Study: Nonprofit Hospital CEO Pay Doesn't Affect Quality Of Care

A study by the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies (NHCPPS) found that there is no correlation between the quality of care at nonprofit hospitals and the pay of their CEOs.

The Bangor Daily News today reported on the study that showed that the size of a CEO's compensation package correlated closer with the size of their hospitals rather than the quality of its charitable care. For example, the head of Lebanon, N.H.-based Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital -- $1.1 billion in revenue -- made $785,000 in 2009, while the CEO of Colebrook's Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital -- $15 million in revenue -- made a comparably smaller $150,000 that same year.

New Hampshire Attorney General Michael A. Delaney, who hired NHCPPS to determine how CEO pay has changed in the state's 23 nonprofit hospitals, said in a statement that “Given these hospitals exist to provide quality health care and are required to provide community benefit and charitable care in light of their non-profit status, the lack of such a correlation is a significant concern."

Rather than just relying on public Internal Revenue Service (IRS) filings, NHCPPS also made use of internal hospital records including CEO employment contracts, board minutes, executive memos, and W-2 forms from 2005 to 2010.

The study found that all of the nonprofit hospitals in the state met IRS standards for executive pay, except for a few instances. Three of them didn't provide written records from board meetings where CEO compensation was a topic, and two smaller institutions didn't use pay at similar hospitals as a benchmark for their executives.

You can read the full story in The Bangor Daily News.

7 Secrets To Boosting Your Online Fundraising

There is no question that online fundraising has become a very popular method for nonprofits that are trying to increase their revenue and donors. Even though it's still not as dominant as traditional means, it has seen steady growth over the years -- the most recent Blackbaud Index of Charitable giving saw it increase for the 12th month in a row.

If your nonprofit is not seeing as much success from online giving, Frank Barry -- Internet strategy  manager for Blackbaud in Charleston, S.C. -- has some tips for you. He recommended seven ideas that will improve your organization's online fundraising efforts:

• Look at Web Traffic: Start by scrutinizing your web traffic. Find out how many people and how often they are visiting your organization’s website each month and if they are visiting your key online fundraising pages. Once you learn more about your web traffic you can make intelligent decisions about how to optimize your website to achieve the best online fundraising results.
• Pay Attention to Referrals: Learn where your visitors are coming from. Are they being driven to your page by social media, search engines, or partner websites? Some 40 percent of your online traffic should be from search engines, so enter your organization’s name into a search engine and observe where your site falls on the list of results. If it is not first, improve your website promotion and educate yourself about making the site easier for potential donors to find.
• Make the Ask: Make sure you have incorporated a specific online ask. The ask should be accompanied by a precise message tailored to the demographic you are targeting.
• Make the RIGHT Ask: Analyze what you request of your donors. Is your ask always the average of your total online fundraising revenue or does it vary with each donor adjusting based on the donor’s giving history? Being smarter about your ask, if executed properly, can help you receive more.
• Know Your Audience: Audience analysis should be a key part of your online strategy, and it should be your goal to put the needs of potential donors first. While you might think your website is easy to navigate, others who do not know a lot about your organization might not find it as easy. Have friends or peers who are not familiar with your site look at it and use their feedback to improve.
• Keep Messaging and Branding Unified: Images or messages should complement each other and organizations should personalize any literature to display ownership and stay on message. It is important to make all your online communication uniform, which will streamline the donor’s experience and will make a return or referral more likely.
• Follow Up Relentlessly: After receiving a donation, make sure to follow up with the donor by updating them with your organization’s progress and show them how their gift has made a difference.

Trash Fee For NYC Nonprofits?

New York City council members plan to oppose a measure by Mayor Michael Bloomberg that would impose a garbage-collection fee on nonprofits, universities, and religious organizations.

The measure, which was included in the city's recently approved $68.5 billion budget, would raise $17.2 million in revenue for the city but requires the permission of the City Council. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, that doesn't seem likely to happen.

Councilman David Greenfield (D-Brooklyn) has indicated that a majority of the council's 51 members oppose the legislation. He has already introduced legislation barring the Bloomberg administration from instituting a trash fee, and claims he has support for the bill from 31 council members.

The idea of the trash fee originated in May 2011, when Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty informed the council that his department was considering it. The hope was that this fee would give organizations an incentive to recycle items rather than using the garbage. It would also take taxpayers off the hook, as they currently foot the bill for organizations' garbage collection.

Most of the opposition from the City Council comes on behalf of small organizations. Critics say that the proposed fee could have a negative impact on these institutions' operations. David Zigun, executive director of Coney Island USA, told The Journal that the fee amounts to a tax, and that his organization -- which is currently dealing with a deficit -- would have to lay off employees as a result.

You can read the full story in The Wall Street Journal.

Memphis Considers New PILOT Program

The Memphis, Tenn. City Council voted 9-1 to approve a committee that would determine whether the city needs to form a new system to get nonprofits to make payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs).

The Commercial Appeal first reported on the council's decision to take up the vote. The newly approved committee will focus its efforts on nonprofits that earn $15 million or more annually. They will then decide whether the city needs to adopt a new system to replace its current one.

As it stands now, the city's PILOT program is more of an incentive tool to get businesses to move to Memphis and Shelby County. Organizations that get a PILOT then pay taxes on what the land is worth at pre-development levels. If they choose to exit the program, they would then pay full taxes on the property.

Robert Lipscomb, director of Memphis's Division of Housing and Community Development, estimates that 30 percent of the properties in the city are tax-exempt.

Council member Janis Fullilove, who sponsored the resolution, said that she wanted to determine whether nonprofits should be made to enter the current program, or whether a new system should be developed like the one in Boston. In April, the Massachusetts city began demanding that nonprofits pay up to 25 percent of what they would owe if their property was not tax-exempt.

Boston isn't the only city to make nonprofits enter PILOT programs. The NonProfit Times reported that, in 2010, 63 percent of organizations paid some form of fees and taxes to local and state governments. And, over the last decade, PILOTs have been used in at least 117 cities in at least 18 states, according to a study from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in Cambridge, Mass.

You can read the full story in The Commercial Appeal.

6 Ways To Use Direct Mail Shops

Many businesses and nonprofits prefer to use e-mail rather than direct mail. The reason for this is simple: It's quicker. When it comes down to it, people would rather adapt to new technology than potentially organizing countless pieces of mail.

Despite this, "snail mail" is far from dead. There are many organizations that still use it, such as St. Joseph's Indian School, which integrates direct mail with e-mail communications. Still, the thought of sorting through individual pieces of mail remains overwhelming. That's where direct mail shops come in handy.

In his book "Direct Mail for Dummies," Richard Goldsmith reminded readers that local mailing shops can make the tedium of mail sorting much more bearable. He listed six ways these shops can work for your organization:

• Addressing the Mail: Mail shops take your files and address your mail by either labeling, ink jetting, or lasering it.
• Bursting Continuous Forms: This technique enables high-speed personalization equipment to be used for the addressing and other personalization.
• Affixing Stickers, Cards, Stamps, and Tabs: Using a machine called a Labelaire, mail shops can apply stickers and labels for you. They can also seal self-mailers and double postcards with tabs.
• Inserting Components Into Envelopes: Machines in the mail shop can insert up to six different items in an envelope.
• Sorting and Traying the Mail for the Postal Service: The mail is bundled according to Postal Service requirements.
• Delivering the Mail to the Post Office: Your mail shop should get a receipt from the Postal Service, proving that your letters were accepted for mailing.

North Carolina Overrides Veto, Defunds Planned Parenthood

The North Carolina state legislature voted last night to override Gov. Bev Perdue’s veto of a budget that would defund Planned Parenthood clinics in the state.

The Republican-controlled legislature overrode the Democratic governor’s veto of a similar bill last year but a federal judge ruled that the state could not target a specific health care provider. Lawmakers this time changed the wording in their provision by stating that the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services cannot enter into a contract with any “private providers” of family planning services.

The move effectively cuts funding to Planned Parenthood but other organizations could also be in danger of losing funds, according to Paige Johnson, vice president of external affairs at Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina (PPCNC). “We weren’t the only organization impacted,” she said. “Other health centers around the state could also be affected.”

Johnson told The NonProfit Times that she was still unsure how much the funding cut would impact her organization, though she said that the cuts in funding could potentially impact the organization’s ability to provide affordable birth control, cancer screenings, and other women’s health services. “There wasn’t a lot of clarity in the provision as to what programs it affects. Some of our centers get more state funding than others,” she said.

The new provision will redirect about $343,000 in state family planning from private services such as PPCNC to county health departments. Lawmakers say they made the change because private providers can allow for abortions, though Johnson insists that no state funds go to those services.

“The ban on funding doesn’t save the state a dime,” Johnson added. “It forces our patients to go to the health department for care, and the wait time can be months.”

PPCNC is currently looking into all of its options, including legal possibilities, to determine how to move going forward.

Russia Set To Limit Foreign Nonprofits

Russia has introduced a bill that, if approved, would label all nonprofits with funding from outside of the country as "foreign agents." The law would also put numerous financial burdens on foreign organizations.

According to a report in The New York Times, the country's ruling party, United Russia, has scheduled the first three readings of the bill on Friday. In addition to the "foreign agent" label, which critics say is an attempt to discredit organizations' work, the law would also subject nonprofits to annual audits and random checks for "extremist speech" in their materials. Organizations that are found to be in violation would be fined up to 1 million rubles ($30,000).

Critics of the proposed law say that it is yet another attempt by the Russian government to silence dissent. The law would come after a recent bill pushed through parliament that would subject Russian citizens to heavy fines for participating in "unauthorized" protests.

Free speech activists say that if the bill is passed, Russian donors will be afraid to give money to organizations that are seen to be criticizing the government. The bill's sponsors brushed off criticism, saying that the law is on par with the United States' Foreign Agents Registration Act, a law that requires nonprofits to reveal any foreign support they receive. The main difference with that law, however, is that it only applies to organizations that directly represent governments; the Russian law applies to individual and financial support in addition.

"The ultimate goal of funding nonprofit organizations, as a form of ‘soft power,’ is a colored revolution," wrote Aleksandr Sidyakin, a United Russia deputy and sponsor of the bill, on his blog last week. "This is not a myth of government propaganda, it is objective political reality. The United States is trying to affect Russian politics." Sidyakin also made specific references to organizations that monitor elections, such as Golos. The agency, which is financed by two American organizations, has monitored Russian elections for 11 years, and recently came under pressure by the Russian government following disputed elections last December.

You can read the full story in The New York Times.

Alec Baldwin Donates $1M To NY Philharmonic

Actor Alec Baldwin has donated $1 million to the New York Philharmonic in honor of the organization's departing president, Zarin Meheta, who is stepping down after 12 years.

Baldwin, who joined the Philharmonic's board in March 2011, gave the money from proceeds he earned from his commercials with Capital One Bank, according to an article in Crain's New York Business.

"I have loved classical music all of my life," Baldwin said in a statement. "But Zarin Mehta made my dream of becoming part of the world of classical music come true."

In addition to being a member of the board, the "30 Rock" actor has hosted the organization's weekly radio show since 2009. In a statement, Meheta said that Baldwin's "role as our radio host has brought us many new listeners, as well as much appreciated attention. And his active roles as board member, gala benefit chairman, and high-profile and magnanimous donor have benefited us and our field."

Meheta, who will leave his post at the end of the Philharmonic's 2011-2012 season, will be replaced by incoming executive director Matthew VanBesien.

This isn't the only big influx of money going to an arts institution. Crain's also reported that the New York City Council approved a bill last week that secured $156.4 million in funding for cultural and art institutions in the city's fiscal year 2013 budget. It represents an increase of $3.6 million from last year.

You can read the full report on Baldwin's donation in Crain's.

Finding A New Board Chair

While every one on a nonprofit board has a lot of responsibilities, the chair remains one of the most integral members. From delegating and encouraging colleagues to giving the board an identity, the chairman of the board exerts a great deal of influence.

That's why it can be so important to find the right individual to take this role.

Unfortunately, finding the ideal candidate is easier said than done. In order to begin the process of choosing a new board chair, Dennis C. Miller, a frequent contributor to The NonProfit Times and head of Dennis C. Miller Associates in Morristown, N.J., said there are 10 specific actions that can be taken to identify and appoint a board chair:

• Immediately begin to assess the leadership talent of current board members.
• Ask your current board chair to begin as soon as possible to identify potential candidates.
• Institute ongoing board training for all board members.
• Offer the chair-elect a professional board coach/mentor.
• Ensure the board’s work is done efficiently.
• Find ways to recognize and reward board members for the job they do.
• Provide opportunities for all board members to participate in a wide array of committees, task forces and advisory boards.
• Highlight the organization's continuous strides for excellence.
• Recognize former board chairs for their contributions.
• Recognize and address the reasons why appointing a board chair is difficult.

The July 1 Issue Is Now Online

The recent release of the Giving USA numbers for 2011 was one of the bigger nonprofit stories of June. In the just release July 1 issue of The NonProfit Times, we take a closer look at those numbers in an in-depth special report.

We also have our usual assortment of articles on a wide variety of topics. Let's take a look at what you can expect in the newest edition of NPT:

Special Report

• 2011 Giving Estimated At $298.42B: As mentioned above, this report takes an in-depth look at the recently released report from Giving USA, including which subsectors of giving did the best, and which did not.

Articles

• Consumers, i.e., Donors, Starting To Like Tumblr: Facebook and Twitter get all the attention, but some nonprofits are turning their attention to Tumblr, a popular micro-blogging site that has more visitors per month than even Craigslist or LinkedIn.
• Kansas Nonprofits Hit With New State Contract Provisions: Nonprofit service providers in Kansas face a new regulation imposed by the state’s Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) that could place strict limitations on the ability to advocate and lobby officials.
• The Pitch: JDRF Makes The Case With Reality TV: The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) made a recent appearance on AMC's "The Pitch." Read about how it went, and if the organization sees success in the reality TV show.

Columns

• We Can't Hear You Now: The numbers from Giving USA showed that donations by corporations declined by 0.1 percent in current dollars, or a 3.1 percent decline as measured by inflation-adjusted dollars. Our editor-in-chief, Paul Clolery, says it's time for for-profits to step up to the plate.
• Digital Stewardship: Nonprofit stewardship is not just about saying thank you, it’s about showing how you use your resources to further your mission and sharing the impact your constituents have towards it.

Veterans Groups Create $30 Million Fund

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and four other nonprofits, have joined forces to create a fund that will raise money for war veterans.

Called the Veteran Support Fund, it will direct donations to IAVA and the four partner organizations, according to MSNBC. Those four organizations are Operation Mend, which gives medical support to critically injured veterans; Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, which provides coping and trauma resources; Operation Homefront, which offers emergency financial aid to wounded soldiers and their families; and the National Military Family Association, which advocates for benefits and programs for military families.

The goal of the fund is to raise $30 million, and it has already received founding gifts of $1.1 million.

IAVA executive director Paul Rieckhoff, who is himself a veteran of the Iraq War, said in a statement that "Supporting veterans isn’t charity, it’s an absolute necessity and an investment in our country’s future. After ten years of war, our nation’s military families are strained, nonprofit services are maxed out and our veterans’ community is severely under-resourced."

Jim Knotts, president and CEO of Operation Homefront, told MSNBC that the money from the Veteran Support Fund will help the organization provide more services than they would normally be able to. The nonprofit last year met more than 5,000 emergency requests and provided transitional housing for 80 families. He stressed the need to continue to help veterans even with the two wars seemingly winding down.

You can read the full story on MSNBC's website.

Are Capital Campaigns Right For Your Nonprofit?

There are plenty of reasons for nonprofits to love capital campaigns. They have the potential to generate a lot of cash for the organization, and can help increase awareness of your mission. On the downside, they take a lot of time and effort, and there's no guarantee for success.

So the question remains: To campaign or not to campaign?

The answer really depends on how ready your organization is. At a recent Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) annual conference, William Brans and Lee Appelman of Arts Consulting Group, Inc, and Susan Shapiro of Shapiro Associates LLC, said that the key to a successful capital campaign is being prepared.

How can you tell if your nonprofit is ready for a capital campaign? They listed the following qualifications:

• A strong annual fund;
•  A good story, an urgent and compelling case for support;
• Internal leadership;
• External leadership;
• Qualified major gifts prospects;
• Assessing the environment: external as well as internal;
• A feasibility study with results that indicate campaign success;
• Knowing that the organization is a top priority for high-level donors;
• A strong, positive institutional image: Confidence and thinking big;
• The president/CEO/director are capable, eager fundraisers;
• The institution has invested in fundraising;
• Human, financial and technical resources are in place; and,
• Proper campaign timing.

If your nonprofit has all of these qualities, the congratulations: You're ready to campaign! Otherwise, you should consider waiting a little while before you start.

Breaking: Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act

UPDATE: We have added more information to our story, including reaction from nonprofits


***

In just the last few minutes, the United States Supreme Court has voted to uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by a 5-4 vote. Chief Justice John Roberts cast the deciding vote.

The NonProfit Times has continuing coverage of this breaking story, so head on over to our website to follow our developing article on this breaking story. We will update this post whenever we update our story with new information.

Proposed Rule Would Curb Nonprofit Hospital Debt Collection

The United States Treasury Department released a proposed guidance last week that, if enacted, would make changes to the debt collection process by nonprofit hospitals.

The new rules, which are regulation on a provision in the 2010 Affordable Care Act, were released last Friday, according to a blog post on National Public Radio's (NPR) website. The changes would require hospitals to take the following actions before requesting payment from patients:

• Provide patients with a plain language summary of the financial assistance policy before discharge and with the first three bills;
• Give patients at least 120 days following the first bill to submit an application for financial assistance before commencing certain collection actions;
• Give the patient an additional 120 days (for 240 days total) to submit a complete application; and,
• If a patient is determined eligible for financial assistance during these 240 days, refund any excess payments made before applying for aid and seek to reverse any collections actions already commenced.

In a statement, Acting Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy Emily McMahon said the proposal was made because their had been many reports of aggressive hospital debt collection activities, including allowing collectors into emergency rooms.

"These practices jeopardize patient care, and our proposed rules will help ensure they don't happen in charitable hospitals," she said. "These rules also require charitable hospitals to establish and publicize financial assistance policies, and give hospitals the flexibility to establish programs that meet the needs of their communities."

The American Hospital Association (AHA), a trade group, has already come out in opposition to the proposed rules. Melinda Hatton, the group's general counsel, say the changes put too much of the blame on hospitals for the actions of third-party debt collectors. She also said that the penalties for being in violation were too severe, with with hospitals standing to lose their tax exemption.

At a hearing on the proposed changes in the U.S. Senate, Accretive Health Vice President Greg Kazarian apologized to patients about these aggressive tactics, but also said that their actions were exaggerated during investigation. A patient of Kazarian's company, Deb Waldin, said during the hearing that she was approached by a debt collector while she was in extreme pain from kidney stones.

You can read the full story on NPR.

NPT Editor-In-Chief To Be On Nonprofit Radio

Based in New York City,  Tony Martignetti has been helping nonprofits since 1997 through his work in planned giving and state charity registration. His Nonprofit Radio show has been a big part of that, as he interviews people in the nonprofit sector on topics ranging from fundraising to boards.

On Friday June 29, our editor-in-chief, Paul Clolery, will be joining Tony on Nonprofit Radio for an exclusive interview. Paul will be discussing a variety of topics of interest to listeners, including what is trending in the sector and his concerns about the future of charities.

Nonprofit Radio will also be talking to Gayle Gifford, author of "How to Make Your Board Dramatically More Effective, Today." She will discuss with Tony about how to make sure your charity's mission is relevant, your CEO is supported, and your board is strong.

Tune into Nonprofit Radio Friday at 1 PM to hear the interview with Paul and Gayle. It should be a great show!

NY LGBT Center Head Accused Of Theft

The former head of the primary lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community center in the Bronx, N.Y. has been arrested on charges of stealing more than $338,000 from the organization.

According to a report in The New York Post, Lisa Winters was charged with grand larceny and falsifying business records at the Bronx Community Pride Center (BCPC). Winters served as the organization's executive director from 2004 to 2010, when she was terminated from the position. Winters allegedly used the funds to pay for various personal expenses, such as dog walking, a trip to South Africa, and clothes.

The missing money leaves BCPC in considerable debt which, according to officials at the nonprofit, could force it to close its doors.

Winters was fired in January 2010, as the NYC Department of Investigation (DOI) began to investigate claims that she spent BCPC money without permission. The DOI eventually released a report that found that Winters used $338,674 of the organization's funds from 2005 until 2009. The largest amount was allegedly spent on the South Africa trip in 2007, which she took with her now-wife Eileen Scroggins.

BCPC board Chair Michelle Lopez also told investigators that her daughter lived with Winters in 2008, and that she went on a cruise with her. The cruise had been purchased by the nonprofit to auction at a fundraiser, but Lopez accused Winters of taking it for herself.

You can read the full story in The New York Post.

County Controller Says Nonprofits Should Pay Up

The controller for Allegheny County, Pa. said yesterday that, in light of the higher taxes residents are seeing, nonprofits should be forced to give up their tax-exempt status.

According to a report in The Tribune-Review, Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner made the statement Monday in what was billed a "taxpayer alert." "Residents are seeing their taxes go up and their services go down," Wagner said in the alert. "We’re saying the free riders need to be held accountable." Wagner estimated the county could raise $95 million by taxing around 26,500 tax-exempt parcels. 


Under Wagner's proposal, nonprofits that want to keep their tax-exemption to send an application to the Office of Property Assessments every year, explaining why the deserve a tax break under the state's charities law. Despite her strong push for change, state officials seem skeptical that such a law could be passed. State Senator Wayne Fontanta (D-Brookline), said he received almost no support when he introduced a bill that would have allowed local governments to tax nonprofits on the value of their land, and County Executive Rich Fitzgerald questioned why Wagner did not introduce the plan she is proposing when she was a state representative from 2007 to 2012.


Wagner specifically singled out five organizations in Allegheny County: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, West Penn Allegheny Health System,  and Duquesne University. A UPMC spokeswomen responded to Wagner's report by saying that nonprofit medical and education organizations have driven the economic recovery in Western Pennsylvania, and that UPMC has contributed its fair share to the county. The medical center paid $176 million in federal and state employment taxes last year, in addition to contributing $565 million in charity and uncompensated care.


You can read the full report in The Tribune Review.

Major Gifts: 5 Tips To Boost Your Success

The strict nonprofit manager's first instinct when staff doesn't meet major gift goals is to fire them. That's not necessarily the right move, according to fundraising expert Laura Fredricks.

In her book "The Ask: How To Ask Anyone for Any Amount for Any Purpose," Fredricks wrote that there are other steps you can take to boost the results of your major gifts campaigns. Rather than give your hard-working staff the ax, she suggested implementing the following five tips:

• Time Management: They say that time is money, so don't waste it with too many meetings. Try to limit the ones you have to only the essentials. Fredricks also cautions against multitasking. While it sounds good in theory, it is really better to focus on one task at a time.
• Make Clear and Measurable Goals: Give your staff goals they can actually obtain. Do this by letting them know exactly what you expect and do reviews every few months to check on their progress. Remember that goals don't just have to be measured in dollar signs. You can easily measure success in face-to-face donor contact, meetings, and special event attendance.
• Be Cross-Functional: Is one of your key fundraisers out of the office? Make sure to teach members of your staff their skills so they can perform their job if needed. Something unexpected always happens, so you need people who can pick up the slack.
• Risk Management: You don't want to be pessimistic, but you should always have a plan in case the worst happens.Think about events that could hinder your operations (i.e., law changes, natural disasters) and come up with ways to manage those risks.
• Communicate and Demonstrate Your Staff's Worth: You should treat your staff like a team. All of the players are needed for your program to be a success -- and you should make sure they know that. There is no better way to boost employee morale than by showing that their opinions matter.

3 Necessities For Nonprofit Scaling

With the economy still floundering along, the demand for nonprofit services are high. Yet these same organizations are experiencing a lack of resources to fund important programs. How are nonprofits expected to make do? According to a recent post on Huffington Post Impact, the answer lies in scaling.

In the article, Ventureneer founder Geri Stengle wrote that organizations must scale if they are to continue to provide programs that solve social issues. This was a topic that was discussed in detail at the Social Impact Exchange in New York City. According to Stengle, the overarching theme of this year's conference was that scaling must be accompanied by appropriate investment in an organization's capacity.

Here are three methods of support that were discussed at the conference:

• Business Planning: Business plans are an opportunity to think things through on paper before putting the plan to the test. Nicole Farmer Hurd from the National College Advising Corps, Lisa Jackson from New Profit Inc., and Meghan Duffy, Manager of Special Initiatives at Grantmakers for Effective Organizations made this point during their panel.
• Leadership Development: Richard Brown of American Express Philanthropy told audiences that new leaders must get training when first beginning. Brown said that the leaders he has coached said that the advice they got from coaches transformed the way they thought.
• Peer Advisory Groups: During her panel, United Way of Long Island President/CEO Theresa Regnante espoused the benefits of being part of a group of decision makers. She shared the benefits she received while working with a group of executive directors who met regularly with a facilitator to solve problems.

There were four other methods discussed at the conference. You can read the rest in Stengle's article on Huffington Post Impact.

Advocacy: Five Ways To Highlight Your Mission

It's easy for nonprofit managers to lose focus of their mission with the day-to-day concerns of running an organization, but that doesn't mean it's alright for advocacy to be thrown aside.

The truth of the matter is that it is crucial that constituents, donors, and anybody else you meet are constantly aware of what your mission is. Thanks to things like social media (and the Internet in general), there are many different sources organizations can use you promote their cause.

So now that you have the means to get the word out, what's the best way to go about doing it? Dalya F. Massachi wrote in her book, "Writing to Make a Difference," that nonprofits shouldn't be afraid to repeatedly highlight their mission to an audience. She provided the following five tips to do just that:

• Highlight the outstanding strengths of your mission, not of the organization, of the mission. Continually remind people of what is innovative about your mission. Show that you play a special and essential role in your field.
• Describe how your work embodies your guiding principles. Back away from practical specifics and take a bit of a philosophical approach. Ask yourself what fundamental values or concerns lead your readers to your organization and its mission.
• Evoke a vision of what your community will be like once your organization has fulfilled its mission. Mission is not only about short-term results. It is also about your long-term vision.
• Connect the dots over time. Show donors how they create an ongoing story for accomplishing your mission.
• Use your mission and vision as overarching themes. Over time, organizations often develop programs, products and services that can be quite diverse. If this describes your organization, help readers keep track of how your mission and vision provide the unifying theme for your various projects.