An innovative way to fund social-service programs is slowly catching on in the United States—and it has the potential to transform the way larger nonprofits and mission-driven companies go about their business.

Pay for Success (PFS) is a funding model that relies on public-private partnerships to provide services that have traditionally been provided by the government. The idea originated in Great Britain in the early 2010s and gradually made its way across the Atlantic to the U.S., where it is now being employed in the social-service, healthcare, criminal-justice, and housing sectors.

We are always making a choice, no matter what. Not only is every action you take a choice, but not doing something is also a choice. There is a great quote from Stephen Covey: "Leadership is a choice, not a position."

No matter your role—whether you're a CEO or an intern—you have the choice every day to be a leader. Especially if you're working in a startup, there are countless opportunities to step up and make a 10X impact.

Serious fans of rock and roll will probably know the answer to this trivia question: When they were just starting out, the Irish band now known as U2 went by what one-word name?

The answer, of course, is "Radio X U2 History", a reference to one of the few technical terms that the fledgling rockers knew back then. The name didn’t last long, but the band certainly did—and within a few short years millions of fans were enjoying the sound of “Feedback” under their new name.

Companies of every size are faced with a reality once reserved for "future of work" strategies and conversations in the boardroom. That reality is now.

As more Gen Zers enter the labor market, remote work is predicted to become the norm. In fact, by 2028, 73 percent of all teams will have remote employees, according to UpWork's 2019 Future Workforce Report.

Another eye-opening report is the 2018 Global State of Remote Work. It found that 56 percent of employers worldwide currently offer either a completely remote workplace or a hybrid form of remote work.

The most fundamental ethical obligation for any nonprofit organization is to avoid conflicts of interest. Because nonprofits rely on donated funds, it is essential that they be able to demonstrate that this money is being properly spent—and that none of it is being used improperly to enrich the organization or its leaders.

Conflicts of interest most often involve the organization's executive director or members of the board of directors, because they are the people with the most direct influence over the organization's activities and business dealings.

Like former New York mayor Ed Koch, who was famous for his catchphrase, “How’m I doing”, we here at MindEdge and Skye Learning are always looking for feedback from the public.

Comments from our learners, both positive and negative, help us work continuously to improve our courses and certificate programs. And so our question to the public is a simple one: What sort of impact are our courses having on the lives and careers of our learners?

The answer, based on the findings of our first Learner Outcomes survey, appears to be overwhelmingly positive.

Like for-profit businesses, nonprofits range in size from small and medium organizations to very large, well-established organizations. These differences in size affect the way that nonprofits conduct every aspect of their operations, including fundraising, developing volunteer programs, establishing financial processes, and selecting a board of directors.

Regardless of a nonprofit’s size, the board plays an essential role in the organization’s success.

Even with the rise of social media and text messaging, good old-fashioned email remains one of the most effective marketing tools used in the for-profit world—and it continues to play a significant role in nonprofit fundraising, as well. Why? There are many reasons, but arguably the most compelling is cost. In general, it is estimated that it costs about 80 percent less to send a cultivated prospect an email than a printed direct mail package.

For nonprofit organizations, donor acquisition is the necessary foundation for every fundraising program. Two of the most common ways to identify new donors and also to re-engage existing contributors are direct mail and telemarketing.

Perhaps the most effective way to acquire a large number of first-time donors is to solicit their support by mail. Nonprofits use mail solicitation most frequently for annual campaigns. Using direct mail successfully, however, is not easy.

Nonprofit leaders can employ the strategic planning process to keep the organization focused on its mission and goals. Strategic plans can be helpful in anticipating and responding to changes, building consensus within the organization, and keeping the operations of the nonprofit aligned with its mission. For example, leaders can target spending only on those programs and projects that are identified as vital, and they can link fundraising and applications for grants to the nonprofit's strategic vision.