Nonprofit Finance for Hard Times: Leadership Strategies When Economies Falter

By Susan U. Raymond
Wiley

Did you know there are over twenty-five IRS codes for nonprofits? Or that nonprofits make up the third largest sector in the US economy? Or that more than three quarters of the existing nonprofits have emerged since 1980? Given that this is such a large sector to examine and there are imperfections in available data, Susan Raymond limits the scope of her new book, Nonprofit Finance for Hard Times, to discussion of organizations with 501(c)(3) status.

The 501(c)(3) category includes organizations focused on myriad areas, including religion, education, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition, and prevention of cruelty to children or animals. Some examples of 501(c)(3) organizations you are probably familiar with are The Boys & Girls Club, The United Way, and the publisher of Bitch magazine, Bitch Media. I personally appreciated this limitation in scope since I work for a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and could think about the arguments and tips in terms of how they can be of use to my particular agency.

Nonprofit Finance for Hard Times provides recommendations of strategies for revamping or revitalizing existing programs while engaging and strengthening relationships with donors, foundations, and other financial stakeholders. The text extensively discusses not only the ways to make it through economic hardship but also how to best plan for the long term in ways that can buffer more difficult times. My personal favorite of these tips is the the importance of a strong and committed volunteer base. In times of economic hardship, people’s most valuable asset is their time, which can make or break an organization when money is tight.

I liked the layout of the book and appreciated the thematic summaries at the beginning of each chapter. These summaries helped me decide if the information in the chapter was going to be of any use or interest for my purposes. Raymond furthered supports her recommendations by providing many examples and testimonials, which help illustrate how theory is translated into practice and what some organizations found effective. One such testimony was from the CEO of (RED) on how cause-related marketing has helped raise funds to fight AIDS in Africa. You may have seen some of this cause-related marketing at Starbucks or The GAP.

Another point of interest for me was the tone of the discussion. Many of Raymond’s ideas are based off of what I consider to be corporate business models. Yes, nonprofits must raise funds to continue to provide their services, keep their doors open, and continue the work, but I believe grassroots organizing is a more effective approach. Strangely enough, this is not mentioned in Raymond’s book. I even checked the index in the back, thinking perhaps my brain had gone on autopilot and missed it, but ‘grassroots’ wasn't even listed.

I worry that not considering a ground-up approach to stabilize an organization’s operational model is forever going to be deeply tied to the booms and busts of our capitalist economy, and it is concerning that this book makes no mention of involving the people directly impacted by nonprofit nor does it consider the impact these people's needs, desires, and investment may have in supporting the organization. This crucial aspect was not explored by Raymond to its fullest potential.

Taken as just one perspective of many, this book could be quite useful to large nonprofits with a global vision. While I did not particularly enjoy the book, I do believe sharing of effective practices and strategies is necessary for the nonprofit sector of the economy, and that long term planning is the key to an agency’s survival during the hard times.

Review by Liz Martin

The I ♥ FR Campaign is a Success!

I am happy to report that Feminist Review raised $3,000 during the I ♥ FR Campaign, an amount that—though a little shy of our goal—is laudable for our first fundraiser. With a little stretching, this amount should be able to get us through the end of the year. A big thank you goes to Michelle Madison for conceptualizing and planning the fundraiser; to Su Lin Mangan, Jennifer Burgess, Krista Ciminera, and Farhana Uddin for helping with outreach; and to the many folks who helped to publicize the campaign!

We would like to thank the individuals who donated to the campaign. As a community-driven blog, your generosity is what sustains us.

Olupero Aiyenimelo | Bonnie Anderson | Margaret Barney | Laura Davis | Karen E. Duda | Viannah Duncan | Laura Fernandez | Kristina Grob | Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch | Anna Hamling | MC Hartley | Ellen Keim | Michelle Madison | Su Lin Mangan | Kelly Moritz | Payal Patel | Elizabeth Pickett | Annette Przygoda | Taylor Rhodes | Kittye Delle Robbins-Herring | Emily Seibert | Eliza Silverman | Matsya Siosal | Barbara Smith | Brianna Stallings | Gita Tewari | Mandy Van Deven | Cat Veit | Linda Willis | Jennifer M. Wilson | Anonymous (29)

We would also like to thank our media & business supporters who helped publicize the campaign:
Adventures in Menstruating | The Angry Indian | Autostraddle | BUST | Color Online | Femagination | Feminist Agenda | Feminist Blogs | Femonomics | Gender Across Borders | Hair Accessories Store | Hermana Resist | Mommy vs. The Monsters | The Unexpected Twists and Turns | VivirLatino | Women's Glib

We feel fortunate to have the opportunity to further develop Feminist Review and continue to put our passions into publishing high quality content.

In community,

The FR Crew

I ♥ FR: It's Up to You to Bring Us Home!

We would like to send a special thank you to an Anonymous donor who gave $1,000 to the I ♥ FR Campaign! We are now more than halfway to our goal! If you give up one excess purchase before the end of the month and contribute the cost of that item to the campaign today, we'll easily raise the remaining amount.

Feminist Review founding editor Mandy Van Deven turned thirty this week, and in our final fundraising push, she wrote a letter to FR readers encouraging everyone to support the blog.

Image Credit: Favianna Rodriguez

I ♥ FR: The Final Push (Birthday Edition)

Today is my 30th birthday. As a feminist activist who came of age in the '80s and '90s alongside the popular use of computers and the emergence of feminism's media savvy third wave, one might say founding a feminist-oriented blog was an utterly predictable choice for me to make, and while that may be true, it was not a choice I ever anticipated making... until I did.

When I was an undergrad, I worked as a student assistant in the Women's Studies Institute at my university. The head of the department generously allowed me to use the institute's resources, like the copy machine, to create my first media project, a zine comprised of artwork and essays compiled from the internet called Strike. I sold some of these for a dollar apiece, but mostly gave them away to anyone interested in reading a critique of pro-capitalist feminism or checking out the artwork of Shirin Neshat. Strike lasted for two issues before I teamed up with my friend Alex to create the kind of magazine she and I wanted to read—and Altar Magazine was born.

I was happy to see Altar was recently added to Utne Reader's The Dead Magazine Club, an online project that keeps the spirit of well-intended yet ultimately unsustainable indie mags alive, because that magazine had a lot of good stuff going on and was easily the precursor to what Feminist Review is today: a space representing the many divergent voices within social justice movements. Alex and I crafted Altar's mission statement (which I am still very proud of!) over a delicious vegan dinner at a spot in East Atlanta, and after I lost a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, we also had the perfect name for the place we hoped people would come to reflect on the past, meditate on the present, and push feminist thought to the next level.

In 2006, Altar merged with Clamor Magazine, a partnership the two struggling magazines had hoped would combat the then recently emerging crunch felt by the decline of print media, and despite all our best efforts, those dreams were soon dashed. One might look at this as a sign that it was time to get out the game, and believe me I considered it, but here's something I found out during those five years: you learn an enormous amount from your failures. And I certainly got a hefty education during that time—not only in media but also in working with others. I had the enormous privilege of building relationships with amazing media makers, writers, artists, activists, and academics—as well as folks who are better described using some combination of the terms. These are the inspiring people from whom I gain encouragement and support in sustaining this longest-running media project of my personal lot, thenow three-and-a-half-year-old Feminist Review.

Now no longer simply my own creation, Feminist Review belongs to all of the editors and writers whose creative and intellectual energies provide daily content that is representative of the pluralism of modern, global feminisms, and their ability to harmoniously coexist. It also belongs to the readers, whose comments and commitment to having difficult dialogues provide a continuation of necessary discussions within social justice movements. We hope you will join us as we move forward with the purpose of creating an online space for contemplation, critical thought, and the promotion of new ideas, as a revamped site will be launched this summer.

For the next eight days, Feminist Review will continue to collect contributions (one-time & recurring) for our I ♥ FR Campaign. We have already raised over a quarter of our $5,000 goal, which would cover this year's overhead expenses, like shipping and web hosting, and if each person who reads this plea over the next week donates just $5 (that's one Starbucks grande vanilla soy latte, y'all), we will easily meet this goal. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to continue to make feminist media—a fitting birthday present, indeed.

In community,

Mandy Van Deven
Founding Editor