“What was the board thinking?” When a nonprofit runs off course, this is question that most people ask. And so it was with the panelists described instances of fraud and malfeasance. The answer, apparently, is that the boards in question weren’t thinking, a lapse that can leave them open to prosecution.

5 Ways to Break Through Barriers to Growth

by Geri Stengel on Apr 17, 2012 - 12:20am

Best Practice entrepreneurship foundation of business success growing your business Nonprofit Research scaling nonprofits Small Business successful women entrepreneurs Trends

I’m delighted with the recent Ernst & Young report, Thinking big: How to accelerate the growth of women-owned companies, which matches what I’ve found from talking with high-growth women entrepreneurs. With the number of women-owned businesses increasing yearly, accelerating their growth is important.

12 Ways To Make Your Online Fundraising Campaign Stronger

by Guest Blogger on Nov 2, 2011 - 12:20am

Best Practice fundraising strategy How To integrated fundraising multi-channel fundraising Nonprofit nonprofit fundraising

by Farra Trompeter

As a nonprofit fundraiser, this is my favorite time of year. While others make vacation plans, I work with my colleagues to devise exciting integrated fundraising campaigns for nonprofit organizations.

Study after study shows how most nonprofits see their biggest influx of donations—especially those that come in via email/web/social media—during the last few months, if not days, of the year.

Fellow Big Duck strategist, Rachel Hope Allison, and I have focused on developing online fundraising strategies and campaigns for more than 10 years. With that experience in hand, along with previous training in direct mail and telemarketing programs for nonprofits, we’ve developed a handy list of 12 ingredients for successful multi-channel or integrated fundraising campaigns.

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New eBook Helps Nonprofits Take Charge of Social Media

by Geri Stengel on Apr 26, 2011 - 12:15am

Best Practice ebook How To Nonprofit nonprofit nonprofit resources Social Media social media Tips Trends

We’ve dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s and now it’s all yours. Ventureneer’s new, free ebook, Social Media for Your Nonprofit: Take Charge!, is ready for you to download.

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Thanks to You, We've Got Data on Social Media!

by Geri Stengel on Aug 31, 2010 - 10:08am

Best Practice best practices for social media nonprofit nonprofit social media usage Research social media survey Trends

As some of you know, Ventureneer is into social media big time. We've been cited for our best practices in several books, online and in print.*

What you may not know is that I'm also a research geek, having done market research for The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, and many small businesses and nonprofits. It's rare that I can combine both passions into one project but Ventureneer, in collaboration with Caliber just fielded a survey about social media habits and best practices among nonprofits.

It's a Theme: Collaborate!

by Geri Stengel on Jun 18, 2010 - 4:10pm

#siex10 Best Practice Lessons Learned Motivated by Purpose SIEX10 Social Impact Exchange Conference

Throughout the Social Impact Exchange Conference, the recurring theme is "collaboration." A panel facilitated by Matthew Nash, Duke University, focused on that very subject, gave me much food for thought.

Small Business Networks Help Each Other and Their Communities

by Geri Stengel on Feb 23, 2010 - 9:00am

BALLE Best Practice Motivated by Purpose Small Business small business network small business online community small business support social entrepreneurs triple bottom line

The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) is a great example of what you, through survey responses, and I have been saying for a long time: Peer support is a valuable asset to small business owners and social entrepreneurs.

Social Enterprises: Taking a Well Traveled Road versus Blazing a New Trail

by Geri Stengel on Nov 9, 2009 - 2:59pm

Best Practice social enterprise social enterprises social entrepreneur social entrepreneurs social entrepreneurship Social Entrepreneurship

Last week, I attended the 6^th Annual Conference of Social Entrepreneurs at NYU Stern’s Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. My big take away: Sometimes the past provides a road map for the future and sometimes you need to blaze a new trail.

Nonprofit Funding Standards Undermine Nonprofits

by Geri Stengel on Oct 20, 2009 - 4:13pm

Analysis Best Practice financial reports funders Nonprofit nonprofit funding nonprofit leaders nonprofit rating nonprofits peer support Social Responsibility

Why do nonprofit leaders and funders alike continue to shortchange nonprofit organizations? That's the question The Bridgespan Group asked, and answered, in its new report, The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle.

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Blog Action Day: What’s Good for Small Businesses and Nonprofits Bottom Line Is Good for the Environment

by Geri Stengel on Oct 15, 2009 - 9:33am

Best Practice climate change green business Motivated by Purpose nonprofit Nonprofit reducing carbon footprint Small Business small business leader Social Responsibility

"Plastic or paper?" We're used to making that choice every time we go to the market, and it's not an easy choice. Do we use everlasting plastic or tree-killing paper? The same kind of choice faces us when we market our products and services: paper or electronic? Do we market with email or snail mail?

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