Impact and Programs
Accomplishments
We served over 700 nonprofits in 2020 using the Accountability Wizard®, the Accountability Standards®, the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Toolkit, and the Meets Standards® Seal to strengthen their infrastructure and demonstrate their strength and accountability to donors and funders. The Accountability Standards® create common ground across the nonprofit sector, building a foundation of strength in our community that supports trusting relationships between donors, funders, and nonprofits. Donors and foundations use the Accountability Standards® to assess the internal strength of the causes they care about and as a starting place for engagement and conversation with their favorite nonprofits. When donors are confident in supporting strong, trustworthy nonprofits, they can partner in authentic ways that advance the greater good. Using the Accountability Wizard®, nonprofits self-identify changes needed to improve and strengthen their policies, practices, and procedures. We provided more than 2,400 hours of customized technical assistance to nonprofits working to make the improvements identified through the Accountability Wizard® review process. Strengthening diversity is among most widely identified goals of reviewed nonprofits. The Council’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Toolkit provides the tools and resources nonprofits need to address this work. It is an accessible, organizationally focused, affordable, action-oriented set of tools that can be used as a complement to the Accountability Wizard® or on its own. It includes an assessment tool that engages all levels of the organization both internally and externally while providing resources to address gaps and build on their strengths to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. We are actively refining and adding to it based on nonprofit feedback.
Current Goals
Expand Our Reach With Donors, Funders and Nonprofits. Grow capacity and numbers of donors and funders engaged in relationships with causes and nonprofits they care about. Increase number of nonprofit organizations building capacity with the use of our resources and tools. Adapt resources, standards and tools to more effectively engage culturally specific organizations and indviduals.
Be recognized as a national leader in advancing philanthropy into the 21st century. Establish Council as a thought leader in engaged and authentic nonprofit and donor relationships. Identify and apply philanthropic trends to better inform donors, funders and nonprofits. Explore opportunities to market our products and programs regionally/nationally.
Inspire and support culturally responsive giving. Collaborate with culturally specific and POCI-led organizations to honor and apply multiple worldviews and approaches to giving. Elevate awareness and education for donors and nonprofits about culturally specific giving practices. Convene forums that push the boundaries of philanthropy through community-driven solutions.
Develop an organizational business model framed for growth. Review and revise financial policies and practices to better meet organizational needs. Increase earned revenue/fee for service. Assess opportunities for additional revenue-producing products and programs. Explore strategic alliances (e.g., partnership, mergers and acquisitions.)
Align internal structures and resources to meet external demands. Continue to lead the way by setting high standards as board and staff. Continually assess organizational systems, including technology, to better achieve strategic priorities
Ensure staffing model supports and advances the new strategic plan. Implement processes for ongoing board and leadership development and succession planning.
Community or Constituency Served
The Council serves both donors and nonprofits. In 2020, we served more than 700 nonprofits via the Accountability Wizard® (our online capacity-building tool) and the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Toolkit, providing more than 2,400 hours of customized technical assistance along the way. Additionally, we sent 7,158 constituents our printed semiannual Smart Giver Newsletter and responded to more than 1,000 donor support calls and emails, each with the potential to lead to more confident gifts to strong nonprofits. We also continued sharing online resources with both donors and nonprofits on our website and social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Geographic Area Served
We serve donors and nonprofits across the U.S.
