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Happy New Year! What's Your Plan?
The new year is a traditional time for making resolutions and setting plans and goals. Right now, we're working with several clients as they make their plans.
What does your organization want to accomplish, and how will it go about the tasks necessary to achieve those goals?
Strategic planning is critical to an organization because it completes three important functions:
1. It forces a focus on the mission of the organization. According to the Peter F Drucker Foundation, eight out of 10 nonprofit organizations are doing work that is outside their mission because they are unable to say “no” when someone comes to them with a good cause.
2. It encourages constructive dissent. A planned process allows the values and views of all stakeholders to be heard.
3. Ultimately, the strategic planning process strengthens the organization. It provides a platform for the organization to allocate its human and material resources and it sets the stage for the organization to seek new resources to fulfill its mission.
There are those who say that "failing to plan is planning to fail." Well, not always. Success does happen by accident sometimes. But why trust your organization's future to accidents?
Good planning, based on solid information and team involvement, positions an organization for the success it seeks.
2003 IRS Gift Acknowledgement & Quid Pro Quo Rules
Every year, the IRS changes the dollar amounts that govern when to disclose the value of items given to a donor as a consequence of a donation. Just when we became comfortable with 2002's figures, here are the NEW figures for 2003.
Courtesy of the FUNDSVCS list, posted by John Taylor, VP of Research & Data Services at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE):
"You may give away insubstantial benefits (low cost articles bearing your organization's logo or name) with a cost of up to $8 for any donation of $40 or more without having to disclose the benefit on a receipt.
"Higher valued benefits cannot be given in exchange for a gift that exceed a fair market value (FMV) of 2% of the amount given, or a cumulative fair market value of $80 (whichever is LESS) or else they will be subject to the quid pro quo receipting requirements (full disclosure on the receipt and reduction of their value from the amount given to determine the net charitable - and fundraising countable and reportable - amount)."
Sumption & Wyland Web Resource -- Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
On December 12, President Bush signed an Executive Order mandating equal access to Federal grants and contracts by faith-based and community-based applicants.
This is the latest step in the President's "Faith-Based and Community Initiative." Some see it as broadening access for nonprofits, improving choice for people in need, and opening the door to more, more innovative, and more successful social service programs in communities. Others see it as an unconstitutional combination of government and religion that will hurt both entities and allow discrimination based on faith.
What is this Initiative and how will it affect nonprofit organizations and programs? Read our background paper and visit the resource links on our web site for more on this issue.
Wyland Interviewed by Chronicle of Philanthropy
Michael Wyland was interviewed by Meg Sommerfeld, Assistant Editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, for a story on consulting to nonprofits. "It was exciting for me to talk about what we do and why we do it," Wyland said. "The growth of the nonprofit sector and the challenges it faces now are two reasons more nonprofits are seeking consulting assistance."
If you'd like a copy of this article, please contact us and we'll be glad to e-mail you a copy. Unfortunately, the article is only web-accessible by Chronicle subscribers.
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