Synthesis Partnership

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12 Reasons Why Planning is More Critical in Challenging Times
The purpose of planning is not to write a plan, it is to increase your ability to serve your mission. That is why, despite shortages of time and money, planning is all the more important in challenging times.

The Secret Life of Surveys
Surveys can be scientific instruments offering statistically reliable guidance for important decisions. This article is not about that. It is about communication.

Untangling the Web
Oh, what a tangled Web... Not so long ago, a website was just a brochure, a bulletin board, or a fundraising portal. Now the interactive possibilities are boundless.

On Board
Nonprofit boards have been defined as ineffective groups of effective people. What does it take to energize and get the most out of a board?

The Structure of Planning
There are many reasons to plan and many effective ways to go about the planning process. There are also some common ways that planning goes wrong, but a well-conceived structure can tilt the odds toward success.

Financial Modeling
A financial model can help an organization to explore, predict and control the repercussions of its decisions. It sounds more complicated than it is.

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Mind your RFPs & Qs
What are Requests for Interest (RFI), Qualifications (RFQ) and Proposals (RFP)? How can they help to save money, reduce risk, and improve quality in hiring professionals for projects such as websites, exhibits and facilities?

Focus mission & vision
What is the role of a mission statement? How can an organization make the most of statements of mission, vision and values?

Measure results
Some things are measurable, some are important, but they may be different things. Can measuring results help your organization?

Archive of Other Articles

Strategic Planning for Nonprofits... and the Value of Integrated Planning
Strategic planning in nonprofits engages all stakeholders in examining the question of why? Professional staff address the what? in program planning; business planning develops the how? Integrated planning puts these areas and others into a single, comprehensive framework and can clear the path for sustainable success.

Brand Identity for Nonprofit Organizations
If they are to be sustainable, nonprofits need to define who they are (their identity) and shape how they are perceived by the public (their brand) as much as for-profit businesses do. Development of brand identity is nothing less than recommitment to, and effective communication of, mission.

Financial Modeling
Nonprofits frequently confront important decisions about programs, facilities and endowments without a fully developed sense of the consequences of various alternatives. Financial modeling allows boards and senior staff, including those without a strong financial background, to explore the full implications of operating and capital budget decisions in greater depth, and even in real time.

Understanding Facilities: Essentials of Planning & Design
The extraordinary expense and subsequent inflexibility of facilities suggest that very thorough planning is required before decisions are made. A few simple steps can help organizations avoid the unnecessary costs and risks that encumber almost all nonprofit projects.

To Build or Not to Build
Development of facilities is a shared responsibility between governance and management. If the board is not fully informed of the issues and involved in the strategic decisions, there will likely be trouble down the road. Published in Trusteeship, the journal of the Association of Governing Boards.

Selecting an Architect
There are almost as many ways to select an architect as there are reasons for building. The trick is to find the right match between your objectives and your methods.

Client-Favorable Contracts for Design & Construction
Standard contracts protect the interests of architects and contractors, but put the client unnecessarily at risk and usually lead to higher costs. If used, they need to be modifed to better serve the interests of both parties.

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