Spokes | Resources for Nonprofits

Find Us On Social Media:

  • About
    • History of Spokes
    • Annual Report
    • Meet Our Expert Volunteer Faculty
    • Staff & Board of Directors
    • News
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Organizational Membership FAQs
    • Spokes’ Privacy Policy
    • Support Spokes
      • Our Generous Donors
  • Membership
    • Membership Benefits
    • Our List of Members
    • What Members Are Saying
    • Member Success Stories
  • Services
    • Nonprofit Board Service
    • Major Nonprofit Events
    • Starting a Nonprofit
    • Meeting Spaces
    • Special Resources for Uncertain Times
    • General Nonprofit Resources
  • Login
  • Contact Us
  • Volunteer
  • Classes/Workshops
    • Ask an Expert
  • Job Board
    • Job Board

Best management practices matter!

June 25, 2014 by Spokes For Nonprofits

A headline article in the May 29, 2014 issue of the Chronicle of Philanthropy confirms that donors are willing to invest more in to nonprofit organizations able to demonstrate best management and governance practices. Specifically, the study analyzes fundraising success of accredited nonprofits vs. non-accredited nonprofits.

Three university business professors compared 102 fully accredited nonprofits with the same number of unaccredited organizations. The study, released last month, found that the accredited nonprofits raised a median $286,589 in the year they applied for accreditation, and that figure rose to $323,754 during the first year they were accredited. The median donation to the uncertified organizations declined over the same period. A complete copy of the article is available here.

While applying for accreditation can be costly, it costs nothing to ensure your nonprofit organization is employing best practices and implementing processes that meet accreditation standards. Don’t know where to start? Attend one of Spokes’ monthly “Best Practices in Nonprofit Governance” classes to learn more about accreditation standards and how Spokes can help you strengthen your operations to secure more donor support!  Spokes members may also login to our members-only website to download the Standards for Excellence Organizational Assessment and editable templates for key operational policies.

Article Categories

  • Financial and Legal
  • Fundraising
  • Governance
    • Board Development
  • Human Resources
  • Marketing & Communication
  • For Board Members
  • For Executive Directors
  • For Staff and Volunteers

DISCLAIMER: Spokes offers informed advice and recommendations, not professional counsel. Blog content is current as of the date shown. Individual posts are not necessarily updated, so please confirm the accuracy of the information, especially of older posts.

Popular Topics

"executive committee" board board of directors California nonprofits charity communication consulting donations donors employees financial fundraising Governance leadership marketing meetings nonprofit nonprofit governance nonprofit management nonprofits philanthropy policy productivity Professional Development recruitment responsibilities retirement spokes taxes volunteers

Member Testimonial

In a few moments, FDO can provide more funder and grantor information that any person could assemble in a whole work week. The depth and breadth of information provided in FDO is simply not available through any other resources. I appreciate being able to access it as a Spokes member.

Forrest Eastham
Grant Manager
People's Self-Help Housing
San Luis Obispo, CA

What Else Are Members Saying?

Learn about Spokes membership

Guiding nonprofits to achieve their goals through support and expert resources.

How Can We Make A Difference Together?

Spokes welcomes local professionals who would like to share their expertise in support of the nonprofit sector.

Get Started Contributing

Recent Articles

  • Mission-Aligned Money Management
  • The Value of Nonprofit Board Service
  • Spokes on Congalton

Copyright © 2025 Spokes | Resources for Nonprofits. All Rights Reserved.
PO Box 5122, San Luis Obispo, CA 93403
Hosting by NDIC.
Photography by Nicole Boughton.