“52 Tips in 52 Weeks” is a weekly article series published in collaboration with the Standards for Excellence® Institute. This series will highlight a different resource or strategy to better equip nonprofits in the areas of governance, management, ethics and more. Standards for Excellence is a Replication Partner of Sacred Sector.
Like you, we follow the headlines. Of course, the headlines have been dominated the last few months with news and updates about the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our communities, country and world. We’ve been keeping up with the infection rates, the numbers of deaths and recoveries, and the situations related to stay-at-home orders and news on re-opening. Most recently, we’ve been overwhelmed and profoundly saddened by the headlines about systemic racism, life-threatening situations faced by people of color, and the demands for justice and equity.
In this time when we are all struggling with so many issues related to the pandemic, some of the more “regular” issues (tasks that we typically address annually as part of the regular flow of business) also surface as unexpected challenges. We know that for many nonprofits, the spring is the time when important onboarding takes place for incoming board members. Can this occur in the midst of the pandemic with stay-at-home orders and no in-person meetings? It is an interesting question, to be sure.
In the midst of the current coronavirus pandemic, many nonprofits are faced with tough choices related to raising the necessary resources to meet their missions and support the great needs of the communities they serve. The Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector provides guidance for how organizations should act when planning resource development and states, “An organization’s resource development program should be maintained on a foundation of truthfulness and responsible stewardship. Its resource development policies should be consistent with its mission, compatible with its organizational capacity, and respectful of the interests of donors, prospective donors, and others providing resources to the organization.”
Implementing a crisis communications plan is an essential part of a nonprofit’s disaster preparedness efforts. In the event of a crisis, a nonprofit must be able to communicate with all stakeholders with confidence, speed, and accuracy. Protecting the positive public image of your organization and ensuring the public confidence are the main goals of your crisis communications plan.
In this article from the Standards for Excellence® Institute series “52 Tips in 52 Weeks,” Colin Fedor provides nonprofits with tips for monitoring organizational resources during work-from-home protocols.
In this article from the Standards for Excellence® Institute series “52 Tips in 52 Weeks,” Paddy Morton provides nonprofits with tips for remotely facilitating board meetings.
In this article from the Standards for Excellence® Institute series “52 Tips in 52 Weeks,” Amy Coates Madsen provides nonprofits with tips for ensuring your workplace is prepared for telework.
In this article from the Standards for Excellence® Institute series “52 Tips in 52 Weeks,” Amy Coates Madsen provides nonprofits with tips and resources for disaster planning.
In this article from the Standards for Excellence® Institute series “52 Tips in 52 Weeks,” Jess Begue provides nonprofits with a tip for creating an annual report that is both informative and understandable.
In this article from the Standards for Excellence® Institute series “52 Tips in 52 Weeks,” Amy Coates Madsen provides a tip for treating donors with respect and professionalism.
