The March 15 Issue Of The NonProfit Times

March 15 is known as the Ides of March, something we are told to "beware." There's no danger here at The NonProfit Times, though, as we have just released our March 15 issue.

The new edition covers a variety of stories, from continued turnover at Komen to a so-called "donorbomb" at a university. Let's take a closer look at some of the new content:

Articles

• CEO Turnover Continue At Some Komen Chapters: Nearly a year after Susan G. Komen for the Cure's much maligned decision (and then reversal) to stop funding Planned Parenthood, the organization is still dealing with fallout in the form of continued CEO turnover.
• Chefs Chop Away At Hunger: One of the more popular shows on the Food Network is "Chopped," which has four chefs battle to create a perfect three-course meal. On a special episode aired on election day, four chefs working the kitchens of nonprofits gave the panel of judges quite a show.
• University's Postcard 'Bombing' Actually A Good Thing: Saint Peter’s, in celebration of its 140th anniversary this past May, sought to gain 140 new donors in one day. The initiative was officially called “Let’s Get It Done June 1,” but it was known internally as “Donorbomb.”

Columns

• Getting Cooperation: The Nature Conservancy has been working to get back to where it was financially before the Great Recession, making a push to expand its audience. To that end, it has been getting more deeply involved in cooperative databases, operations by which organizations can share their lists rather than selling or simply exchanging them.
• Risky Business: To meet its 2010 strategic plan of growing members and supporters, the Washington, D.C.-based Human Rights Campaign needed to expand its reach and engage more broadly in areas that it previously had not, according to Ann Crowley, director of membership and online strategy. And so, HRC in August 2011 launched “On The Road to Equality,” a bus tour visiting 19 cities.

These are just a sampling of the articles you can expect to find in the March 15 issue of The NonProfit Times. To see all of the content, head to our online store to purchase either a digital or print subscription of NPT.

6 Steps To A Grant Proposal

Are you ready to apply for one of the funding opportunities on The NonProfit Times's Grant Page? Great; your next step will be to put together a competitive proposal that will give your organization the best chance to be selected for funding.

According to Barbara Floersch, director of The Grantsmanship Center in Los Angeles, Calif., not any old grant proposal will be enough to perk the interest of the funder. “The quality of the process you use to put the proposal together directly affects competiveness,” she explained.

Floersch said that the first step to having a quality grant proposal process is to mobilize a team of people invested in the project, assign a leader, lay out a timeline, and assign tasks. The demands of the proposal will dictate some tasks, but here are six that should always be included:

• Gather Letters of Commitment: Get a letter from each substantive collaborator documenting the role they’ll play;
• Assemble Attachments: Be sure documents are updated, and get them into the required format, usually electronic;
• Finish the Research: Find information to fill remaining blanks. You might need a few more statistics, a couple of quotes, or even a literature review of the project’s approach;
• Develop the Budget: The narrative and budget must be perfectly synced. Be sure the financial person and writer work hand-in-hand;
• Draft the Narrative: When several people contribute sections, you’ll need one writer to pull it together to ensure cohesiveness and give it one voice;
• Have Others Review the Entire Proposal Package: Accept that you’re too enmeshed in the work to review it objectively. Have a couple of people critique the package. Does it respond exactly to application guidelines? Are all elements clear and convincing? Does each element support the others? Allow time for corrections.

China To Lift Nonprofit Restrictions

The Chinese government announced Wednesday that it will lift some of its long-standing restrictions for outside nonprofit organizations, potentially opening the door to a greater partnership with these groups.

According to a report on ABC News' website, Civil Affairs Minister Li Liguo said in a news conference that as part of the Cabinet's recently announced restructuring, the government will begin to expand the functions that external nonprofits, which they call social organizations, are allowed to perform.

"Overall, from now on, the role that our country's social organizations will play in economic and social development will be expanded and strengthened," Li said at the Beijing news conference.

In the past organizations would have to find government sponsors in order to obtain official registration that would grant them nonprofit status in the eyes of the Chinese government, allowing them to operate legally, raise funds domestically, and be eligible for some tax deductions. That process will no longer be necessary, Li announced, as groups will be able to register themselves directly through the Civil Affairs Ministry. While Li did not explain how applications would be assessed, he said the Ministry would set up a mechanism to process registrations and supervise and regulate independent groups.

The new changes would apply to nonprofits, charities, community service groups, industry associations, and organizations that work in science and technology. This would seem to exclude organizations that are working to expose environmental pollution or expand the rule of law. It is also unclear whether nonprofits that operate in other "sensitive" areas, such as AIDS prevention, would be treated differently. Such nonprofits are frequently reported as being harassed by local police and tax authorities.

Lu Jun, organizer of the anti-discrimination group Yirenping, acknowledged to The Associated Press that the new changes indicate that the Chinese government doesn't view all nonprofits as a threat now. Still, he said that by seemingly excluding these more sensitive groups, China still has a long way to go.

"Not opening up to these kinds of organizations is a huge flaw," he reportedly told the AP.

You can read the full story on ABC News' website.

Ex-Nonprofit Director Sues Indiana Mayor

The former head of a nonprofit in Hammond, Ind., has filed a suit against the city's mayor and the organization over allegations that she was wrongfully fired.

According to a report in the NWI Times, Carlotta Blake-King alleged that the defendants -- including Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., City Councilman Anthony Higgs, and United Neighborhoods, Inc. (UNI) -- conspired to remove her from her position as director at UNI in retaliation for her candidacy for City Council.

Blake-King ran an unsuccessful campaign against Councilman Higgs in 2011, whom Mayor McDermott supported.

For his part, McDermott said in a statement Monday that Blake-King's allegations are "completely untrue," and that her firing was due to her "unsatisfactory" performance as director of the nonprofit agency, which is partially funded by the city's Department of Planning and Development.

According to the complaint filed by Blake-King, she was fired after an alleged "special meeting" of UNI's Board of Directors, where she was allegedly "berated" by Phil Taillon, executive director of the Department of Planning and Development, over her character and performance. The complaint also alleges that Nicole Bennet, an attorney, stated during that same meeting that Blake-King's candidacy for office while holding the position of director violated a federal act that bars certain employees from taking part in partisan politics.

Blake-King, through her lawsuit, is seeking the wages and benefits she would have earned had she not been fired from UNI.

You can read the full story in the NWI Times.

The NonProfit Times Goes Mobile

Smartphones are all the rage these days. Whether it's an app for this or a mobile website for that, businesses and nonprofits are taking advantage of this new technology to expand their reach. With the launch of our new website, The NonProfit Times has officially joined the mobile world.

We've always wanted to give our readers the ability to easily browse the latest nonprofit news on their smartphones, and our new website does just that. While you could always access NPT on the go with our previous site, it was hard to read without zooming in. Now that it is mobile optimized, readers can easily check the latest happenings in the nonprofit sector no matter where they are.

A look at how NPT looks on your mobile phone

It's not just the news articles you can access via your mobile phone; you can also view our jobs page, the resource market place, and our online store.

How do you like the mobile optimized site? Let us know in the comments section below.

LACMA Proposes Merger With Struggling Museum

Struggling with financial troubles and staff and board defections, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles (MOCA) has been contacted by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) about a potential merger.

According to a report in The Los Angeles Times, LACMA director Michael Govan and two co-chairs of his board made the offer to the MOCA board in a Feb. 24 letter. Sources who have seen the letter but were not authorized to discuss it told The Times that the proposed acquisition would preserve MOCA's two downtown LA locations and they would still operate them under the MOCA brand.

Additionally, LACMA would agree to raise $100 million for the two museums as a condition for completing the deal.

The proposed acquisition was confirmed by LACMA in a blog post on its website by Govan, who wrote that he "appreciates" the impact MOCA has on the community and desires to see that work continue as part of a successful merger.

"Combining LACMA and MOCA would strengthen both [museums]. LACMA’s mission is to share world-class art with the widest array of audiences possible," wrote Govan in the blog post. "MOCA’s downtown location, extraordinary collection and devoted constituency, combined with LACMA’s modern art masterpieces, large audiences and broad educational outreach (especially in schools near downtown L.A.) would create a cultural institution that is much more than the sum of its parts."

Founded in 1979, MOCA has fallen on hard times in recent years. According to an article in The New York Times, the 2010 hiring of Jeffrey Deitch as the museum's director was criticized, as the Manhattan art dealer was considered to be too celebrity-driven. In June of that same year, MOCA's long-time curator Paul Schimmel was forced out, and that was soon followed by a mass-exodus of board members.

Ultimately, Govan believes that a merger with LACMA would not only solve MOCA's current financial problems, it would also set the combined organization up for future success. He wrote in his blog post that the merger would open up new opportunities for visitors and donors alike.

"The scale and common purpose of the larger combined institution would provide stability, confidence, and opportunity for donors," he wrote. "Each facility and location could retain individual character and the potential to reach different audiences."

This is not the first time to two art museums have been involved in merger talks. The two institutions were discussing a deal in 2008 until philanthropist Eli Broad pledged a $30 million matching gift to MOCA, making the merger unnecessary.

The NonProfit Times Store -- An Overview

One of the key features of our redesigned website is the new online store. Whereas before it was located on a separate URL, we have now integrated it into the main NPT website for optimal use.

This integration means that the store will be easier to access and, maybe more importantly, you will still be able to browse the rest of the website even when you have items in your shopping cart. It works like this: Say you decided to purchase the 2012 Salary and Benefits Report but are alerted to a breaking story on the NPT homepage. Instead of opening a new tab on your browser, you can simply navigate to the news story without any affect on your purchase.

As you browse the rest of the site, you will see an icon on the side of the page reminding you that there are items in your shopping cart. Once you are done with your other business, you can click on that icon and complete your purchase.

A look at the new shopping cart functionality

Some of the main items currently available in the online store are:

• Print and Digital Subscription to The NonProfit Times
• Print and Digital Subscription to Exempt Magazine
• The NPT 50 Best Places To Work in 2012 Report
• All of the 2012 Salary and Benefits Reports

Head over to the new online store, try out the new functionality and, as always, continue to give us your feedback.

Organizing For Action Flips On Corporate Donations

The head of the nonprofit formed to take over President Barack Obama's campaign apparatus announced the organization would no longer accept corporate donations, after initially signaling it would.

In an op-ed originally posted on CNN.com, Organizing for Action (OFA) chairman Jim Messina wrote that the advocacy nonprofit would also publicly disclose donors who contribute more than $250. Messina wrote that these moves were made in an effort to promote transparency.

Messina also sought to clarify the mission of OFA. He explained that nonprofit's overall goal is to support the president's second term agenda, but they will not be endorsing Democratic or any other candidates for office. "The president has always believed that special interests have undue influence over the policymaking process", he wrote, "and the mission of this organization is to rebalance the power structure."

According to an article in The Washington Post, the group will also institute a ban on donations from federal lobbyists and foreign nationals.

Campaign finance reform groups, which were critical of OFA's initial decision to accept corporate donations, met Messina's announcement with some skepticism. Washington, D.C.-based Common Cause president Bob Edgar said in a statement on the organization's website that while he is glad OFA reconsidered its initial decision, he believes there is still work to be done to make the 501(c)(4) organization more transparent.

"If Organizing for Action is serious about putting to bed public concerns that contributions buy access, it should mobilize its impressive small-donor and activist base to push for real reform to clean up Washington," Edgar said. "That means getting behind legislation like the DISCLOSE Act, supporting a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and rein in runaway political spending, and developing a new, small-donor public funding system that lets candidates break their dependence on big money."

Democracy 21 president Fred Wertheimer was more critical saying in a press release that while the decision is appreciated, it does not "solve the fundamental problems created by President Obama’s involvement with OFA."

"OFA remains an unprecedented entity that allows individual donors and bundlers to provide unlimited amounts of money to an organization functioning as an arm of the Obama presidency," he continued.

Wertheimer is also concerned about the unlimited donations donors can make to OFA, saying that they, at minimum, create the perception that individual donors and bundlers can buy influence over the Obama administration's policies and decisions.

The administration has previously pushed back on the suggestion that donors who contribute more than $500,000 will be invited to a face-to-face meeting with Obama, denying that there is not a "price tag" on meeting the president.

Launched in January, OFA has already begun a six-figure online advertising campaign to convince Republican lawmakers to support universal background checks on gun purchases. The group has also rallied supporters to support the president's plan to replace the sequester.

The NonProfit Times' Resource Marketplace

In our ongoing look at the new and/or improved features of The NonProfit Times' new website, today we will take a look at the Resource Marketplace.

This section of the site acts as a directory for a variety of nonprofit services, ranging from online fundraising to grant writers. If there is a service your nonprofit needs, chances are we have links to companies that offer them. This feature was on our website before, but we have made a couple of changes to make it a little easier to navigate.

First of all, we have included the number of resources included in each category so readers know immediately how many services are being offered. We have also included a "Latest Resources" feed, which automatically updates whenever a new service is added to the page.

Keep an eye on the Resource Marketplace as we continue to add new services, and let us know what you think of the redesign.

The NonProfit Times eNewsletters: An Introduction

One of the features that received an overhaul in our website re-design is our eNewsletter page. Whereas before users would individually sign-up for the newsletter they wanted to receive, the process has now been streamlined to make it much more user-friendly.

The first thing you will see when you enter the new eNewsletter page is a simple box asking you to enter your e-mail address. Once you do that, you will receive a message at that address asking you to confirm that you do want to receive messages from The NonProfit Times. After confirming you will be bought to your eNewsletter preferences page (see picture below) where you can manage which newsletters you want to get (Weekly, Instant Fundraising, Jobs, Technobuzz, and Exempt).

The eNewsletter preference center allows users to customize which newsletters they want to receive, and more.

We believe that this new format will make it much simpler for users to decide which eNewsletters they want to receive. Your inbox is likely cluttered with all sorts of messages, so there's no need for you to be getting information you don't want.

What do you think about the new design? Let us know in the comments section below.

Welcome To The New NonProfit Times

If you have been to The NonProfit Times' website this morning, you will have noticed it looks a little different. This is the result of a new design we have been working on for some time now which will make the site easier to navigate.

“This new evolution of our web platform reflects a year-long effort to meet the information needs of our readers and advertising partners,” said John McIlquham, president/CEO of The NonProfit Times. “We're proud of these changes because our subscribers have been vocal in what type of information presentation they need us to provide. Our advertising partners also provided valuable feedback.”

The new web platforms for The NonProfit Times, Exempt Magazine and the Nonprofit Job Seeker, the site's career center, incorporate more than an updated new design that allows for greater video and audio capability. It is also built on a content management system featuring a new ecommerce platform and recommendation engine. The new features allow more content centric access to a huge catalog of articles, interviews and videos.

The launch offers a more integrated approach to executive functions so that web visitors can tour information on all three sites from one location. There will be interactive links to education, online libraries, grants and jobs boards that multiply a visitors’ ability to tap into a substantial and growing information base.

We are also happy to announce that the new website has been optimized for smartphones and tablets, allowing users to access the latest nonprofit news and information wherever they are.

A look at the mobile version of the new site

"We're excited about this new effort to reach out to more organizations looking for expertise in managing, hiring and promoting their cause," McIlquham noted, "because technology has opened vistas for our subscribers in accessing information that will translate into new ideas, new opportunities and new funding for their missions." Visit http://www.thenonprofittimes.com to learn more about the re-designed site.

Philadelphia Considers PILOT Program

Two Philadelphia council members are pushing for changes that could potentially open the door for a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) program in the city.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown started the push by calling for a hearing on property tax exemptions for nonprofits in Philadelphia. The city holds nearly $13 billion in exempted property -- 10 percent of the total market value -- making it a prime candidate for PILOTs.

In addition to the hearing, which is to be held sometime this spring, Councilman Bill Green introduced legislation that would require nonprofits to prove they deserve their tax exemptions and would identify programs that should pay business taxes.

Some of the city's nonprofits are not greeting this news with open arms particularly hospitals, which would stand to pay $112 million in taxes if they were not exempt. Curt Schroder, regional executive for the Delaware Valley Healthcare Council, told The Inquirer that he is "concerned" about the discussion and hopes the council doesn't end up implementing a PILOT program.

Though Philadelphia nonprofits might not like them, PILOT programs are common in the United States. They typically arise in cities with vast hospital systems and universities such as Providence, R.I., which recently agreed to a deal with Brown University to receive doubled payments from the college. The biggest recipient of PILOTs is Boston, which collected $19.4 million from nonprofits in 2012.

In addition, a study by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Civil Society Studies featured last year in The NonProfit Times revealed that 63 percent of nonprofits reported paying fees or taxes to local governments.

You can read the full story in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

5 Questions About Donors

What makes donors tick? That's a question that some fundraisers don't necessarily feel the need to answer; if they're giving money who cares, right? To keep them giving, however, it is good to get a better idea of what donors are thinking.

Understanding what donors are thinking will give you a better idea of how to cultivate them and, in turn, allow your organization to have enough money to complete its mission. In his book, “The Eight Principles of Sustainable Fundraising,” Larry C. Johnson poses several questions that he believes nonprofits should be asking about their donors. Those questions are:

• Why are donors’ values important? When organizations come to terms with the fact that donors are people just like nonprofit employees -- and act upon this certainty -- they have made the single most important step toward success in fundraising.
• What is philanthropy ultimately about? It is about giving and receiving. Donors want to be engaged, not enticed.
• How can an organization engage donors? Engaging people by first learning who they are and what is important to them allows a charity to fashion messages that will be understood, acted upon and appreciated.
• What do donors want? First and foremost, donors want to be seen for what they are -- investors.
• What is the difference between program focus and donor focus? It is important to remember that people give to people. Programming is merely the vehicle to enriching the lives and meeting the needs of human beings.

The March 1 Issue: Mobile Applications

"There's an app for that."

It wasn't too long ago that the above phrase was used jokingly to describe how many mobile applications were available on smartphones. Now, it's hard to think of something for which there actually isn't an app.

As smartphones continue to grow in popularity, more and more nonprofits are realizing that they need to make their website more mobile friendly for donors. That's one of the focuses of the March 1 issue of The NonProfit Times, which was just released today. Here's a quick look at some of the main features of the new issue:

Special Report:

• There's An App for That: As hinted at above, this special report focuses on the growing popularity of mobile-optimized sites, and how they can be used to increase revenue for organizations via text donations and other fundraising tools.

Articles:

• Gulf Coast Nonprofits Can File Claims For BP's Cash: Nonprofits were among the first to be directly affected by the 2010 explosion of a BP oil rig, and some organizations are now looking to file legal claims against the gas giant.
• Results Weren't Invisible: The San Diego, Calif.-based nonprofit behind the viral hit "Kony 2012" might be more well known now for the eccentric behavior of its founder, but Invisible Children bought in an impressive amount of revenue.
• The Race for Revenue: Race For the Cure revenue for Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s largest affiliates declined almost 7 percent last year, while the charity reported a 9-percent dip in overall revenues.

Columns:

• Your 403(b): The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has modified and expanded its Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS) with the release of Revenue Procedure 2013-12. While the new revenue procedure made many changes to EPCRS, one of the most significant changes was the long-promised inclusion of expanded corrections for 403(b) plan failures.
• Federal Money: When it comes to applying for federal grants, the most common complaint is the quick turnaround time. The federal agency releases the Request for Proposal (RFP) only shortly before the submission deadline and you’re sent scrambling.

If you are interested in seeing all of the articles in the March 1 edition of NPT, visit our subscription page to receive a print or digital edition of the magazine.

Major Donor Traits

What makes a major donor? The obvious answer is a substantial amount of money, but these individuals also have different belief systems. Fundraisers must learn to understand these beliefs if they are to be successful at cultivating these types of donors.

As Kent E. Dove, Alan M. Spears, and Thomas W. Herbert wrote in their book “Conducting a Successful Major Gifts & Planned Giving Program,” major gifts aren't just going to appear to an organization; they have to be cultivated from major donors by fundraisers. In order to achieve the proper success, it's important to understand what makes these individuals tick.

Dove, Spears, and Herbert explained that while major donors have many characteristics, understanding the following three will lead to the best results in procuring a major gift:

• Major donors typically have strong values and deep beliefs. They believe in people and have great respect for knowledge.
• They know someone in or something about the nonprofit organization they are supporting.
• They view giving as an investment, and through such investments they desire to solve a problem or issue and to express themselves (to attain self-actualization).

The NonProfit Times Is Hiring: Digital Marketing Coordinator

Good news: The NonProfit Times is hiring! If you are a digital marketing expert with a vast knowledge of the Internet, NPT wants to hire you as a Digital Marketing Coordinator.

The Digital Marketing Coordinator will work with our team to create promotions for internet marketing and supporting sales staff for targeted advertising promotions. The candidate must have an advanced knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO), and understand third-party marketing tools such as Google AdWords.

You can find more details about this job by taking a look at our recent LinkedIn post. Good luck!

Obama Nonprofit Says Donors Can't Buy Access

Donors to the nonprofit version of President Barack Obama's successful campaign apparatus will not be able to buy their way to special access to the president, according a spokeswoman for the organization.

It was announced weeks ago that Obama's campaign organization would be re-launched as a nonprofit, called Organizing For Action (OFA), and that the group would advocate for the president's second-term agenda by connecting with supporters. Since then, there have been whispers that donors who raised or gave more than $500,000 to the group would be invited to have face-to-face meetings with President Obama.

Those reports were strongly pushed back by both the White House and OFA. In an article in The Washington Post, OFA spokeswoman Katie Hogan is quoted as saying "No one has been promised access to the president." In addition, White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a press briefing Monday that there was not a "price tag" for meeting the president. He did not, however, directly address whether high-priced donors would be invited to quarterly meetings with Obama.

“Administration officials routinely interact with outside advocacy organizations,” Carney said. “This has been true in prior administrations and it is true in this one.” In both presidential campaigns, Obama has spoken out against the influence of money in politics.

Sources with knowledge of OFA's plans told The Post that the organization has plans to raise millions of dollars. Those same sources said that OFA officials have reached out to 50 top Obama donors who intend to raise $500,000 or more this year to support the president's agenda. Many of these donors previously served on the Obama campaign's National Finance Committee, and they will undoubtedly expect some perks for shelling out huge sums of cash. Yet, according to the report, an explicit menu of benefits were not given to the donors.

During the 2012 campaign, high-value donors were offered perks such as a chance to talk politics with Obama for 25 donors who bought a $35,800 ticket to a luncheon in San Francisco.

Two top OFA officials, Jim Messina and Jon Carson, have been meeting with top Obama fundraisers in recent weeks to discuss the group's agenda and to get financial support. Top donors who are willing to raise $50,000 have already been invited to attend a March 13 "founder's summit" in Washington, D.C.

You can read the full article in The Washington Post.

Nonprofits Falling Short In Leadership Development

Most nonprofit managers would agree that developing new leaders is one of the most important ways to ensure the success of the mission. Yet, according to a recent survey, many of these same leaders admit that they are falling short when it comes to taking a systematic approach to leadership development.

The findings from a Bridgespan Group leadership development diagnostic survey of more than 225 nonprofit leaders indicated that many organizations are still lagging behind when it comes to developing new leaders. Some of the results from the study include:

• Leaders are engaged but struggle to act. Only 36 percent say leaders are held accountable for leadership development and only 38 percent engage their boards in the process.
• Future needs are not well understood. Fewer than 30 percent say they have plans to address leadership gaps and only 37 percent have successions plans.
• Development of future leaders is not being linked to organizational needs. Only 50 percent evaluate employee potential as well as performance, and fewer than 29 percent say they have development plans for individuals.
• Leadership vacancies tend to be filled by external candidates. Only 25 percent are filled by internal candidates.
• Efforts to monitor and improve are relatively weak. Fewer than 30 percent have organization-wide goals for leadership development and only 23 percent are tracking progress.

Gates-Backed Charity Targeted In Embezzlement Probe

Twenty doctors with ties to a charity backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation were arrested over the weekend in Niger for suspected embezzlement of funds.

According to an article on The Huffington Post, the arrests are part of an investigation of some $1.5 million in funds donated by the GAVI Alliance between 2007 and 2010. The arrested doctors were charged with allegedly embezzling these funds from the organization, which has reportedly suspended the financing of health programs in Niger until the money is reimbursed.

The Washington, D.C.-based GAVI Alliance, which was founded in 2000 with help from a $750 million grant from the Gates Foundation, aims to improve access to immunization in the world's poorest countries. The organization also receives support from the World Bank, UNICEF, and donor governments.

The landlocked West African country has made fighting corruption a priority in recent years. In 2011, President Mahamadou Issoufou fired two ministers who allegedly awarded illegal state contracts.

This is not the first time the Alliance has faced financial controversy. In December, the nonprofit suspended $6 million in funding to another African country, Sierra Leone, after an audit revealed misuse of $1.1 million in previously disbursed funds. The report showed undocumented expenses, cash handouts, and overcharged procurement costs between 2008 and 2011.

You can read the full story on The Huffington Post.

How To Build A Great Board

Unless your nonprofit's board has no term limits, chances are you will see many board members come and go. If there is one thing that is invaluable for boards, it's consistency, and it's up to the governance committee to take the lead in identifying the skills the board needs to continue to effectively do its job.

There are thankfully many resources available to help ensure that new members have the same skills and expertise as their predecessors. In “Nonprofit Management 101,” Vernetta Walker and Emily Heard of BoardSource list six of these resources:

• Personal networks of business and community leaders;
• Media articles;
• Volunteers and non-board member committee members;
• Participants in leadership programs;
• Current MBA students; or,
• Online sites that specialize in board matching or that list board opportunities.

Walker and Heard wrote that, once you have a group of candidates to choose from, it's time to make sure they are truly right for the job. You can do this by making sure applicants are:

• Passionate about and committed to supporting the mission of the organization;
• Clear about their potential role and the time commitment required -- share the board job description and board member agreement and answer questions about the work of the board; and,
• Able to fulfill the expectations you have of them.