The Two Commandments for Nonprofit Boards
Strong board governance is one of, if not the most, critical success factors for nonprofit organizations. Running an organization
Resources
Learn about our Accelerator and pro bono support. Further down, find selections from our library of articles and white papers.
The Altruist Nonprofit Accelerator
The Altruist Accelerator is our firm’s nonprofit educational arm, providing education, resources and
templates to cohorts of nonprofits that prefer a lower cost, self-paced growth and impact journey.
Click the Learn More button below to check out the Accelerator’s website: it has a complete overview of the social sector’s most advanced growth and impact curriculum, along with a complete FAQ and application form if you are ready to apply.
Pro Bono Consulting
While we have limited capacity for pro bono consultation, we’re altruists and we love to help whenever we can. So drop us a line, and schedule permitting, we’ll conduct a preliminary organizational performance assessment and deliver our findings to your board and executive team. You’ll get the results of a sophisticated organizational review that considers multiple data sources, and we’ll deliver specific findings and recommendations, all backed with data and evidence, that will give you new insights and traction points for organizational development and growth.
Articles & Whitepapers
Identifying and Managing Disruptive People
Like any organization attempting to work toward a difficult goal in a complex environment, nonprofits face the fundamental challenges
Navigating the Complex Nonprofit Revenue Landscape
Finding money for your nonprofit is complicated. Whereas for-profit businesses have fairly clear models on how to raise capital
11 Steps to Producing a World-Class, Investment-Grade Business Plan for Your Nonprofit
Unfortunately, many (most?) of the 1.5 million nonprofits in the U.S. live a hard life and struggle just to
The 3 Gotta-Haves for Nonprofit Boards Seeking Impact and Scale
Many of the entrepreneurial and organizational practices and frameworks found most frequently in the business world are finding increased
The For-Profit and Non-Profit Sectors are Converging
Writing in 1924, the brilliant British author Virginia Woolf made her now famous observation about rapid changes in human
What it Takes to Achieve Broad Impact
The highest-performing impact organizations—those with products or services that make a profound difference in the world, be it in
The Power of Managing your Cost-Per-Dollar
Most small to mid-sized non-profits have important, high-potential programs and skilled, dedicated staff, but the vast majority are in moderate to severe
Required Reading for Nonprofit Leaders
These are six books are essential “must reads” for anyone leading nonprofits:
Donor Analytics Done Right
Time to tell the hard truth: fewer than 1% of nonprofit development offices measure the right things. And their orgs are
Is Your Nonprofit World Class?
Does your nonprofit have what it takes to change the world for the better? Find out with this short,
Holiday Gift Appeals Done Right
Are you a nonprofit gearing up for your holiday gift appeal? Before you hit the send button on your e-appeal,
Context Matters
Don’t think “what can we do with what we have.” That is letting your limited budget drive your planning
Affording the Cost of Free
At first glance, Hip-Hop and saving historic buildings might not sound like a natural match. Yet, in Seattle, two
Our Secrets for Growing Nonprofits 25% a Year
We are delighted to share the process that we’ve developed over a decade or practice with hundreds of nonprofits around
Your Nonprofit’s Culture: Friend or Foe?
I had lunch the other day with a brilliant woman who recently left her job as a finance VP
Let’s Combine What’s Great About For Profits and Nonprofits.
Too often, the business and non-profit communities point out each other’s flaws. What they should be doing is learning
10 Ways to Spot the Best Nonprofits
There’s lots of talk out there about how to tell a non-profit performer from a pretender. And for good
The New Thinking in Nonprofit Revenue
Having trouble with fundraising? Is your organization stuck, revenue-wise? If you look to ideas like development, strategic planning, capital campaigns,
Strategic Plans Done Right
Do you have a “strategic plan?” If you aren’t very careful, this document could be an illusion. It talks
Do Auctions and Galas Hurt or Help?
Auctions. Galas. Raffles. Car washes. Bake sales. Walk-a-thons. If you do them to raise money, you are, as the
The Seven Types of Nonprofits
We partner with nonprofits to help them grow, and as we’ve realized, catalyzing and then sustaining significant growth in
An Alternative to the Risky Development Hire
Hiring a Development Director is risky indeed.