-newsletter (see http://www.dev-npq-site.pantheonsite.io/scripts/enews/subscribe/). This is a favorite feature for many of our readers, often containing resources and articles not available through the print version of the magazine.
In the following pages you will find some articles destined to become classics.
Each year, our summer issue focuses on philanthropy, fundraising and revenue generation. We have two articles that we think should be included on a recommended reading list for virtually every nonprofit manager and board member. The first is by Jon Pratt who provides us with an updated version of his popular article, “Analyzing the Dynamics of Funding: Autonomy and Reliability.” The most notable addition to this is his chart that describes eight nonprofit revenue archetypes and the management challenges associated with each. The second article is by one of readers’ favorite authors, Clara Miller of the Nonprofit Finance Fund. Clara’s article, “Gift Horse or Trojan Horse?” looks at some of the common pitfalls of large gifts. As always, she provides practical but profound lessons for fund seekers and donors alike. Also we think she’s just hilarious.
The economic situation faced by nonprofits remains complex, and for many, deeply threatening. While charitable giving is up, government funding sources, especially at the state level, continue to dry up. We provide a brief overview of the situation a year after our last report. Beyond this, we offer food for thought about establishing fees for service. Since this is a growing portion of nonprofit budgets, we’d like to encourage more conversation about it over time.
This issue also has a special section that focuses on accountability, and not coincidentally, a timely article on the importance of telling the truth as an investment in organizational health and effectiveness. This article is one in a series looking at the powerful intersection between personal and organizational behavior.
Finally, don’t miss the Letters to the Editor for great stories and insights from your fellow readers; and please respond to our articles by using the Talk Back feature listed at the end of each piece. Your responses are an important part of how we set our future editorial agenda.