I was lucky to be in New York for the awards ceremony for the NY Times 2008 Nonprofit Excellence Awards. This award is given in conjunction with the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers (NYRAG) and the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York (NPCC). The ceremony was at the Times Center on June 24.

The four finalist were Ifetayo Cultural Arts, Community Health Action of Staten Island, The Institute for Family Health, and Harlem RBI. All of the finalists had measurable results for their performance, and all gave great Q&A Sessions during the ceremony.

The awards committee also talked about their 7 areas of nonprofit excellence.

• Overall Management Focus on Results
• Governance Structure That Moves the Organization Forward
• Strong, Transparent and Accountable Financial Management
• Inclusive and Diverse Organizational Practices
• Enlightened Use of Human and Other Resources
• Regular and Effective Communications
• Effective, Ethical Fundraising and Development

It is great to look at that list because it is easy to imagine a strategy focused nonprofit excelling in all of these categories. Based on the results and discussions, it seems that many of the organizations are deploying many of the Balanced Scorecard framework attributes. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on these 7 management principles.

Oh, and by the way, Community Health Action of Staten Island won. Congratulations!

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