About

Long time partners Nonprofit Quarterly, Propel Nonprofits, and BDO FMA, created the Nonprofit Financial Commons – a rich portal and peer community where nonprofits of all sizes and types can find and share information and tools   to help them act strategically on their own financial models. “Commons” are resources created and held by and for a group of people who manage and sustain them for individual and collective benefit. 

The work of the Commons will cluster around not only familiar practical questions, but also the next horizon of strategic financial practice for nonprofits and funders. The peer community is equally important for both knowledge, practical direction, and leadership support through online forums and connecting points. 

Values

The Commons Values…

In the Financial Commons every voice is heard with an emphasis, for the sake of a healthy and diverse democracy, on bringing to the center of focus the concerns of nonprofit leaders and organizations historically unheard or pushed to the margins.

The Commons values learning while doing which requires a sense of urgency in some cases, and strong curation. It also exists to identify model practices, and challenge practice, policy and regulatory frameworks, and to co-create new standards of excellence and effectiveness. Each participant is a teacher and a learner in a community where we value inquiry, learning from a thoughtful and dynamic mix of practice and research, and advocating for improved nonprofit policy, regulating and funding practices.

The Commons Values… 

We value democratic participation, reflective practice, and knowledge that is accurate and reflective of the urgent work of nonprofit financial leaders. 

In the Financial Commons every voice is heard.  Each participant is a teacher and a learner in a community where we value inquiry, learning from a thoughtful and dynamic mix of practice and research.  We emphasize centering the concerns of nonprofit leaders and organizations historically unheard or pushed to the margins.  

The Commons values learning while doing which requires strong and diverse curation. It also exists to identify model practices, and challenge practice, policy and regulatory frameworks, and to co-create new standards of excellence and effectiveness. 

Practice Principles 

Inquiry – We listen to each other, collectively surfacing and responding to critical questions each participant has about the strategic management of the nonprofits with which they work. . We challenge systems and their supporting narratives that reflect and sustain classism, white supremacy and other oppressions. 

Learning – We identify topics on which to develop content through inviting dialogue and individual questions from participants; and we also locate, curate and disseminate existing knowledge, and develop research agenda in response to questions posed by participants.  

Doing – We practice what we learn, share lessons and tools, and build expertise together and individually. Participants help to develop new practice frameworks and reflect openly on their results in a variety of circumstances, thus advancing practice specific to the needs of a wide diversity of organizational identity and need. 

Advancing knowledge and practice – We advance the standards of practice in the sector that correct endemic problems in nonprofit finance, inequities within the sector, and other systemic issues. We support the nonprofit sector as a critical venue for democratic action for the public good.