Jennifer E Goldman, Nonprofit Consultant

By Jennifer E. Goldman, President of Resonance, LLC      When it comes to creating, or amending, an organizational mission, it’s important to consider not only what you intend for the organization to accomplish, but for how long. Is your mission sustainable, or merely attainable? While both descriptions seem positive, in reality only one will keep your organization in service indefinitely. Attainable Missions    An attainable mission is one that can, at least in theory, be fulfilled. Once that mission is accomplished, then the organization will cease to have a purpose. For example, if your mission is to build a dog park in every county in Virginia, once you’ve done this, the organization no longer has a purpose. Unfortunately, some organizations in this situation will either carry on after their usefulness has concluded or they may purposefully become less effective so as to never complete their mission. For organizations wishing to h...

By Jennifer E. Goldman, President of Resonance, LLC I am often asked if I will serve on a committee or board of nonprofit organizations. As the former Executive Director of a nonprofit organization with a working board (and I use the term ‘working’ very loosely), I weigh this decision very carefully. My decision is based on three things: Does this organization have a mission that I can feel passionate about? Does the organization currently have a well-functioning board? Do I have the ability to truly give of my time, treasure AND talent, according to both their expectations and mine? Obviously the first and third question are things every prospective board member will have to decide for themselves, but what about the second? How can you tell if an organization’s current board is well-functioning? Here are some tips: Ask to attend a board meeting (or two). Be observant! There should be no more than one or two absentees. The meeting should take only as long as plan...

By Jennifer E. Goldman, President of Resonance, LLC Most small businesses are not required, or financially equipped, to provide certain benefits to their employees. With an overwhelming number of the U.S. population being employed by small businesses (seriously, it’s nearly 100%), that means that a huge percentage of people aren’t being offered benefits like health insurance or 401(k)s by their bosses. Just because your company may be in this same boat doesn’t mean you can’t find other ways to differentiate your business and show your employees the appreciation they’re due. All you need is a little creativity and the willingness to invest some amount of money and time into giving back to your team.  By recognizing that your business would be nowhere without your employees and showing your gratitude, even in small ways, everyone wins: your crew will experience higher job satisfaction, increased company loyalty and accelerated engagement, which leads to better turnover rates, higher ...

By Jennifer E. Goldman, President of Resonance, LLC As business people (or as human beings in general) we often wear “many hats”. Sometimes we wear too many hats. It just “is what it is” in our fast-paced Age of Information. I can remember when my children were little, I thought I’d topple over from the sheer weight of all the hats I wore. I was the cook, the maid, the chauffeur, the scheduler, the shopper, the tutor, the disciplinarian, the nurse, and the organizer. And I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few hats; selective memory at this point, I’m sure. I willingly wore all those hats because I was sure that I HAD to wear all those hats. No one else would take those responsibilities. No one else was as good at handling those responsibilities. There wasn’t enough money to pay someone to handle any of the responsibilities. As I formed a small business, I took on the same attitude. There isn’t enough money and no one who can do things quite like I do. It didn’t tak...

By Jennifer E. Goldman, President of Resonance, LLC Not too long ago I published an article on narrowing your focus, as related to defining your company’s target market. Basically, it was a wakeup call for entrepreneurs who believe everyone can become my customer . It didn’t take me long, however, to realize that I was guilty of doing the exact opposite: assuming that certain people couldn’t be my customer . This is just as bad. It was mentioned to me that what I had done for one nonprofit organization could be duplicated across the state. My response was that there are national and state funded programs that offer the same type of assistance to these particular organizations at no charge. Why would a nonprofit organization pay me for services they could get for free? The problem: I wasn’t thinking big enough! As the wheels began turning more quickly in my head I realized that the state programs are typically understaffed and their small departments can only pr...

By Jennifer E. Goldman, President of Resonance, LLC I have a soft spot in my heart for nonprofit organizations. And a huge understanding of how they work…or don’t work, as is too often the case. There are so many things that can endanger the success of even the best-intended nonprofit. A poorly defined mission tops the list.  In some cases, as the organization is formed, a definitive mission is never clearly defined and the organization never even gets off the ground. In other cases, the mission is strong at the beginning as founding board members have a clear vision and purpose, but eventually erodes as new board members, who aren’t as personally tied to the original mission, attempt to redefine it over time. Recently, I met with the leader of a 6-year old organization who wanted my company’s help with fundraising through community events. When asked what type of event she had in mind, her only response was, “The one that will bring in the most money.” As I ...