Donor Intelligence

whitePaper | March 25, 2020

In their seminal article, "Nonprofit Starvation Cycle", Ann Goggins Gregory and Dan Howard exhort nonprofit finance professionals to report to funders the real costs of running nonprofit organizations. The authors explain that the popular trend to restrict funding to specific programs without accounting for infrastructure expenses leads to an unintended consequence, a "nonprofit starvation cycle", where charities cease to function because they can't pay for overhead costs, such as administrative employees, computers and electric bills. To break this unhealthy cycle, the article encourages nonprofits to recalibrate funder expectations by providing accurate financial reports and other supporting information to reflect the true costs of nonprofit operations.

whitePaper | January 9, 2020

Nonprofit organizations serve a critical role in today’s society by providing opportunities for advancing divested and underserved populations, facilitating volunteerism and civic engagement, and developing innovative approaches to solving complex issues--to name a few. In order to effectively serve the community, however, nonprofits must balance maintaining their commitment to excellence, equity, and accountability while successfully realizing their missions, managing resources, and executing proper governance. In order to help Illinois nonprofits strike this balance, set forth on the following pages are thirteen key principles of nonprofit governance, followed by best practices for consideration in effectuating on these principles.

whitePaper | November 26, 2019

Our dedicated team has delivered digital projects to over 100 customers in the charity and membership sector. Throughout these projects, as well as dedicated events, roundtables and partnerships, we have learnt a lot about what makes a successful CRM strategy. As part of our commitment to non-profits, we’ve taken some key learnings from our team, our customers and attendees at our events, and compiled this guide to help you in the planning, execution and maintenance of your digital strategy. Thank you to all of our contributors for sharing valuable insight and advice.

whitePaper | February 11, 2020

It’s the turn of a new decade, and several social, technological, economic and political forces promise to shape the future of the nonprofit sector. Some are already in play – or have been for some time – and are already challenging nonprofit organizations. They have the potential to fundamentally transform the sector. I’ve outlined eight predictions here; a convergence of these factors will alter the landscape, necessitating a major shift in the way nonprofit organizations operate.

whitePaper | June 1, 2022

When you are trying to get to the same place as everyone else, you can use the same map. But when you are blazing your own trail, those directions might help you get started, but they won’t get you where you ultimately want to go. With financial reporting, you need the standardized reports that everyone uses—such as a cash flow statement or budget to actuals—to give you an understanding of where you sit financially. These reports also help you see how you compare with industry benchmarks and other not-for-profit organizations. Knowing that the entire industry is seeing their expenses increase because of inflation makes your tighter margins easier to understand.

whitePaper | October 28, 2021

A recent survey sent to over 1,000 foundations and nonprofits showed that both stakeholders agree that collaboration is the key to tackling complex issues. However it also illuminated a lack of alignment around key outcomes of collaboration and the advantages it can offer. So how can we create an optimal approach to collaboration, reaping its potential benefits, if we aren’t all approaching partnerships with the same goals? Learn more about the findings of the survey in this new report from UpMetrics, and get your next steps to set your organization up for success with future collaborative efforts.