I work at a nonprofit, and something I've been noticing lately is that leadership seems to be increasingly delegating responsibilities that they previously handled to other employees.

I want to preface this by saying that I understand leadership comes with a lot of invisible work. I'm sure directors are dealing with budgets, meetings, grant reporting, strategic planning, and a million other things that frontline employees aren't necessarily aware of. I'm not suggesting that leadership isn't busy or that they don't deserve time off.

But sometimes I really wish there were more transparency about what leadership is actually working on.

For example, I've noticed my director taking quite a bit of time off recently while simultaneously shifting responsibilities that used to fall under her role onto other people. And I find myself wondering: What has changed? Why are these responsibilities suddenly being reassigned? Is there a larger organizational reason for this?

I don't want to assume that someone isn't working hard just because I can't see what they're doing. But from the outside looking in, it can sometimes feel like responsibilities are simply being pushed further and further down the organizational hierarchy.

What's especially frustrating is that regular employees are often expected to be incredibly transparent about their workloads, schedules, productivity, and time management. Meanwhile, leadership can be much less transparent about how their own time is being spent.

I don't think employees need to know every detail of a director's schedule. But I do think some communication about shifting responsibilities, organizational priorities, and workload distribution would go a long way toward building trust.

And I know delegation is part of leadership. But at what point does delegation become offloading?

I'm genuinely curious whether other nonprofit employees have experienced this dynamic. Is this just a normal part of organizational growth and management, or is there a broader issue with how responsibilities get distributed in nonprofit workplaces?

I won’t give too many details but basically my error has now meant a community probably can’t do a small project they were planned to do because of admin restrictions, delays on my part. I feel terrible but also understand this is one of the natural consequences of being totally understaffed for over a year. Has this happened to you and how did you cope?

I've been called in to interview for 3 different jobs at 1 organization, all of which did second interviews too. One did a third, and all ended in rejections saying they selected another candidate but gave me a great review and encouraged me to apply to future jobs. This was over the course of about a month. They called me again today to say they'd like me to come interview again for one of the same positions I had already applied and interviewed multiple times for. Apparently, the candidate they ultimately hired has already quit after 1 month. That seems like a red flag to me that maybe they're not a great organization anyway. This is somewhere I did an internship at previously and they also have volunteer opportunities; they have been asking me to volunteer with them despite all the job rejections. But I also feel like they keep wasting my time. I've put hours of time into interviews and follow-ups just to be rejected over and over again, with a lot of poor communication on their end. I feel like they're going to just do the same thing again and they're not worth my time, paid or volunteer. Am I overreacting and passing up an opportunity, or does it make sense to just cut all ties? On one hand, I really need to find a full-time job and this is in my career field (and I'm having a hard time finding one), but on the other, I worry I'm doing a pointless interview. Even if they happened to hire me this time, I feel like I put in a ton of effort just to potentially get trapped in a terrible job. Is this pattern of serial interview and rejection common for non-profits? Do you think they genuinely view me as a good candidate?

Managing several funded projects and in need of a really good expense software to keep the receipt tied to the right project for reporting? A bit of a hassle with shared vendors and similar expenses across different grants. recommendations that work for an eight-person organization?

I made wealth in the AI industry and want to do open scientific research related to understanding AI. The primary cost is related to GPUs and API credits, say $10k/mo. My understanding is

1. Delaware allows for private foundations where I can be the sole voting member, sole director, and simultaneously hold all officer positions like president, secretary, and treasurer positions.
2. IRS classification may take 6 months, but I can operate while the application is pending, with contingent deductibility.
3. I avoid self-dealing problems because I and my family never take any payment and the nonprofit won't interact with our businesses or property.
4. I meet the income test and e.g. the endowment test easily if I just inject money into the nonprofit for specific research projects e.g. $20k to complete a training run for a paper.
5. (Outside of scope for this question, but my understanding is that nothing prevents a DAF from approving my recognition to donate funds to a POF of which I'm the sole director, as long as they agree.)

So some questions:

1. I've been using the term "private operating foundation" but in fact, is there only a benefit to this classification if I seek to donate more than 20% of AGI (or if I want to get a full deduction rather than cost-basis deduction for appreciated stock, or recommend a grant DAF to the foundation)? This is all given that I expect to meet the 5% rule and don't plan to make direct gifts from an IRA etc.
2. Can I apply to the IRS for public-charity status? I expect it is possible though not guaranteed that I will reach the one-third support threshold from large 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) grantmakers. It seems that there is a 5-year grace period based on a "reasonable expectation of public support," but what constitutes this reasonable expectation? It looks like Treasury Regulation § 1.509(a)-3(d)(3)(i) tells the IRS to take governance into account, so for this route I should get two independent directors? How is this "reasonable expectation" determined in practice?

We're getting to the point where our team can't keep up with donor thank-you cards ourselves. Right now it's around 50 a month but that's likely going to be closer to 200 or 300. I'd rather find a system now than wait until someone is spending half their week handwriting cards. Has anyone used a service for this? I'm more interested in whether donors actually notice the difference than the automation side.

I've seen the announcement of a new Claude plugin for nonprofits on https://claude.com/resources/articles/expanding-claude-for-nonprofits, but apparently they are not providing a way to download it directly (which IMHO it would make it more useful for the nonprofit community, since we could also use those skills on other AI systems, audit and customize the skills included, etc.).

Do any of you have access already to the plugin? Can you download it and share it here?

I am the whole IT function for a mid sized charity, a major funder has started sending a security questionnaire as part of the grant process and a chunk of it is about monitoring and log retention. I can honestly say we have logs, I cannot honestly say anyone reads them or that they live longer than the disk allows. The products that answer this questionnaire properly are priced for people who have a security team. Has anyone in the sector got through one of these without a SIEM budget? Trying to work out what is genuinely expected of an organization our size.

I have a new tax client.

Their prior CPA firm went out of business and they were looking to find a NEW CPA. The OLD CPA firm always E-Filed an extension, but because this was a new year the client told me they had to paper file an extension (at this point they were not my client). Which I cannot prove whether they did or not. At this point, they were NOT MY CLIENTS.

They have to file an extension because their financial statements receive a financial audit and they wait to file the return once the audit numbers are final. Which they received their final audit numbers this morning. So they did not have their full information to file until this morning.

They became my clients this summer and we were waiting for the audit. Last week they received a notice CP259A stating they did not file their 990 on time. Upon calling the IRS, they were told the IRS never received their paper extension. At this point the client is worried because they could be charged with a $20k failure to file penalty.

I've requested abatement for two 990 failure to file penalties in my time and they were both abated shortly after. They both didn't really have much evidence and it seemed like it was easily abated. But I wanted to ask you all if you had experience in 990 Penalty abatements?

Also what would you advise on this particular situation. Here are the facts.

1. They do not have great documentation, but they have a copy of the 8868 along with a BLURRY mailing receipt that shows a 5/14/2026 mailing date. Although not great, I've gotten a penalty abated with less evidence....heck one time I just sent the letter and they abated it.

2. They received their final audit numbers this morning. And I should have the 990 finished and ready to file tonight or tomorrow morning. I think this would show they truly wanted to file the return with complete and accurate information and tried to file it AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Which I believe not having access to their information from a 3rd party auditor is an accepted reason from the IRS.

3. They have at least a decade of timely filing. They always efiled an extension from the records they've shown me. They said 15 years ago they had a mailing issue, but the IRS resolved it. I wonder if the IRS would even look that far back. This should be a factor as well.

4. Being that there was a change with CPA firms causing confusion should matter as well. I do believe this client tried to do their best, but the old CPA firm being gone and finding a new one did cause a change. They intended to file it on time but just had a weird year.

I’ve recently joined my children’s elementary PTO and they need a lot of guidance. I’m trying to come up with realistic fundraising ideas for an elementary school in this economic society where 87% of our student population is below the poverty line.

The PTO (before me) had never reached out to local businesses or even big box businesses for donations or sponsorships. This is my first time being in a PTO and I have reached out to dozens of businesses last week for support.

But we still need some fundraising ideas that are realistic. What fundraisers have you had success with and what are other ways you’ve helped bring in all support when the school families can’t help that much.

Also, currently, our parent involvement at the school is very very low, so we’re trying to change that too.

For the past 15 years, I’ve worked in direct service organizations primarily in operations and fundraising as well as contract grant writing. I recently moved across country and have an upcoming interview for a director-level development position at a university.

Can anyone who’s done both let me know some of the major differences? Or things I should know when considering a shift in environments like this?

Right off the bat, I imagine it’s far more structured/bureaucratic and has more streams of potential income (endowments, planned giving, etc) but am curious if there’s other major differences I’m overlooking.

Thanks in advance!

Hello NP friends,

I received an unsolicited email this morning in our general email inbox from an American Charitable Foundation. The subject line was Financial Opportunity for (my organizations name). the email did have a ein and I do see that when I search charity navigator the EIN does come up but I still feel unsure, especially since there are so many scams out there.

Has anyone ever had any emails from them, funding from them or any relationships?

Thanks, a nervous development director

I recently started at a new job and initially it was not supposed to be a very funding and development-heavy role, but things happened and it is currently my main priority. A month in, I managed to find a foundation that accepted unsolicited requests. I submitted one that my boss felt pretty optimistic about. The foundation ultimately rejected it (they said they were not able to provide feedback) and I feel quite bummed. My understanding is that foundations rarely accept unsolicited requests so it was a long shot anyways, but it was still discouraging with it being my first project while being new at my job.

I also met someone who works at a different foundation that I really feel like is aligned with my organization, but I worry I came off too strong when I met them at an event and my follow up message to continue our conversation went unanswered (I didn't directly ask for money, but I think the way I was asking about their current priorities gave it away too much). My organization's mission is pretty niche, so a lot of my day is spent Googling different potential funders and being disappointed at the lack of alignment with the majority of them.

I can already tell that being on this side of the business is going to mean putting up with a lot of rejection and discouragement, which I understand in principle but it is hard to get used to when I am just starting out and its not really something I picked for myself. Ultimately, even though this wasn't supposed to be my main responsibility and I have a lot to learn, I really do see the value in building these skills so I want to improve. I'd appreciate some nuggets of wisdom or advice here as I continue to get better at this. Here are some things I'm doing now:

Making plans to meet existing funders (but I'm not sure how to prepare for these meetings beyond understanding what they have supported in the past and aiming to learn their current priorities); developing a list of new potential funders and identifying specific people who would be good to connect with (but I don't know how to actually get in touch with them); preparing mini elevator pitches for our current projects so when I meet people at events I can have an idea of what exactly I can tell them about the program that would be interesting to them; going to all the events in my city related to my program area in order to meet as many people (I'm new to this city so I don't have an existing personal-professional network to build on)

Ive gotten some good information from searching other posts, but have a niche situation and would love experienced inputs.

Id like to raise funds from the U.S. for a scientific/educational institution abroad. My goal is to use the funds to directly purchase material goods and fund needed new buildings and repairs. I dont plan to employ myself or anyone else and would donate myself, do fundraising events, and sell educational art to with 100% of proceeds going to the initiative. I may engage other artists, which likely would donate a smaller percentage.

I would like to accept tax free donations, but I am doing this as a volunteer so am interested in fiscal sponsorship. Ideally I would raise funds over time, and once we hit a threshold apply for a grant (model C) to use the funds. This means there won't necessarily be payouts every year, but there will be (hopefully) incoming donations yearly. It is also international so, there is always some risk that for larger dollar projects it is possible something out of anyone's control could derail the project before it is fully funded, so in that case ther would need to be a plan B for any funds raised.

Is something like this possible? Is it too small potatoes for a fiscal sponsor (because its basically not funding lots of ongoing operations, but raising money over time for a built project)? Are there things I should be aware of? All advice welcome! Thank you!

Adding in anticipation of this question. I am not able to just fundraise for the institution directly because it is a satellite site of a university and any funds donated cannot be earmarked for this project, but would be absorbed by the university generally. I have made many direct material donations via my contacts who lead the project, which works well, but I want to do more which is why I am exploring this.

Opening a non profit that will be attached (most likely) to our LLC somehow. We are in the begining stages of planning, so any advice on that is hugely helpful!

We own a restaurant that is doing ok, and is near a very affluent area. We thrive on being very straightforward with our values and raise funds for families in Gaza, America, as well as the Philippines for emergency surgeries, living expenses, legal help, etc. There is a steady, albeit low daily income of donations.

We plan on creating a non profit to be able to not get taxed like crazy from the donations that we raise every day. We also want more people to donate and they can get a tax break (friends with other businesses, door knocking, etc). We have a steady flow average of $50 per day, but would like to see a bigger impact so we can fly more babies to safety (working on helping babies get emergency surgery currently).

What events do you do to get large donations? Currently our goal is to raise 32k to get all the children on our list into emergency surgery. I see people say they have events that bring in millions. How do we get there? I've seen mention of "High Impact Donations" etc but people talk like we all know what that means already. Please explain things like I am 5 :) lol. Thanks!

Working at a nonprofit- what does your annual raises look like? We only get COLA raises and they don't even hit 2%. I'm curious what others are like?

Ive worked at a large nonprofit for 4 years now. Without too much detail, I worked hard as hell to get to my ~$100k salary. I was underpaid for a long time, now I’m paid more than our HR, some finance staff, etc. I’m one of the most trusted staff in the org & they rely heavily on me

However, this job is soul-sucking and lacks boundaries. For the past 4 years I commute an hour and come home at 9pm. I haven’t washed dishes at home in forever, taken a real vacation without work responsibilities, been present with my family, and I feel like this job has impacted my luck at romantic relationships due to stress and time 💔💔💔. I have insomnia, in fact I’m posting this at 6am bc I’ve had 0 hours of sleep from work stress

Another point, my leadership has an unhealthy attachment and reliance on me. They fear me leaving, they isolate me, and their comments on my personal life make me uncomfortable, like they’re afraid of me getting a life bc they don’t want to lose me. The dynamic is gross and almost feels incestual lol

Anyways. This is my only work experience since graduating college. How do I pivot? I want out ASAP. I’m not at all only interested in nonprofit in fact id love to leave the sector, but I feel it might be the quickest way out of this role.

Every nonprofit job I see near me pays $50k-70k. I know I’m blessed with my salary and 401k, trust me my family’s financial situation is rough which has kept me stuck in this role out of fear. But I’m more afraid now of sacrificing my health and my future where it really matters (family, love, mental health).

Ps. Im great at what I do. If you know any leads, pls lmk I can share more info.

My boss our Chief Development Officer, just resigned and is moving on to a new role with another org because the pay is better, and he won’t have to travel as much.

I was hired 6 months ago to take over our foundation portfolio, including some major donors who have a DAF and need similar things to a true foundation like proposals, stewardship, and reporting. I was promised no travel outside of maybe 3x year for a couple conferences and an event.

Since my bosses announcement a week ago my employer has been lobbying heavily to have me take over his role but indicated that we could scope it differently so travel wouldn’t be a part of the role. My boss owns a portfolio of major donors, and often is traveling to see them or for an event near our headquarters.

I had a long chat with my boss and my ceo separately about what I am being offered and what the role and team could look like. My boss was critical and said leadership is often looking for a deal with paying fundraisers, and that I should absolutely expect that I will need to travel frequently. My ceo and other leadership swear up and down no travel, I can grow the team, and that we can right size my responsibilities.

Some personal context, I have a family, very young children, and am a caregiver for aging parents. My husband is in school. Travel is truly difficult, BUT is maybe the only true break I’d have from a busy life at home. I’m open to some, but certainly not as much as my boss has done, at 60%.

Pay has not been discussed, but it would like be at minimum a $30k/yr increase. I have directed a full fundraising program before, and while I enjoyed it, it was stressful and the organization was about half the size, but the team was me and it should have been easily 5 people.

I am truly wrestling with what I ought to do as a next step. So far my ideas are 1) say no, I’m not taking the role flat out 2) say yes, but on an interim basis till January, request a bonus to cover extra work till a replacement is hired. Or 3) accept, and understand that leadership and the team need work, hire good major gifts folks for on the road work, and hold firm to boundaries about travel and work hours.

hey all! I'm preparing a cover letter for an internship at a nonprofit and am unsure who to address the cover letter to - I never want to use "to whom it may concern".

would it be fair to address it to the executive director by name? perhaps the board of directors? or someone else? or is it fully dependent on the organization?

thanks!

I am the newest board member of a small rural library board. Since I joined in the spring, the board has demonstrated ongoing problems with timely and accurate communication.

The most recent and egregious issue is the lack of email responses to setting up a volunteer committee to begin designing the 2027 spring fundraiser. Finally, after resending the email and following up via text, the board president designed to answer. He texted "thanks for the nudge" and emailed a general statement about being unable to attend the meeting.

Once I heard from him, I contacted the ED and she immediately scheduled the in-person meeting with all volunteers included in less than an hour.

The board president delayed everything by more than a week because he wouldn't respond to the email.

We are scheduled to meet Monday for a committee meeting before the official board meeting. At the smaller gathering, I need to express my concerns about the continued lag in responses and how it negatively affects volunteer engagement and slows the time-sensitive planning process.

Do you have any suggestions on wording and driving home the point his slow responses will have a detrimental effect on the very important fundraiser?

Also, I would appreciate any commiseration.

Thank you!

I know this isn’t how our salary is calculated, but I am curious about other folks since I’ve only really worked at one organization. I do about 45X my salary.

Thank you!

Hi readers!
I'm not sure if posting like this here is a good move, or if it's even allowed in this sub, although I'm definitely trying my best to follow guidelines.

But I've run out of ideas, and I guess I need to make sure I've tried everything possible before I quit.
Long story short:

Community service worker with career in nonprofit management (me) --> runs into countless ethical, moral, financial issues at multiple organizations over the year --> raised concerns with said organizations and their leadership --> was gaslit and denied about all issues, until resorting to finding new organization --> cycle repeats until the final organization gets shut down and 200 other people are also laid off --> has been unemployed from full time work and every successful interview with subsequent organizations left bad taste in mouth --> decides only way to have most ethical workplace is to create it --> opens nonprofit to fight literacy crisis --> has been stuck for two years having made little progress --> closes nonprofit temporarily until further notice

Part of me feels like this was doomed from the start. I believe nonprofits only exist because our government has failed us in providing those resources, and so I knew that opening a nonprofit would be an ethical conundrum, but it was the only legal avenue I could think of to ethically make income & create a healthy work environment for others.

Anyway, I really wanted to make a difference and set an example in what the nonprofit/community workplace could look like, and I think the standard that we have gotten used to is disingenuous and counterintuitive. But I don't know what I'm doing lol and I hate dealing with money.

I hope folks who feel the same will reach out to connect <3

Our small organization is hiring a new ED. For the members of this board, it is our first time doing so and we know how critical the role is to our organization. We are small with a working board so the ED is both a leader and a key administrator supervising our part-time staff and handling administrative things like insurance, etc. Our organization relies heavily on collaborations with other organizations, so being able to build and sustain these partnerships is critical

Are there any things you wish you would’ve done / not done as part of the process or interview questions you think are particularly insightful that we should consider?