Community Trust Starts with Financial Transparency

Community Trust Starts with Financial Transparency

Trust is the currency of the nonprofit sector. Donors, grantmakers, volunteers, board members, and community partners all make decisions based on their confidence in an organization's leadership and stewardship.

Building and maintaining that trust requires strong relationships. While nonprofit leaders spend significant time cultivating relationships with donors, funders, board members, volunteers, and community partners, one important relationship is often overlooked: the relationship with trusted financial advisors.

Just as a banker helps an organization manage capital, a strong advisory team helps nonprofit leaders translate financial information into meaningful communication that builds trust with boards, donors, grantors, and the communities they serve.

When Strong Personalities Take Center Stage

When Strong Personalities Take Center Stage

If you’ve worked with volunteer boards or committees for any length of time, you know this truth:  Strong personalities and deep passion aren’t the exception—they’re the norm.

In over three decades of work with more than 275 boards, committees, and task forces, we have seen almost every scenario play out. And in a recent conversation with an executive director navigating tension between volunteer board leaders, a familiar question surfaced:

“What is my role in this situation?”

His instinct was thoughtful. He wanted to help—but he also recognized that stepping in too quickly might not lead to the best outcome.

That pause was not hesitation. It was wisdom.

What Funders Want You to Know

What Funders Want You to Know

Nonprofit leaders are navigating tight budgets, rising community needs, and increased expectations for measurable impact. That’s why opportunities to hear directly from funders are invaluable.  Thank you for providing those, CNM! 

At a CNM Funders Forum last fall in Fort Worth, community leaders Pete Geren (Sid Richardson Foundation), Adam Powell (United Way Tarrant County), and Jeff Salavarria (Frost Bank) shared practical, candid insights about what helps nonprofits stand out—and succeed—in today’s funding environment.

Build a Strong Banking Relationship For Your Nonprofit

Build a Strong Banking Relationship For Your Nonprofit

Nonprofits play a vital role in strengthening communities in and around the DFW Metroplex and having the right banking partner can make that work even more impactful for the long term. A strong relationship with a banker isn’t just about transactions. It’s about collaboration, shared values and leveraging financial resources that help your mission thrive.

Below are practical steps for nonprofits to build and sustain a banking partnership that contributes to sustainable impact of the organization.

Make It Easy for Donors to Make Online Tribute Gifts

Make It Easy for Donors to Make Online Tribute Gifts

Last month, I shared this Good Advice blog post encouraging nonprofit organizations to celebrate tribute gifts and intentionally promote them during calendar year-end and beyond. That piece was inspired by a client project—and by a data point from Nonprofit Tech for Good showing that while 46% of online donors make tribute gifts, only 19% of nonprofits actively encourage them. That gap is a huge opportunity for mission-driven organizations.

What I didn’t know then was how personally I would experience this advice from a donor’s perspective just a few weeks later when I learned that not all online giving opportunities are created equal.