Welcome To The Center For Nonprofit Resources

The Center for Nonprofit Resources (CNR) strives to provide you with the tools, resources and information that will help you fulfill the mission and vision of your organization. We will continue to update this page with new information, links and best practices, so make sure to check back often.

                              

 

 

Tips & Tidbits

IRS Offers Small Charities 'One-Time Relief' Through Extended Deadline

The Internal Revenue Service today announced how it will help thousands of small charities keep their tax-exempt status even if they missed their May 17 deadline for filing a new online form or are about to miss subsequent deadlines. Small groups at risk of losing their exemptions because they failed to file required informational tax returns for 2007, 2008, and 2009 on May 17 or later can preserve their status by filing returns by October 15, 2010, under "a one-time relief program," the IRS said. "We are doing everything we can to help organizations comply with the law and keep their valuable tax exemption," said Douglas Shulman, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue. "So if you do not have your filings up-to-date, now's the time to take action and get back on track," he said. Click here to read the entire article.

 

The Nonprofit Paradox - Why Organizations Are So Often Plagued By The Very Ills They Aim To Cure 

In the 1980s, when I was a young executive director of a children's mental health organization, I first noticed a phenomenon that I later discovered to be widespread throughout the nonprofit sector. The emotionally troubled young clients of one of our day treatment programs were increasingly acting out, reaching dangerous levels of distress and even violence. I had to find out why, and also how to reverse this dangerous behavioral trend. Observing the program in action, I immediately noticed that the staff members caring for these children were tense and unusually contentious, openly bickering among themselves and in front of the children. We held an off-site retreat for the staff soon thereafter. I encouraged participants to talk not about the kids, but about their own relationships with one another. They expressed their pent-up anger and frustration, and it was clear that communication within the group had broken down. Amid lots of tears and hard work, we first identified the main problems troubling the group: tensions about who worked harder, and longer, and better. Once the staff articulated their issues and feelings, they agreed to try to rebuild the team's cohesion. As the retreat drew to a close, some people wondered aloud whether this clearing of the air would do anything to reduce the kids' acting out. As staff members began to show each other increased respect and care, the kids did indeed calm down. Click here to read the entire article.

 

Do You Know Where Your Next Board Leaders Will Be Found?

Does your nonprofit have a plan to build board leadership skills to enable a seamless transition from one term to the next? When nonprofits think about succession planning, they often equate it only with staff - what do we do when our Executive Director is planning on retiring? But succession planning is a serious issue for nonprofit boards as well. This issue has always been a part of board life, but has been exacerbated in recent years by the rapid changes in demographics, and in the change in the way people now volunteer. To ensure appropriate leadership skills are present in the next generation of board leaders, organizations need to implement a process that will ensure training and development, and not leave to chance that the next leader will have the skill sets required. Click here to read the entire article.

 

 

 

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