Community Health Needs Assessments – Pitfalls to Avoid

Community Health Needs Assessments – Pitfalls to Avoid March 12, 2013: A version of this article was published by The Nonprofit Quarterly and may be accessed by clicking the following link: Avoiding Misconceptions in Filing Community Health Needs Assessments – March 12, 2013 [Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs) are part of the Patient Protection and […]

Community Health Needs Assessments

Community Health Needs Assessments UPDATED SEPTEMBER 18, 2012 Sumption & Wyland, in association with Sage Project Consultants, has designed a comprehensive community health needs assessment process for nonprofit hospitals to comply with the new health care reform law requirements.  The following FAQ (frequently asked questions) sheet should serve as an introduction for hospital trustees and […]

Nonprofit Political Speech

Nonprofit Political Speech in a Post-Citizens United and IRS Scandal Environment The following paper was presented at the 2014 ARNOVA (Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action) Conference in Denver, CO. There is near universal agreement that freedom of speech is essential to the strength of American democratic society.  It is also almost […]

South Dakota’s Public Higher Education

Future of South Dakota’s public higher education isn’t in the past “In June, Argus Leader Media published a long and impassioned series of three essays by Matthew C. Moen, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Dakota, and Bob Sutton, a member of the South Dakota Board of Regents, […]

Charity Care and Nonprofit Hospitals

Charity Care and Nonprofit Hospitals — Response to Forbes Magazine The following is my response to a September 19, 2012 Forbes magazine web site article.  Here’s the link to the article: ObamaCare Could Cause Nonprofit Hospitals To Lose Their Tax-Exempt Status: Here’s Howhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/davidwhelan/2012/09/17/obamacare-could-cause-nonprofit-hospitals-to-lose-their-tax-exempt-status-heres-how/#comment-2386 My response: The article presents an interesting theory, but it conflates several […]

Community Linkages

Community Linkages:Targeting the Desired Linkage The following table gives a brief outline of the key elements in various types of linkages a nonprofit might employ to maximize effectiveness and leverage resources. The table is adapted from community-building training presented in 1997 by South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Service/National Network for Collaborations. Levels Purpose Structure […]

The Imus Ranch and Media Scrutiny

The Imus Ranch and Media Scrutiny You use your national stature and media access to raise $100 million for charity, including over $20 million for a charity that bears your name. The Imus Ranch provides a “cowboy experience” for children with cancer and for siblings of children who died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). […]

What Pitt is Doing Right — and Wrong

What Pitt is Doing Right — and Wrong In Getting $350 Million a Year in NIH Grants The front page of the June 28, 2004 Wall Street Journal (WSJ) carried an article titled, “At Pitt, Scientists Decode the Secret of Getting Grants — Marketing Helps University Win $350 Million a Year from NIH, Irking Critics”.  […]

Start-up Nonprofits and Cautions

Start-up Nonprofits and Cautions A nonprofit founder posted a question about “her” nonprofit, and it started me thinking about what new nonprofits – and their supporters – should be thinking about. Here’s the original question (in red italic type): I have a non profit called _______. I will begin working on the 501(c)(3) application. However, […]

Freeh Report on Penn State

Freeh Report on Penn State Provides Little Guidance on Nonprofit Governance NOTE:  A version of this article appears in The Nonprofit Quarterly and may be accessed here: http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/governancevoice/20779-freeh-report-on-penn-state-provides-little-guidance-on-nonprofit-governance.html The recently released Freeh Report on Penn State found, in part, that the Penn State Board of Trustees did not exercise sufficient oversight of the University and […]

The Second Mile – Lessons in Nonprofit Governance

The Second Mile – Lessons in Nonprofit Governance “Wyland’s analysis uses Second Mile as a fascinating tutorial on problems in nonprofit structure and governance.”Rick Cohen, The Nonprofit Quarterly Tragedy – A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic […]