An Executive Director’s Guide to Nonprofit Leadership

Written by Kate Barr and Jeanne Bell for the Fall/Winter 2011 edition of the Nonprofit Quarterly, this article offers up what they see as the eight key business principles that guide financial leadership practice:

  • Activate your annual budget
  • Income diversification… or not
  • Make cash flow your priority
  • Don’t wish for reserves — plan them
  • Rethink restricted funding
  • Staff your finance function
  • Help your board to help you
  • Manage the right risks

This expert guide outlines essential steps: transforming annual budget analysis, deciding whether or not income diversification is the way to go, achieving a robust reserve, and equipping the board for effective financial governance.

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On October 8, 2025, Join Us for a National Town Hall on the Financial State of the Nonprofit Sector

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