NonprofitEye

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery? or Great Minds Think Alike? by pam ashlund Karl Jung had a theory about why people all seem to have the same myths and dreams, even people and cultures that have no contact with each other. He called it the collective unconscious. It still gets called psuedo-science by some. Today I'm wondering.... In my spare time I write another blog about life in my neighborhood in North East LA. I've had a series of surreal experiences there lately. One: a coyote sighting in front of my apartment and another: coming across a red flashing sign advertising the LA Coroners office. Three weeks after writing about my experience I noticed two other nonprofit bloggers writing about the same thing. I jumped to the conclusion that this was a case of copycat-itis. That was, until...a friend said "I think I read that somewhere else". I looked around and low and behold, one of the most popular blogs (if not THE most popular blog) Boing Boing...

Does the LA Coroner Need Money? by Pam Ashlund Back in December I wrote a post on Earned Income Strategies for Nonprofits addressing the topic from a philosophical point of view; but looking back it seems too abstract. It's time to talk hands-on people! Sometimes it's hard to get your mind around the idea of nonprofits running money making enterprises. In the first place, we aren't in business to make money; in the second place, how could we make money and still fulfill our mission? It all sounds like one of those loopholes that is too good to be true. Make money and fullfill your mission? Since income that is unrelated to your purpose is taxable, it follows that there must be the concept of "related" income. If we can't make money on our own, are we doomed to live at the whim of government funding or continue begging for change from our ever more impatient patrons? How many foundations offer funding to start up or build capacity? Many. How many offer funding...

Follow-up to Dec. 9th post on Social Enterprises I admit it, I have an unabashed love for Harvard Business Review! Why? Because I love a well constructed argument, because I love to see nonprofit issues explored with laser-focus, because I'm a nerd, because, because. Alright already, judge for yourself. Back in 2005, they published an article " Should Nonprofits Seek Profits? ". For only six dollars you can download a reprint of the article for your Executive Director (or your organizations biggest proponent of launching a for-profit business venture, maybe someone on your Board???). In case the title isn't enticing enough, here's the description they offer: Nonprofits increasingly feel compelled to launch earned income ventures--not only to appear more disciplined and businesslike to stakeholders but also to reduce their reliance on fundraising. There's plenty of hype about the value of earned income ventures in the nonprofit world, but such proje...

Went to a Garden Party: Social Enterprise, Earned Income, or Profit by Pam Ashlund Los Angeles, CA Dec 4-6 Attended a three day workshop at the Grantsmanship Center this week. The topic? “ Earned Income Strategies ”. Although I couldn’t begin to summarize the three days of info in one post, I think we are all familiar with the risks of income strategies: Lose money, damage reputation, hurt morale Mission Drift - Get successful and: lose track of your mission Funders move on (think you don’t need them anymore) Become vulnerable to attack on the unfair competition front And of course… the dreaded Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT) My take-away's from the meeting: Any idea would not succeed without a motivated champion of the venture Don’t confuse “earned” with “unrelated” Proceeding on ventures without clear goals is a recipe for failure (corollary: starting without a business plan is “flying without a net” The best nonprofit success stories involve a blending of the purpose...