The following is a guest post by Scot P. Chisholm, founder/CEO, StayClassy.

The following is post by Lauren Walinsky, GuideStar’s membership director. You can email Lauren directly at lwalinsky@guidestar.org.

As we enter the fourth quarter, many nonprofit organizations are getting more specific about their financial plans for 2013. In the scramble to produce a budget in time for year’s close, leaders sometimes lose sight of the larger purpose behind the planning. A budget is more than just an articulation of how an organization makes and spends its money. Done well, a budget serves to:

The following is a post by Lori Larson, senior director, GuideStar DonorEdge.

Split interest agreements, giving arrangements (contributions), whereby benefits are shared by an organization and other beneficiaries, have grown in popularity as a result of legacy gift campaigns and in an effort to protect individual estates.Because some of these gifts can date back upwards of 30-50 years, many nonprofits don’t realize that the annual distributions they receive may be generated from a split interest arrangement. When not accounted for properly, nonprofits are not in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and are leaving what can be significant assets and contributions off the financial statements.

The following is a post by Usma Ziard, GuideStar's senior marketing director.

Many capital campaigns are won or lost based on their volunteer leadership. If you have the right people heading up your campaign, you are well on your way to success.

This year, on Tuesday, November 27, 2012, we are part of a call to action and national movement that will change the calendar and help make history. We are celebrating a new day dedicated to giving—when nonprofits, families, businesses, community centers, students, retailers and more will all come together to create #GivingTuesday—a new movement to celebrate giving and encourage more, better, and smarter giving during the holiday season. GuideStar is a proud nonprofit partner of the #GivingTuesday initiative.

The following is a guest post by Greg Ulrich, co-author of the new guidebook, More Money for More Good. This post is also running on Katya Andresen's Non-Profit Marketing Blog.

The following is a guest post by Greg Ulrich, co-author of the new guidebook, More Money for More Good. This post is also running on Katya Andresen's Non-Profit Marketing Blog.

The following is a post by Jasmine Marrow, GuideStar’s manager of philanthropic research.

The following is a guest post by Greg Ulrich, co-author of the new guidebook, More Money for More Good.

Is your nonprofit organization “good”? We recently co-sponsored a webinar with VolunteerHub, a leading volunteer software for nonprofits and other organizations, to help answer this question. Based on your feedback, we are now pleased to provide the entire video. Click the video to watch it now! You can also download the presentation slides by visiting the VolunteerHub Scribd site.

The following is a guest Blog by Ritu Sharma, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Social Media for Nonprofits.

The handwriting is on the wall in big bold letters: government funding for many redevelopment and social service programs is going to be dramatically reduced over the coming years.

We are excited to announce the results of our recent causes survey, which asked GuideStar members and users what causes keep them up at night. Some 675 people participated in the survey; the infographic to the right summarizes what they told us (click on the image to view a larger version). Additional details are below.

Excerpted from The Fundraiser's Guide to Irresistible Communications: Real-World, Field-Tested Strategies to Raise More Money