Foreword
Joe Geiger, Executive Director
Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO)
Congratulations! You have decided to be a part of the fastest-growing segment of business development in the United States. You are considering joining, or have already joined, over a million other nonprofits in the United States. They come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. The nonprofit sector’s heritage includes helping in an emergency, encouraging the human spirit, educating and shaping values and goals, and being the first to offer a hand.
You have chosen to be a vital link in developing the fabric of the community. From the time our ancestors landed on Plymouth Rock (or staffed the Welcome Wagon that greeted those who did), people have worked together in formal organizations to better the human condition. The nonprofit sector has always been in the forefront of improving our society and the human condition.
Today, the nonprofit sector is in a very challenging period. Nonprofits are experiencing ever-growing scrutiny and demands for accountability. Service demand is increasing. There is more competition for charitable dollars. The public and government both are demanding that nonprofits improve their efficiency. This book will help you respond to these challenges.
As the Executive Director of PANO, I am pleased to be a part of the 6th edition of The Nonprofit Handbook. Every week, callers to PANO ask questions: Should we start up? How do we get our tax exemptions? Where can we find grant funds? Should we merge? Should we contract with a for-profit to help us fundraise online? I am pleased to have a practical tool that can help answer these questions. This book will help to keep you on track. It is also an extraordinary resource for those who already manage or serve on the boards of nonprofit organizations. With practical advice on fundraising, communications, lobbying, personnel management, grantsmanship, and scores of other issues, it is a must for every nonprofit executive to have.
In summary, The Nonprofit Handbook is at the top of the list of essential tools to have on your bookshelf. This book is must reading. While it will have value as a reference tool to be consulted when needed, I highly recommend that you read the book cover-to-cover to familiarize yourself with the panoply of issues facing the modern nonprofit in every state of our United States.
J.M.G.
May 2011