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Subscribe to receive the Standards for Excellence Institute® bi-monthly Newsletter>> Standards for Excellence Institute® Newsletter Table of Contents
Take the Time to Become Familiar with Disclosure Issues for Nonprofits Did you know that the Standards for Excellence® Institute publishes Disclose It: A Charitable Nonprofit’s Guide to Disclosure Requirements. This publication is available in the member's only section of the Standards for Excellence Institute website and is also incorporated as part of two educational resource packets, Openness and Fundraising Practices.
Because nonprofits serve important public purposes, nonprofit organizations are granted exemption from most federal, state and local taxes, and donors are granted a tax deduction for contributions to 501(c)(3) charities. Along with these privileges comes the responsibility to provide details about their operations to members of the public. As the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector states, it is important that all nonprofits comply with both the letter and the spirit of federal and state laws which require disclosure of information to the public. Disclose It has recently been updated, with additional clarification in the section entitled, “When the donor refuses items of value.” Here’s an excerpt: To download the Disclose It: A Charitable Nonprofit’s Guide to Disclosure Requirements, visit the Standards for Excellence Institute members only section today Standards for Excellence® at San Diego University Students in the Masters in Nonprofit Leadership and Management program learn through hands-on applied learning. The applied learning project for the introductory Nonprofit Management Fundamentals course has students assess the performance of local nonprofits using a set of ethics and accountability guidelines of their choice. Libby is not surprised that her students almost always choose the Standards for Excellence® code over others. “The Standards for Excellence® is a great teaching tool that really helps students and organizations map out strengths as well as areas of development," says Libby. "I’m glad to be able to provide the Standards for Excellence® to students. I believe that it increases the professionalism of the nonprofit sector." For more information on Pat Libby and the Institute for Nonprofit Education & Research at San Diego University please visit: www.sandiego.edu/nonprofit.
Texas Pregnancy Care Network was recently awarded the Standards for Excellence® Institute Seal of Excellence. They submitted to a rigorous peer-review of all aspects of their operations after implementing the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector®. Texas Pregnancy Care Network is proud to display the Seal of Excellence -- a symbol the public and donors alike can trust. The agency’s executive director, Vincent Friedwald, constantly stresses the duty that that nonprofit organizations have to be accountable to the public. “Nonprofits are getting a benefit and exist as tax -exempt entities because of our work on behalf of the public,” said Friedwald. “We owe something back to the public in the way of assurances. This is why we pursued certification. Those who undergo this peer-review process, bear their souls to be evaluated. For some organizations, a process like this is the best way to learn how to do things the right way.” Texas Pregnancy Care Network (TPCN) assists women in crisis pregnancies by providing free and compassionate, practical and life-affirming services. TPCN supports a network of direct service providers with funding, training, and technical assistance and serves as the prime contractor of the Texas Alternative to Abortion Services Program, funded through the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. For more information about Texas Pregnancy Care Network, visit their website at www.texaspregnancy.org. About the Standards for Excellence® Voluntary Certification Program Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofits Releases Standards for Excellence® Video Hear about all of the benefits of the Standards for Excellence® program in the Standards for Excellence® video recently released by the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofits (PANO). PANO offers all components of the program including the Pennsylvania Standards for Excellence® code, Standards for Excellence® training, educational resource packets, technical assistance and Standards for Excellence® certification for nonprofits that reside in the state. PANO is the statewide membership organization serving and advancing the charitable nonprofit sector through leadership, advocacy, education and services in order to improve the quality of life in Pennsylvania. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Access Archives to "52 Tips" Whether you’ve just discovered the 52 Tips in 52 weeks, or are in search of a tip that you missed or deleted, you can find any prior “tip” in the archives on the Standards for Excellence Institute website or at standardsforexcellenceinstitute.wordpress.com. Tips with links to relevant educational resources are available in each of the Standards for Excellence® topic areas – mission and program, governing board, conflict of interest, human resources, financial and legal, openness, fundraising, and public affairs and public policy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark Your Calendars for the next Standards for Excellence® Certification Application Deadline Is earning the Seal of Excellence one of your goals for 2010? The next deadline is February 12, 2010. Mark your calendar today! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Members of the Standards for Excellence Institute® Membership is open to operating nonprofits, grantmakers, associate members, and students. Joining is easy. You can join online or via mail. For information on how to join the Standards for Excellence Institute®, click here.
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