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Best Practices for North Dakota Nonprofits

NDANO's “best practices” program for North Dakota charitable nonprofits is designed to educate nonprofits, board members, donors and the public about recommended conduct that is most likely to result in effective, accountable, ethical, transparent and legally compliant organizations. 

It has three purposes: to provide individual organizations striving for excellence with a tool for operational evaluation relative to the rest of the state nonprofit sector, to support the quality of the sector and to increase public understanding of the contributions of the sector.

Principles & Practices Guide

NDANO's first-ever publication - Principles & Practices for Nonprofit Excellence in North Dakota: A Guide for Nonprofit Staff and Board Members - is a management tool to help North Dakota nonprofits evaluate operations relative to best practices and other nonprofits in the state with the ultimate goal of a stronger, more effective state nonprofit sector.

10 Principles

A working group of North Dakota nonprofit leaders identified the following 10 guiding principles for nonprofit excellence, along with accompanying legal requirements and recommended best practices.

  • Governance
  • Accountability & Transparency
  • Financial Management
  • Fundraising
  • Human Resources
  • Advocacy & Public Policy
  • Planning
  • Evaluation
  • Information & Technology
  • Strategic Alliances

NDANO members are able to access additional Principles & Practices resources as outlined below. Not yet a member? Join today.

Share feedback on the best practices program with NDANO.

ND Secretary of State Al Jaeger on Principles & Practices:

"Without a doubt, the nonprofit sector serves millions of people throughout North Dakota and our nation, and contributes extensively to the economy while enhancing the overall quality of life. 

My staff and I have reviewed this publication and believe it provides invaluable guidance that, if practiced by a nonprofit organization, will assist its members in successfully accomplishing the mission for which the organization was created."  

 

Principles & Practices Supported in Part by

Online Resource Center

NDANO recognizes most nonprofits will not demonstrate full adherence to all principles summarized in the guide immediately, nor will they have every practice reflected in their operations. As such, it is designed as a tool to help nonprofits increase efficiency and effectiveness over time.

As an exclusive member benefit, NDANO nonprofit members have access to online resources to assist them in implementing best practices. Among the resources now available are:

  • A Principles and Practices guide with legally required practices hyperlinked to relevant state or federal laws.
  • A summary of all legal citations in the guide.
  • A Principles and Practices Organizational Self-Assessment Checklist for each principle that provides organizations an easy way to track progress in implementing best practices. 
  • Templates for such as a conflict of interest policy and a social media use policy, along with links to vetted resources on best practices.

The Resource Center will help nonprofits develop strong management practices that support community engagement, leverage financial resources and advance missions.