An Organization Made up of Organizations


inTHISissue:
-
Leverage Internships
-
Vetting New Opportunities for your NP
-
Importance of Transparency
-
Cure "Decision Fatigue"
-
What is the "Right" Size Board
-
Remote/Telecommuting Practices
Mission Statement
The goal of Bristol Organizations is to provide service and non-profit Organizations in the NE Tennessee and SW Virginia, the best possible avenue for mutual communication and the greatest exposure to the community.


By Suzanne Smith - Social Impact Architects
Summer is around the corner and you have a to-do list a mile long – what is an ideal solution? Use interns to help tackle it over the summer! We are so excited that apprenticeship (in all its forms: internships, job shadowing and project-based learning) has made a strong comeback as a hands-on learning experience for all types of jobs. Since 2015, we have rallied our clients and TrendSpotters to hire new-gen interns. Talent is the great multiplier for the social sector, and it is just as important for us to “grow our own” as it is for every other sector. To read more in this subject.... Click Here.
________________________________________
Suzanne Smith, CEO and Founder
Because the social sector is in the business of changing the world, we often have an inclination to see every need or idea as a call to jump into action. The result of taking on too many opportunities comes in the form of mission creep, donor confusion or staff burnout. Research indicates that poor planning is at the root of most of these failures. No one likes to fail, but starting a program or social enterprise has inherent risk. In the office, we often encourage each other and clients to take risks, but to mitigate the risk by “failing early and failing cheaply.” So, how is this possible with a new program opportunity? To do this intentionally, we encourage the use of opportunity assessments to help make a GO or NO GO decision. As I often say – every idea is a good idea, but not every idea is viable. To read more on this subject.... Click Here.
________________________________________
Written by Theresa Sintetos
Leading With Purpose and the Need for Board Transparency
Board transparency was already a red-hot issue when the pandemic swept across the globe, opening up newer concerns about transparency. On the one hand, transparency is a good thing as it inspires trust and credibility. On the other hand, it could put confidentiality at risk.
Today’s mission driven organizations have more good reasons than ever to be transparent. With several embezzlement cases, cyber hacking, political divisions and misinformation proliferating, the public is more cynical than ever about a groups motivations To gain credibility as a purpose led organization, your actions — not your words — are what really matter. That is why transparency is at the core of leading with purpose. To read more....... Click Here.
_________________________________________
White Papers, Reports
Plans & Guides
Resources & How-To's
Policy & Procedure Library
Guide - How to Write Meeting Minutes
All Volunteer Organization?
Read This:
"All Hands On Board" (PDF)
Brochures
Distilling you message (PDF)
Communications
Getting the word out (PDF)
Strategic Planning
Effective Strategic Planning (PDF)
Fundraising
20 Mistakes
Fundraising Readiness Checklist
Get Checklist
Fundraising
Staging Special Events (PDF)
Fundraising
Step by Step Guide (PDF)
Fundraising
Organizing you office (PDF)
Fundraising
Part 1- Getting Ready (MSWord)
Part 2- Identifying Prospects (MSWord)
Part 3- Cultivation (MSWord)
Part 4- Solicitation (MSWord)
Part 5- The Ask (MSWord)
Part 6- Preparing Proposal (MSWord)
Part 7- Stewardship (MSWord)
Email
Basics of Email Marketing (PDF)
Marketing
Promoting your Program (PDF)
Risk Management
Surviving a Crisis
Lawsuits - Need to Know
Collaboration Risks
Volunteers - Balancing Risk
Newsletters
Informing the Publilc (PDF)
Outcome Measurement
Demistifying (PDF)
Board
Leadership for Board Members (PDF)
Systems Checklist
Get Checklist (MS Word)
Board Manual
Checklist
Audit Services
List of Audit Firms (MSWord)
Good Practices Guide
Non Profit Good Practices
Board Recruiting Matrix
Sample Board Matrix (MS Word)
Free Downloads
Kim Konando Downloads (web)
More Free Software
Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Implications
Implications for Non Profits (MS Word)
Get Corporate Sponsorships
How can my small charity get sponsorships (MS Word)
Samples and Templates
Various sample letters, templates, etc. (MS Word)
Specialized Organnization/Board Workshops
Workshop Listing and Description
By Jan Masaoka - Board Café
At our upcoming board and senior staff retreat we will be discussing what size our board should be to be most effective. Help!!
You've hit upon the single most common question asked of experts on nonprofit boards: What's the right number of people to have on the board? We're tempted to answer: "17. That's the average board size in the United States so it must be right." Actually, the real answer is "It depends."
But what does the right board size depend on? For some real-life answers..... Click Here.
______________________________________________
Take a moment and a deep breath to recognize your achievements during the pandemic.
When you suffer from decision fatigue, your brains seek shortcuts (it uses your biases). It also increases errors—which doesn’t matter when it’s lunch but does when it’s someone’s life or livelihood.
You might be avoiding decision fatigue by making fewer decisions—if so, good on you. Reducing your choices helps. It’s the most common decision-making technique recommended to overcome decision fatigue. But can you reduce decision fatigue throughout your organization using it? Probably not. Since you make at least 35,000 decisions daily, you’ll barely notice even if you’re terrific at streamlining. To reaed more in this topic............ Click Here.
________________________________________

Flexibility is one of the most important determinants of employee satisfaction and retention. Not surprisingly, flexible work arrangements, such as telecommuting, are becoming more commonplace [1]. Advances in technology allow remote workers to stay connected with their workplaces, and mobile devices can now be used by workers to perform many, if not all, tasks that were once possible only from traditional offices.
The reality today is that work has become so mobile that some nonprofits operate with “virtual offices.” For their staff, each worker is a remote worker. And nonprofits that do have physical offices may still want to offer employees the option of flexible work arrangements, such as telecommuting, from time to time, since it can boost productivity, save employees travel time, and potentially help close the gender gap [2] and reduce the nonprofit’s carbon footprint. In fact, more Americans now telecommute [3] than take public transportation to work! To continue reading on this topic..... Click Here.
__________________________________________


