Good morning,

As noted in a Tuesday post,   Thère du Pont had some blunt advice for people who serve on the boards of nonprofits.

In remarks at the annual dinner of the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce,  the president of the Longwood Foundation,  made a strong argument for board members leading the charge in pushing for alternate sources of revenue and looking beyond raw numbers of persons served.

He also urged more members of the business community serve on nonprofit boards.

The Longwood Foundation President pointed to two examples of  Delaware  nonprofits taking the right path –  Collaborative Effort to Reinforce Transition Success (CERTS)   and  Delaware Theatre Company

CERTS,  a small nonprofit which serves severely disabled adults, has moved from providing services to improving outcomes, du Pont noted. One such accomplishment came when a client went from not being able to walk to taking 11 steps.

Delaware Theatre  Co. has greatly improved its finances with compelling offerings, new sources of revenue and plays that have the potential to earn royalties. The result has been broader support, including a grant from an out-of-state organization.

Tuesday’s story showed the other side of the coin as  du Pont mentioned a nonprofit ’s thrift shop that lowered its prices and gained revenues, thanks to a bulging inventory of goods. The windfall was short-lived as the organization dropped the successful experiment.

There can be a downside if du Pont’s advice somehow morphs into board members micromanaging operations. That has been known to happen.

The goal is to encourage entrepreneurial approaches that stay within the mission of the nonprofit and to look beyond raw numbers of people served to real successes.

That was du Pont’s message and it bears repeating.

Enjoy your day. The newsletter returns on Thursday. – Doug Rainey, publisher