NCNE's Mission and approach to its work 

The National Center on Nonprofit Enterprise (NCNE) helps nonprofits make wise economic decisions. NCNE focuses on resources - how nonprofits can find them and use them well; and on ideas  - how ways of thinking can improve the way nonprofits work. To that end, NCNE engages a network of academic researchers, business leaders, consultants and nonprofit practitioners. We work with them to provide nonprofits with the knowledge and learning that will help them make decisions that will achieve sustainable impact.       

NCNE works in four ways to produce knowledge and ideas that have a practical impact.

• NCNE Creates. We generate and gather thinking and knowledge about how nonprofits raise and use resources in pursuit of their missions.
• NCNE Shares. We publish this knowledge, in articles, books and on our website.
• NCNE Debates and Learns. We create opportunities for nonprofit leaders and managers, academics, consultants, funders and businesspeople to explore and test this knowledge, through the NCNE National conference and regional seminars.
• NCNE Teaches. We work directly with nonprofits to help them put the ideas into practice, through training and other  opportunities to learn.

NCNE supports itself through memberships, fees for training and seminars, registrations and sponsorships for conferences, and receives some foundation grants. Some of our most important members are those that belong to the NCNE Institutional Consortium. They are nonprofit academic centers, schools and departments in universities or business schools that have a particular interest in the management of nonprofits and their economics.