Management

Good management must start with good ethics. No checklist of management tools will save an organization with a culture of unethical behavior. And from the other side, if all leaders of an organization are following the highest standards of ethics, even the most difficult management decisions will benefit the organization and all people involved. So, please visit our Ethics page.

We will continually add resources to this page including templates and models. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, please contact us and we’ll help you find what you need.

Management includes two main sections and important guidelines to go with each:

PEOPLE

• A commitment from all to work toward the organization’s mission
• Complimentary roles and responsibility understood by all
• A culture of respect and kindness
• Regular, fun meetings that build teamwork and a sense of team pride
• A great volunteer system – read this article for ideas
• High quality documents to help guide the team such as:
• Mission / vision / values / goals
• Bylaws sample
• Letter of Commitment
• Executive Director’s Agreement (sample coming soon)
• Employment Agreement Template
• Employee Handbook sample
• Code of Ethics (sample coming soon)
• Find non-profit NGO laws in your country: www.icnl.org

MONEY

• Roles that clearly state who is responsible for daily financial management and who is responsible for reviewing financial documents
• A culture of constant fundraising and looking for fundraising opportunities, take a look at our Fundraising Tips – The Direct Ask
• A team effort to annually approve a work plan/budget and then ensure it is met
• High quality financial elements to help guide the team such as:
• Work plan/budget approved by all leaders each year (sample coming soon); note: never work with one of these without the other
• A cash flow chart for the team to analyze and adjust throughout the year
• Diverse funding sources and assignments given to specific people; sources for non-profits and NGOs should be balanced between members/donors, government funding, and earned income such as from events and programs
• A team understanding that foundation grants are highly competitive and, unless you know someone at the foundation, should be the lowest priority for fundraising.
• Membership fees that start no lower than $25 because each member will actually COST the organization this much in recording, thanking and renewal request costs
• A quality bookkeeping program that an accountant can work with such as Quickbooks
• A trusted and trustworthy accountant to at least do the organization’s tax paperwork, and ideally a full audit, each year