# 101 Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make And How You Can Avoid Them

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/books/101-biggest-mistakes-nonprofits-make/
- Published: 2019-03-15T09:32:00+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**In 101 Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make and How You Can Avoid Them, hear directly
from fundraising veterans who have more than 300 years of combined experience inside
nonprofit organisations and leading consulting firms serving nonprofits. They are
experts in strategic planning, government relations, leadership, finance and administration,
program development, marketing, and philanthropy.**

In this book, Andrew Olsen and 26 other industry professionals lend their expertise
to explore the 101 biggest mistakes that cost nonprofits the most, and given you
expert recommendations on avoiding making these mistakes yourself.

![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2026/09/image.png)

Andrew Olsen writes:

> Nonprofits are some of the scrappiest organisations you’ll ever experience. In
> many respects, they resemble start-ups. Think about it. Small groups (generally)
> of highly dedicated, focused believers coming together to achieve something greater
> than they could ever achieve on their own. They’re often cash-strapped, moving
> faster than their infrastructures can keep up with, and frequently learning and
> adapting as quickly as they can.
> The majority of nonprofit staff are able to do so much good with so few resources.
> The general public has come to expect nonprofits to behave this way.
> But one thing I’ve noticed is that unlike the corporate sector, there is little
> in the way of generally accepted “best practices” across the nonprofit sector.
> This results in organizations that serially make mistakes, often resulting in 
> detrimental impacts to their staff, their donors, their revenue, and ultimately
> to the achievement of their mission.
> In _101 Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make 
> and How You Can Avoid Them_, you’ll hear directly from industry veterans who have
> over 300 years of combined experience inside nonprofit organizations and leading
> consulting firms serving nonprofits. They are experts in strategic planning, government
> relations, leadership, finance and administration, program development, marketing,
> and [philanthropy](https://fundraising.co.uk/tag/philanthropy/).Contrary to what
> the title might suggest, this book is NOT an admonishment of the nonprofit sector
> and those who make their career within it. Far from it. I know that one of the
> least-funded areas in the nonprofit sector is staff training and development. 
> That is at the core of what brought me to envision this book, to assemble this
> group of expert contributors, and to bring this work to market. Everyone makes
> mistakes, whether you work in the nonprofit sector, the commercial sector, or 
> anywhere in between. In the corporate sector there are entire industries designed
> to provide coaching and teaching at all levels of an organization, even customized
> to market niches. These industries help teach leaders how to improve and do their
> jobs at the highest possible levels. There are also plenty of works outlining 
> best practices in strategy, design, staffing, leadership, management, finance,
> etc.
> Roadmaps, if you will, to help corporate executives, leaders, and individual contributors
> avoid costly mistakes and maximize impact for their customers and businesses. 
> The same can’t yet be said for the nonprofit sector.
> In this book I’ve compiled
> the 101 biggest mistakes that cost nonprofits the most, and given you expert recommendations
> to help you avoid making these mistakes yourself.

Find out [more on Andrew Olsen’s site](https://andrewolsen.net/101-biggest-mistakes-nonprofits-make-book/).