Best Practices

Is Thinking More Like a Business a Bad Thing?

by Shuey Fogel • March 27, 2014 • 0 Comments

Donors are using their business tactics and strategy to choose the charities and projects in which they get involved; an increasing trend that has received even more attention since Dan Pollotta’s TED talk.

So I thought it was fortuitous that I was invited to attend a conference for new financial start-ups, essentially a chance to listen to the concerns and foci of investors. After all, donors’ logic dictates that the same tactics should apply to both their for-profit and nonprofit investments.

After listening to the advice offered by the various speakers, I can say that opponents to the changing nonprofit landscape should stop bemoaning the ruining of the charitable sector by the business tactics of today’s “venture philanthropists.” In addition to understanding donors, there is much to be learned from the for-profit sector.

Here are 9 tips offered to businesses at the conference that nonprofits should internalize, as well:

ExpressDeposit: Do Studies on Nonprofit Overhead Actually Help the Cause?

by Shuey Fogel • May 22, 2013 • 0 Comments

A new study reported that higher nonprofit overhead can lead to greater efficiency, a direct contradiction to a common critique on the charitable sector. Unfortunately, the actual details of the study aren’t impressive and leave me questioning the value of these surveys.…

ExpressDeposit: Board Members Should Always Err on the Side of Objectivity

by Shuey Fogel • February 17, 2013 • 0 Comments

Two recent articles by Stephen Donshik have crystallized why board members need to stay objective…Even with the best of intentions, losing objectivity weakens the board’s ability to accomplish its primary task of governance.

9 Steps to Recovering from a 30% Deficit

by Shuey Fogel • November 29, 2012 • 0 Comments

Two year ago, this female colleague applied for an Executive Director (ED) position at a particular charity knowing that the organization was facing a 500 thousand shekel (approximately $130 thousand) deficit. After about nine months on the job, the nonprofit was back on track and on the road to a surplus for the following year. What was this ED’s technique and how could other nonprofits benefit from her experience?

Israel’s “10 Golden Rules for Donors” is a Secret “How-To” Guide for Charities

by Shuey Fogel • November 7, 2012 • 0 Comments

In mid-October of this year, Israel’s Registrar of Charities issued “10 Golden Rules for Donors” (Hebrew). While the document is meant as a guideline for individuals, it holds immense value for the Israel’s charities, as well.

Below are The 10 Golden Rules (in English) and its implications for nonprofits operating in Israel.

Avoiding “Fashlas” by Your Accountant

by Shuey Fogel • August 23, 2012 • 0 Comments

The word fashla is Hebrew colloquial for “screw-up”. And yes, even your accountant, an Israeli charity’s best friend, can make a few.

As a banker I see this particular slip-up more often than you think. Here are two ways to avoid your accountant inadvertently putting your organization in the red.

3 Reasons Why Nonprofits Should Proactively Pursue Financial Transparency

by Shuey Fogel • July 23, 2012 • 0 Comments

"British Money and Magnifying Glass" by Images_of_Money

The message being thrust at today’s charities is the need for transparency. In conversations with charities, however, I still sometimes hear doubts expressed regarding the need for openess. For decades financial data has always been a closely guarded secret , available only to the priviledged inner circle — why change now?

In this post we will examine the reasons — both selfish and altruistic — why organizations should proactively pursue Financial Transparency and post their relevant Financial Reports on their websites.

Posting Financial Reports to your Website Does NOT Constitute Transparency

by Shuey Fogel • June 20, 2012 • 0 Comments

"Look at all these papers!" by Sonrisa Electrica

In practical terms, Financial Transparency is an organization’s ability to demonstrate from a monetary perspective (1) WHAT is the charity doing and (2) WHY the charity is doing it. Moreover, the ability to clearly answer the above two questions is extremely relevant today’s environment of increased competition and the need for organizations to differentiate themselves.

But somehow, the train has derailed.

In the search for openness, we the supporters and professionals in the nonprofit sector have resigned ourselves to settling for “less.”

In our pursuit for clarity and fairness, we have allowed ourselves to be bombarded by official financial reports – reports that Boards rarely understand, let alone donors.

And ironically, these relentlessly scanned financial documents that are populating charity and watchdog sites promote openness but fail to advance comprehension.

We need a new tool to equip the masses with Financial Transparency.

VIDEO: 5 Questions Every Nonprofit Should Ask When Considering a Mobile App

by Shuey Fogel • August 4, 2011 • 1 Comment

"Cell Phone Staircase 071611" by Little_Karen

On August 2nd, I attended a lecture organized by the Jerusalem Web Professionals (JWP) and given over by appSTUDIO on “Making Your Website Mobile in 2011.” The embedded 5 minute video is an edited version of my after-session interview with some of the consultants that attended the event and the experts from appSTUDIO; including answers to the 5 Questions Every Nonprofit Needs to Ask When Considering Developing an App.

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The Nonprofit Banker

Banking and Beyond for Israel's Global Nonprofit Sector