Society For Non Profit Organizations

Programs: Presidents annual review report 2017 the society has experienced a number of changes and challenges over the past several years that have had a significant impact on its operations. In 2014, we reduced the frequency of nonprofit world from bi-monthly to quarterly. In late 2016, we eliminated the print version of nonprofit world entirely and adjusted our membership model accordingly. Last year was also a year of transition and change. The societys founder and executive director for over 30 years retired in early 2017, as well as our accountant of over 5 years. All of these factors, as well as the greater shift in the broader landscape, contributed to a significant decrease in revenue in 2017. Although the number of new members has remained steady and has been boosted the past 2 years by a successful co-marketing effort, our renewal rates have declined over the years. Fewer issues of nonprofit world and the lack of a print issue have contributed to a decreased level of engagement and magnified our need for an overhaul of our online presence. Our learning institute courses continue to receive positive feedback from students, but their dated appearance have made them less attractive to prospective students. Additionally, we were only able to have one sale last year, compared with our recent trend of two per year. Despite these challenges and the decrease in revenue, there are many reasons to be optimistic. I am encouraged and engaged by where i think the society is headed. Despite the significant leadership and staffing transition in 2017, we were able to pay off a long-standing accrued vacation liability, update our computer equipment, contract with a part- time assistant, and make improvements to our email communications platform. An increased focus on our social media channels has resulted in a corresponding growth in engagement, and weve made improvements to our onboarding and renewal processes that should help with our renewal rates. Finally, while our learning institute courses are aging, they continue to receive support from michigan state university. After our contact at msu retired in 2017, the director of michigan state university extension agreed to jointly award the certificate and issue ceu credit for these courses. The nonprofit landscape has changed dramatically since the society was founded over 30 years ago. In 2017, we transitioned our leadership and worked on improving our overall operations. In the coming year, the societys expanded board will help to identify the societys strengths and shortcomings, and develop ways to meet the changing needs of small and mid-sized nonprofits. Respectfully submitted, jason chmura