[Wade_Rogers_Forum_Moderator]

I work primarily with very small organizations (up to $2M budget) who are mostly taking baby steps toward building reserves – once we establish what that word means to them (another thank you for the last webinar!). These boards are squeamish about going beyond traditional interest-bearing deposit accounts and it has been quite a sell to even move toward laddering CDs. In all cases, they are holding fast to the need to remain within FDIC limits. Fortunately (for this situation), interest rates are on the rise.

I appreciate the earlier responses regarding strategies to go beyond liquidity and to begin considering placing funds in the markets, albeit conservatively. It really does boil down to understanding the different layers of capital and which may be appropriate for long-term growth.

[Wade_Rogers_Forum_Moderator]

Thanks for joining Stephen! I agree, coming from the finance side of nonprofit management, that the complexity of funding our organizations is off the charts compared to a for-profit entity of a similar size. I’d love to hear more from others about your point on nonprofit leaders, especially those in smaller organizations, and their handling of this complexity. How do we incorporate this acumen into the overall skill set they need to succeed?

[Wade_Rogers_Forum_Moderator]

Mark, I would only say they’re reluctant to invest the small amount of money that is being held as an emergency fund, say 3-6 months of operating expenses. The few groups that I have who have started to build or have been awarded an endowment are of course entering the market, typically following the strategies that respondents have been describing in this forum.