What we know: The new tax law’s influence on charitable giving is a topic of lively discussion, and multiple projections of negative impact have been made. Not everyone fears the effect of the change, with some believing it will put more cash into the economy and actually boost charitable giving. The nonprofit sector will not know the full implications until after year-end, but it is in the best interests of organizations to proactively consider the tax changes in their operations. The ASU Lodestar Center’s two Professionals in Residence, Pat Lewis and Anne Byrne, weigh in with their differing perspectives and advice for nonprofit organizations. For more information on the likely impact of the new tax law, click here.

Perspective 1:

Yes, we are now undergoing significant changes to tax law changes that impact individuals in new ways. For those of us engaged in the world of philanthropy, there is a lot of head scratching going on. Will people have more funds to give because of the significant increase in the standard deduction? Will those with moderate giving patterns have less to give because of the $10,000 cap on state and local income and property taxes? Will those with significant estates and high annual incomes give more because of their greater access to…

In today’s day and age, it’s no longer a question of “Should we use social media?”, but rather “How can we use social media to achieve our mission?”. Organizations cannot afford to post randomly, without strategically thinking about what they post, where they post it, how or if they are engaging followers, and what they are aiming to achieve or gain from every post. To make matters trickier, many nonprofits do not have a social media team, or even a social media person. To get the most out of every post, there are some key components organizations should consider and implement. 

To whom are you speaking?

The first step would be to think before you post; whom are you trying to reach, and what are you trying to get out of them? If you are unclear on these questions, then you are posting blindly and will have no way to measure whether or not your time and energy spent on social media is paying off. Think of the target population, and then you can strategize on what kind of content that population will be interested in.

Social Media Capital

The next step in creating an effective social media strategy is to build your social media capital, or the, “social resources in an organization’s social media network that can be accumulated, mobilized, and expended to achieve organizational outcomes,” according to an article by Guo and Saxton. . Organizations need to do more than just collect mass followers,…

My name is Taylor Polen, I was born and raised in Arizona and am passionate about finding creative solutions to inspire systemic equality and opportunity for all. I graduated from high school in 2016 and had little notion of what I wanted to do with my life until I joined Public Allies.

I found the program while searching for other sources of financial aid for college and applied late despite discouragement. My first term with Public Allies and the Alzheimer's Association began as an outreach specialist in December 2016. I became a program specialist my second year with Public Allies, in October 2017. Because of this program, I have been given the opportunity and guidance to achieve my life mission to create meaningful, positive and lasting change.

“To eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research: to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.”

Above is the mission of the Alzheimer's Association, but in what capacity do I serve that supports this mission? As a program specialist, you may think that I am limited to one program or role, that however, is not the reality. Since beginning at the Alzheimer's Association, I have been utilized in several different capacities by my coworkers and supervisor. I have provided support in data entry…

The nonprofit sector is known for the good humanitarian work it aims to provide society.  Within the sector itself exist organizations that are run with the precision of any Fortune 500 company.  But, charitable organizations in general are thought to be lagging behind their for-profit cousins in some of the more basic areas of organizational operations necessary to grow and maintain healthy enterprises.  “Nonprofit organizations are as susceptible, perhaps more susceptible, to financial problems and insolvency than their for-profit counterparts,” according to Mark Melickian in " A guide for nonprofit organizations: Bankruptcy issues. " 

With the complex arena that nonprofit organizations have chosen to be accountable for, it is imperative that healthy business practices become sector standards in order to ensure that necessary services do not disappear due to avoidable mismanagement.

Additional motivators beyond service commitment exist for nonprofit organizations to tighten up operational procedures. Weerawardena, McDonald, and Mort  credit increased opportunity of for-profit businesses to offer what was once largely nonprofit services, and the sheer number of charitable organizations chasing the same dollars, as two of the primary reasons for this emerging issue in "Journal of World Business."  “These changes have forced NPOs [nonprofit organizations] to adopt strategies aimed at building viable,…

I recently returned from New York City, where I was able to spend two incredible days with 72 fellow global nonprofit leaders selected to attend the fourth annual American Express Leadership Academy Global Alumni Summit. The theme of the summit was Leadership in Times of Transition. This year's summit featured a special livestream conversation with Angela Fernandez, Esq., executive director of the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights, and Dan Parks, managing editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy. They discussed leadership in times of transition, and how our sector can be effective under current conditions. You can watch the archived version of the conversation here, and I highly encourage anybody, whether you work in the nonprofit sector or not, do so.

Rather than spend time telling you what they said and why it’s important – thanks to modern-day technology, you can learn directly from them on your train ride home (you are using mass transit, right!?) – I thought I’d talk a bit about what I have learned through transitions in my career.

Like Angela Fernandez, I have split my careers (in my case, pretty evenly) between the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Through those experiences, I have been through a lot of transitions. These transitions go beyond changing careers, sectors, geographies or titles. I’ve transitioned…